Lesson 14: Navigation Bars - Building Menus with Flexbox

What You'll Learn

• How to create horizontal navigation bars
• How to create responsive navigation
• Hamburger menus for mobile
• Dropdown menus
• Sticky navigation
• Navigation styling and effects

Why This Matters

Navigation is how users move through your website. A well-designed, responsive navigation bar is essential for user experience. Flexbox makes creating professional navigation bars much easier!

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Part 1: Basic Horizontal Navigation

Simple Horizontal Menu

<nav class="navbar">
    <a href="#home">Home</a>
    <a href="#about">About</a>
    <a href="#services">Services</a>
    <a href="#contact">Contact</a>
</nav>

.navbar {
    display: flex;
    background-color: #333;
    padding: 0;
}

.navbar a {
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 20px 25px;
}

.navbar a:hover {
    background-color: #555;
}

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Part 2: Logo with Navigation

Layout with Logo

<header class="header">
    <div class="logo">MyBrand</div>
    <nav class="nav">
        <a href="#home">Home</a>
        <a href="#about">About</a>
        <a href="#services">Services</a>
        <a href="#contact">Contact</a>
    </nav>
</header>

.header {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: center;
    padding: 0 40px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    color: white;
}

.logo {
    font-size: 24px;
    font-weight: bold;
    padding: 20px 0;
}

.nav {
    display: flex;
    gap: 0;
}

.nav a {
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 20px 20px;
    transition: background-color 0.3s;
}

.nav a:hover {
    background-color: #34495e;
}

.nav a:active,
.nav a.active {
    background-color: #3498db;
}

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Part 3: Responsive Navigation with Hamburger

HTML Structure

<header class="header">
    <div class="logo">MyBrand</div>
    
    <!-- Hamburger button (hidden on desktop) -->
    <button class="hamburger">
        <span></span>
        <span></span>
        <span></span>
    </button>
    
    <!-- Navigation menu -->
    <nav class="nav">
        <a href="#home">Home</a>
        <a href="#about">About</a>
        <a href="#services">Services</a>
        <a href="#portfolio">Portfolio</a>
        <a href="#contact">Contact</a>
    </nav>
</header>

CSS - Mobile First

* {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    box-sizing: border-box;
}

.header {
    position: relative;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: center;
    padding: 15px 20px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    color: white;
}

.logo {
    font-size: 24px;
    font-weight: bold;
    z-index: 1001;
}

/ Hamburger Button - Mobile /
.hamburger {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    gap: 5px;
    background: none;
    border: none;
    cursor: pointer;
    z-index: 1001;
}

.hamburger span {
    display: block;
    width: 30px;
    height: 3px;
    background-color: white;
    transition: all 0.3s;
}

/ Hamburger animation when open /
.hamburger.active span:nth-child(1) {
    transform: rotate(45deg) translate(8px, 8px);
}

.hamburger.active span:nth-child(2) {
    opacity: 0;
}

.hamburger.active span:nth-child(3) {
    transform: rotate(-45deg) translate(8px, -8px);
}

/ Navigation - Mobile (hidden by default) /
.nav {
    position: fixed;
    top: 0;
    right: -100%;
    width: 70%;
    height: 100vh;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    padding: 80px 20px 20px;
    transition: right 0.3s;
    z-index: 1000;
}

.nav.active {
    right: 0;
}

.nav a {
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 15px 20px;
    font-size: 18px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
}

.nav a:hover {
    background-color: #34495e;
}

/ TABLET AND DESKTOP (768px+) /
@media (min-width: 768px) {
    .hamburger {
        display: none;  / Hide hamburger /
    }
    
    .nav {
        position: static;
        width: auto;
        height: auto;
        flex-direction: row;
        padding: 0;
        background: none;
    }
    
    .nav a {
        border: none;
        font-size: 16px;
        padding: 20px 20px;
    }
}

JavaScript (for hamburger toggle)

Create a file: script.js

// Get elements
const hamburger = document.querySelector('.hamburger');
const nav = document.querySelector('.nav');

// Toggle menu on hamburger click
hamburger.addEventListener('click', () => {
    hamburger.classList.toggle('active');
    nav.classList.toggle('active');
});

// Close menu when clicking on a link
const navLinks = document.querySelectorAll('.nav a');
navLinks.forEach(link => {
    link.addEventListener('click', () => {
        hamburger.classList.remove('active');
        nav.classList.remove('active');
    });
});

Add to HTML before </body>:

<script src="script.js"></script>

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Part 4: Sticky Navigation

Navigation that stays at top when scrolling:

.header {
    position: sticky;
    top: 0;
    z-index: 1000;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: center;
    padding: 20px 40px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    color: white;
    box-shadow: 0 2px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
}

Scroll Effect (changes on scroll)

.header {
    position: sticky;
    top: 0;
    transition: all 0.3s;
}

/ Add this class with JavaScript when scrolling /
.header.scrolled {
    padding: 10px 40px;
    background-color: rgba(44, 62, 80, 0.95);
    box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

JavaScript:

window.addEventListener('scroll', () => {
    const header = document.querySelector('.header');
    if (window.scrollY > 50) {
        header.classList.add('scrolled');
    } else {
        header.classList.remove('scrolled');
    }
});

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Part 5: Dropdown Menus

HTML Structure

<nav class="nav">
    <a href="#home">Home</a>
    <a href="#about">About</a>
    
    <!-- Dropdown menu -->
    <div class="dropdown">
        <a href="#services" class="dropdown-toggle">Services</a>
        <div class="dropdown-menu">
            <a href="#web-design">Web Design</a>
            <a href="#web-dev">Web Development</a>
            <a href="#seo">SEO</a>
            <a href="#marketing">Marketing</a>
        </div>
    </div>
    
    <a href="#contact">Contact</a>
</nav>

CSS for Dropdown

.nav {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 0;
}

.nav > a,
.dropdown-toggle {
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 20px 20px;
    display: block;
}

/ Dropdown container /
.dropdown {
    position: relative;
}

/ Dropdown menu (hidden by default) /
.dropdown-menu {
    position: absolute;
    top: 100%;
    left: 0;
    min-width: 200px;
    background-color: #34495e;
    display: none;
    flex-direction: column;
    box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

/ Show dropdown on hover /
.dropdown:hover .dropdown-menu {
    display: flex;
}

.dropdown-menu a {
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 12px 20px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
}

.dropdown-menu a:hover {
    background-color: #2c3e50;
}

.dropdown-menu a:last-child {
    border-bottom: none;
}

/ Dropdown arrow indicator /
.dropdown-toggle::after {
    content: ' ▼';
    font-size: 0.7em;
}

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Part 6: Call-to-Action Button

Adding a special button to navigation:

<header class="header">
    <div class="logo">MyBrand</div>
    <nav class="nav">
        <a href="#home">Home</a>
        <a href="#about">About</a>
        <a href="#services">Services</a>
        <a href="#contact">Contact</a>
    </nav>
    <a href="#signup" class="cta-button">Sign Up</a>
</header>

.header {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: center;
    padding: 15px 40px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
}

.nav {
    display: flex;
    flex: 1;
    justify-content: center;
    gap: 10px;
}

.cta-button {
    padding: 10px 25px;
    background-color: #e74c3c;
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    border-radius: 25px;
    font-weight: bold;
    transition: all 0.3s;
}

.cta-button:hover {
    background-color: #c0392b;
    transform: translateY(-2px);
    box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
}

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Part 7: Complete Example - Professional Navigation

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Professional Navigation</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
    <header class="header">
        <div class="logo">
            <span class="logo-icon">🚀</span>
            <span class="logo-text">StartupCo</span>
        </div>
        
        <button class="hamburger" aria-label="Toggle menu">
            <span></span>
            <span></span>
            <span></span>
        </button>
        
        <nav class="nav">
            <a href="#home" class="active">Home</a>
            <a href="#features">Features</a>
            
            <div class="dropdown">
                <a href="#products" class="dropdown-toggle">Products</a>
                <div class="dropdown-menu">
                    <a href="#product-a">Product A</a>
                    <a href="#product-b">Product B</a>
                    <a href="#product-c">Product C</a>
                </div>
            </div>
            
            <a href="#pricing">Pricing</a>
            <a href="#about">About</a>
            <a href="#contact">Contact</a>
        </nav>
        
        <a href="#demo" class="cta-button">Get Demo</a>
    </header>
    
    <!-- Demo content -->
    <main style="height: 2000px; padding: 40px;">
        <h1>Scroll to see sticky navigation</h1>
        <p>Navigation stays at top when scrolling</p>
    </main>
    
    <script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

* {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    box-sizing: border-box;
}

body {
    font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, sans-serif;
}

/ Header /
.header {
    position: sticky;
    top: 0;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: space-between;
    align-items: center;
    padding: 15px 30px;
    background-color: #ffffff;
    box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
    z-index: 1000;
    transition: all 0.3s;
}

.header.scrolled {
    padding: 10px 30px;
    box-shadow: 0 2px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
}

/ Logo /
.logo {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 10px;
    font-size: 24px;
    font-weight: bold;
    color: #2c3e50;
    z-index: 1001;
}

.logo-icon {
    font-size: 32px;
}

/ Hamburger /
.hamburger {
    display: none;
    flex-direction: column;
    gap: 5px;
    background: none;
    border: none;
    cursor: pointer;
    z-index: 1001;
}

.hamburger span {
    width: 28px;
    height: 3px;
    background-color: #2c3e50;
    transition: all 0.3s;
    border-radius: 3px;
}

.hamburger.active span:nth-child(1) {
    transform: rotate(45deg) translate(7px, 7px);
}

.hamburger.active span:nth-child(2) {
    opacity: 0;
}

.hamburger.active span:nth-child(3) {
    transform: rotate(-45deg) translate(7px, -7px);
}

/ Navigation /
.nav {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 5px;
}

.nav > a,
.dropdown-toggle {
    color: #2c3e50;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 10px 18px;
    font-weight: 500;
    transition: all 0.3s;
    border-radius: 6px;
}

.nav > a:hover,
.dropdown-toggle:hover {
    background-color: #f0f0f0;
    color: #3498db;
}

.nav > a.active {
    background-color: #3498db;
    color: white;
}

/ Dropdown /
.dropdown {
    position: relative;
}

.dropdown-menu {
    position: absolute;
    top: calc(100% + 5px);
    left: 0;
    min-width: 180px;
    background-color: white;
    border-radius: 8px;
    box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
    display: none;
    flex-direction: column;
    overflow: hidden;
}

.dropdown:hover .dropdown-menu {
    display: flex;
}

.dropdown-menu a {
    color: #2c3e50;
    text-decoration: none;
    padding: 12px 20px;
    transition: all 0.2s;
}

.dropdown-menu a:hover {
    background-color: #3498db;
    color: white;
}

.dropdown-toggle::after {
    content: ' ▼';
    font-size: 0.7em;
}

/ CTA Button /
.cta-button {
    padding: 10px 25px;
    background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);
    color: white;
    text-decoration: none;
    border-radius: 25px;
    font-weight: 600;
    transition: all 0.3s;
    white-space: nowrap;
}

.cta-button:hover {
    transform: translateY(-2px);
    box-shadow: 0 6px 20px rgba(102, 126, 234, 0.4);
}

/ MOBILE (below 768px) /
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .hamburger {
        display: flex;
    }
    
    .nav {
        position: fixed;
        top: 0;
        right: -100%;
        width: 80%;
        max-width: 300px;
        height: 100vh;
        background-color: white;
        flex-direction: column;
        align-items: stretch;
        padding: 80px 0 20px;
        box-shadow: -2px 0 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
        transition: right 0.3s;
        overflow-y: auto;
    }
    
    .nav.active {
        right: 0;
    }
    
    .nav > a,
    .dropdown-toggle {
        padding: 15px 30px;
        border-radius: 0;
        border-bottom: 1px solid #f0f0f0;
    }
    
    .dropdown-menu {
        position: static;
        box-shadow: none;
        background-color: #f8f9fa;
        display: none;
    }
    
    .dropdown.active .dropdown-menu {
        display: flex;
    }
    
    .cta-button {
        margin: 20px 30px 0;
        text-align: center;
    }
}

/ TABLET (768px - 1023px) /
@media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px) {
    .nav {
        gap: 2px;
    }
    
    .nav > a,
    .dropdown-toggle {
        padding: 10px 12px;
        font-size: 14px;
    }
}

// script.js
const hamburger = document.querySelector('.hamburger');
const nav = document.querySelector('.nav');
const dropdowns = document.querySelectorAll('.dropdown');

// Toggle mobile menu
hamburger.addEventListener('click', () => {
    hamburger.classList.toggle('active');
    nav.classList.toggle('active');
});

// Close mobile menu when clicking links
document.querySelectorAll('.nav a').forEach(link => {
    link.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
        // Don't close if it's a dropdown toggle
        if (!e.target.classList.contains('dropdown-toggle')) {
            hamburger.classList.remove('active');
            nav.classList.remove('active');
        }
    });
});

// Mobile dropdown toggle
dropdowns.forEach(dropdown => {
    const toggle = dropdown.querySelector('.dropdown-toggle');
    toggle.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
        if (window.innerWidth < 768) {
            e.preventDefault();
            dropdown.classList.toggle('active');
        }
    });
});

// Scroll effect
window.addEventListener('scroll', () => {
    const header = document.querySelector('.header');
    if (window.scrollY > 50) {
        header.classList.add('scrolled');
    } else {
        header.classList.remove('scrolled');
    }
});

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Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Simple Navigation

Create a navigation bar with:

• Logo on left
• 5 menu items
• Hover effects
• Active state for current page

Exercise 2: Responsive Navigation

Create a fully responsive navigation:

• Desktop: horizontal menu
• Mobile: hamburger menu with slide-in
• Smooth transitions

Exercise 3: Advanced Navigation

Create navigation with:

• Sticky positioning
• Dropdown menus
• CTA button
• Scroll effects (shrinks on scroll)

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What You Learned

• ✅ Creating horizontal navigation bars
• ✅ Logo and menu layout with Flexbox
• ✅ Responsive hamburger menus
• ✅ Dropdown menus
• ✅ Sticky navigation
• ✅ Scroll effects
• ✅ Navigation styling and animations

What's Next?

In the final lesson, you'll put everything together in a Complete Website Project - building a full multi-section website from scratch!

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