Alternative Methods For Adding Menu Descriptions In WordPress

With this walker class added, enabling descriptions is a matter of:

1. Adding the nav_menu_desc column to wp_nav_menu via a plugin or custom code
2. Saving descriptions for menu items using SQL, import scripts, or a custom meta box interface
3. Passing the new Menu_With_Descriptions_Walker as the walker argument for wp_nav_menu() calls

This unlock descriptions by tapping into the internal API where WordPress assembles menu output HTML.

Additional Walker Class Examples

Some other examples of augmenting menu output with custom walker classes:

• Add schema.org microdata to menus for richer semantic markup
• Integrate descriptions from post excerpt or custom fields
• Auto-generate descriptions from post content
• Insert menu-specific CSS classes for styling
• Reorganize menu structure like subfolders for long menus

Walker classes provide low-level access to filter menu HTML and output. Developers with PHP experience can customize menu presentation in unlimited ways.

Modifying Menu Output via Filters

In some cases, using filters to modify menu HTML after generation is easier than writing custom walkers. Filters hook into menu output at specific points.

Example: Adding Schema Markup with Filters

For example, to add schema.org metadata to menus, we can use the nav_menu_link_attributes filter:

/**
 * Add schema.org attrs to nav links
 */
function my_schema_menu($atts) {

  //Add itemtype and itemprop schema attributes
  $atts['itemtype'] = 'https://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement';
  $atts['itemprop'] = 'url'; 

  return $atts;

}
add_filter('nav_menu_link_attributes', 'my_schema_menu');  

Now every menu link will contain machine-readable metadata identifying it as part of site navigation markup.

As another simple example, we could append link titles or descriptions using the walker_nav_menu_start_el filter:

/**
 * Add description to anchor text
 */

function my_menu_desc($item_output, $item) {
	
	//Retrieve description
	$desc = get_metadata('nav_menu', $item->ID, 'menu_description', true);
	
	$description = ! empty( $desc ) ? '' . esc_attr( $desc ) . '' : '';

	//Append description span to anchor text
	$item_output = $item_output . $description;
	
	return $item_output;
}
add_filter('walker_nav_menu_start_el', 'my_menu_desc', 10, 2);

These examples demonstrate using filters to modify the final HTML after heavy lifting done in walker class.

Additional Filter Examples

Some other possible applications of menu filters include:

• Restrict menu access by user role
• Create menu buckets or tabs from long menus
• Associate thumbnails with top-level links only
• Customize depth of dropdown submenus

Filters enable targeted customization by tying into specific steps in the menu rendering pipeline within WordPress core.

Menu Description Plugins

Given the demand for descriptions alongside menus, plugin developers have tackled this need with purpose-built solutions. Let’s analyze the pros, cons, and highlights of leveraging descriptions via plugins.

Pros of Plugin Solutions

Plugins encapsulate implementation details and furnish readymade interfaces. Benefits include:

• Quick installation – Upload and activate without code changes
• User friendly – UI for easy description input
• Design agnostic – Handle adding descriptions independently of front-end menu styling
• Adapt existing menus – Retroactively add descriptions for current menus
• Accessibility – Provide schema markup for screen readers

In other words, plugins serve menu descriptions without development lift for the site owner. The plugin author handles the coding complexity.

Cons of Plugin Solutions

On the downside, plugins exhibit some universal drawbacks:

• Resource overhead – Database queries and processing load to populate descriptions
• Dependency – If plugin goes away or breaks, descriptions break too
• Potential conflicts– Complex plugins may clash with other plugins/functionality
• Bloat – Many plugins add unused code to WordPress installs

So while plugins provide convenience, they also introduce external dependency plus performance and security considerations given additional code.

Choosing the Best Method for Your Needs

When evaluating approaches to integrate menu descriptions, which method makes the most sense for your goals and context?

Let’s explore factors to consider when deciding on an implementation strategy.

Factors to Consider

• Customization needs – Do you want complete control for exotic output customization? Walker classes provide more flexibility than pre-packaged plugins.
• Development resources – Do you have PHP experts on staff? If not, plugins may serve needs adequately without custom code.
• Performance constraints – Complex plugins may burden servers running WordPress. Custom code generally loads leaner.
• Accessibility requirements – If accessibility is a prime concern, leverage schema markup in walker classes or filters.
• User experience – Plugins often furnish turnkey admin interfaces for fast menu updates.
• Security preferences – Code auditing is easier for custom classes versus third-party plugins requesting broad privileges.

In summary – factor in resourcing, performance, UX and security priorities for your use case.

Summary of Options

As an overview, let’s recap approaches for adding menu descriptions in WordPress:

• Walker classes – Primary technique relying on custom development
• Filters – Light custom code harnessing hooks into menu rendering process
• Plugins – No code solution but potential downsides exist

Now that we’ve surveyed this landscape, you should better understand how to augment standard WordPress menus with descriptive metadata using the coding solution optimal for your needs.