Control CISS menu depth, scope and visibility
Understand Start Level, Max Level, Scope, Show Parent, Expand All, excluded pages and hidden-page behavior.
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The menu tree comes from DNN navigation. These settings decide where the tree starts, how far it expands and which nodes remain eligible.
Essential settings
| Setting | Purpose | Practical starting point |
|---|
| Start Level | Skips upper levels before rendering | 0 for the full site, 1 for section navigation |
| Max Level / Depth | Limits descendant levels | 2–3 for a sidebar |
| Scope | Selects the root context for the tree | Current section for local navigation |
| Show Parent | Includes the parent node above the scoped branch | Enable when visitors need section context |
| Hide Out of Scope | Removes branches outside the chosen context | Enable for focused section menus |
| Expand All | Opens every eligible branch | Leave off on large trees |
| Excluded Tabs | Removes selected page IDs | Use for utility or campaign pages |
Hidden pages and permissions
Keep Include Hidden / Disregard Hidden disabled unless the design intentionally exposes pages that DNN excludes from navigation. This option does not grant access: the current user's page permissions still determine what can be rendered.
Diagnose an unexpected tree
- Confirm the page's position in the DNN hierarchy.
- Temporarily set Start Level to 0 and Max Level to 3.
- Clear Excluded Tabs and disable Hide Out of Scope.
- Verify the result, then reapply one restriction at a time.
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