docmd provides explicit control over your site’s structure. By defining your navigation in docmd.config.js, you create a logical hierarchy that optimizes the Single Page Application (SPA) experience and provides a clear context map for AI models and search engines.

The Navigation Array

Each object in the array defines a Link or a Category Group.

export default defineConfig({
  navigation: [
    { title: 'Home', path: '/', icon: 'home' },
    { title: 'Installation', path: '/getting-started/installation', icon: 'download' }
  ]
});

Available Properties

Organizing Groups

You can nest navigation items to create deep hierarchies. There are two primary ways to organize groups:

1. Clickable Group (Directory with Index)

If the parent has a path, clicking the label navigates to that page and automatically expands the children in the sidebar.

{
  title: 'Cloud Setup',
  path: '/cloud/overview', 
  children: [
    { title: 'AWS', path: '/cloud/aws' },
    { title: 'GCP', path: '/cloud/gcp' }
  ]
}

2. Static Label (Category Header)

If you omit the path, the item becomes a static category header. This is the recommended approach for grouping related technical sections that don’t share a common landing page.

{
  title: 'Content & Formatting',
  icon: 'layout',
  children: [
    { title: 'Syntax Guide', path: '/content/syntax' },
    { title: 'Containers', path: '/content/containers' }
  ]
}

Automated Breadcrumbs

docmd automatically generates breadcrumbs for every page based on your navigation hierarchy. These crumbs are rendered above the main page title to improve orientation and navigation speed.

Behavior

• Auto-Resolution: The engine traces the path through your navigation tree to identify the current page’s ancestors.
• Active State: The current page is listed as the final, non-linked crumb.
• Mobile Support: Breadcrumbs are intelligently adjusted or hidden on smaller screens to preserve header space.

Disabling Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are enabled by default. To disable them site-wide, update your docmd.config.js:

layout: {
  breadcrumbs: false
}

External Versioned Navigation

When maintaining multiple versions of your documentation (e.g., v1, v2), managing a massive central configuration can become cumbersome.

docmd supports Navigation V2, allowing you to place a navigation.json file at the root of your versioned directory (e.g., docs-v1/navigation.json).

The JSON file must follow the standard array structure:

[
  { "title": "Home", "path": "/" },
  { "title": "Release Notes", "path": "/release-notes" }
]

Resolution Priority:
When rendering a versioned page, the sidebar is resolved in this order:

1. navigation.json: Checked first within the specific version source folder.
2. versions.navigation: Checked within the version definition in docmd.config.js.
3. Default Navigation: Falls back to the main site navigation.

Icons Integration

docmd comes pre-bundled with the entire Lucide icon library. Simply use the icon name in kebab-case (e.g., brain-circuit, terminal, settings).