RSPress Navigation Configuration

Configure RSPress navigation using _nav.json (navbar) and _meta.json (sidebar) files.

Navigation Architecture

RSPress uses two navigation systems:

•Top Navbar (_nav.json) - Global navigation in the header
•Sidebar (_meta.json) - Contextual navigation per section/directory

Navbar Configuration

Place _nav.json in the docs root (e.g., docs/src/en/_nav.json).

Navbar Item Fields

Field	Type	Description
`text`	string	Display text for the nav item
`link`	string	URL or path to navigate to
`activeMatch`	string	Regex pattern to match active routes
`items`	array	Nested dropdown items

Example Navbar

json

[
  {
    "text": "Guide",
    "link": "/guide/introduction",
    "activeMatch": "^/guide/"
  },
  {
    "text": "API",
    "items": [
      { "text": "Core API", "link": "/api/core" },
      { "text": "Plugins", "link": "/api/plugins" }
    ]
  }
]

Sidebar Configuration

Place _meta.json in each directory to configure sidebar for that section.

Sidebar Entry Fields

Field	Type	Description
`type`	string	Entry type: `file`, `dir`, or `divider`
`name`	string	File/directory name (without extension)
`label`	string	Display text (overrides page title)
`collapsible`	boolean	Allow expanding/collapsing (dir only)
`collapsed`	boolean	Initial collapsed state (dir only)
`link`	string	Custom link for directory entries

Example Sidebar

json

[
  {
    "type": "file",
    "name": "introduction",
    "label": "Getting Started"
  },
  {
    "type": "dir",
    "name": "concepts",
    "label": "Core Concepts",
    "collapsible": true,
    "collapsed": false
  },
  {
    "type": "divider"
  },
  {
    "type": "file",
    "name": "advanced"
  }
]

Common Navigation Patterns

Auto-Generated Sidebar

Omit _meta.json to auto-generate sidebar from directory structure.

Section Dividers

Use {"type": "divider"} to create visual separators in the sidebar.

Nested Directories

Place _meta.json in subdirectories to configure nested sidebar sections. Each directory can have its own metadata configuration.

Active Route Matching

Use activeMatch with regex to highlight navbar items:

json

{
  "text": "Documentation",
  "link": "/docs/intro",
  "activeMatch": "^/docs/"
}

Configuration Instructions

•Create navbar - Add _nav.json in docs root with top-level navigation items
•Configure sections - Add _meta.json in each directory to define sidebar structure
•Set labels - Use label field to override default titles
•Organize with dividers - Add dividers to group related items
•Enable collapsing - Set collapsible: true for expandable directory sections
•Test navigation - Verify active states and links work correctly

File Structure Example

text

docs/src/en/
├── _nav.json           # Top navbar configuration
├── guide/
│   ├── _meta.json      # Guide section sidebar
│   ├── introduction.md
│   └── advanced.md
└── api/
    ├── _meta.json      # API section sidebar
    └── reference.md

Notes

•File name must match the actual filename (without .md extension)
•Auto-generated sidebars use alphabetical order
•Navbar supports one level of nested dropdown items
•Sidebar supports unlimited nesting via directory structure