# What's going on with the hamburger menu? {May 25, 2023}

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561>\
**Category:** Site Feedback\
**Created:** [May 25, 2023, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561 "2023-05-25T04:59:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/61 "2023-05-27T17:49:58Z")

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> [@chela](#):
>
> Can you explain the custom selection bit,

Once you open the menu, there is a large plus sign in the lower right corner. Click It.

# **+**

This brings up the Add Custom Section window.  
Give the section a **Title**  
Choose an **Icon** for your first link  
Give the link a **Name**  
Enter a **Link**  
To add more, click + Add another Link\*\*  
When Done click  
Save

This lets you add shortcuts to Forums, Tags or pretty much anything with an address.

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**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/62 "2023-05-27T21:00:47Z")

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I set up links to Wordle and other sites I compulsively check every day.

That’s cool.

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**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/63 "2023-05-29T05:17:15Z")

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Just curious if they are going to fix this? Thanks.

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**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/64 "2023-05-29T12:15:49Z")

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The logical thing would have been to leave the defaults as they were, rather than removing everything. That forces every single user to go on a voyage of discovery to try to fix a basic navigation function.

I don’t mind that they made it editable. I don’t see the benefit, but upthread people seem happy. So cool, some people are happy. I remain unimpressed.

I am really unhappy that I made the necessary changes on my phone and they did not automatically appear on my laptop.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/65 "2023-05-29T12:36:17Z")

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> [@saucywench](#):
>
> Just curious if they are going to fix this? Thanks.

It’s not “broken”. The people who run Discourse did this on purpose, and presumably view it as an upgrade.

It _is_ nice that the menu can be edited. The new defaults seem less useful, but Ed has mostly fixed that for this board.

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**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/66 "2023-05-30T03:33:33Z")

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Thank you. Can it be edited so one click on the hamburger shows all the categories like before?

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**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/67 "2023-05-30T03:34:51Z")

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Yes, but you have to manually add all the links yourself.

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**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/68 "2023-05-30T03:40:19Z")

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Thank you. I’m not very computer savvy. I’d be afraid I’d mess something up.

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**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/69 "2023-05-30T10:21:25Z")

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What\_Exit explained how to do it up in [post 61](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/61).  
Where it says “Enter a link” it’s probably easiest to open up SDMB in another tab,  
go to the category you want and copy the address from the browser’s address bar  
then go back to the tab where you’re customising your menu and paste it.  
hth.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/70 "2023-05-30T13:07:00Z")

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I just added it to the [Registration Agreement, Rules, and FAQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/registration-agreement-rules-and-faq/823562/10) thread.

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**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/71 "2023-05-30T13:41:53Z")

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> [@scudsucker](#):
>
> The logical thing would have been to leave the defaults as they were, rather than removing everything. That forces every single user to go on a voyage of discovery to try to fix a basic navigation function.
> 
> I don’t mind that they made it editable. I don’t see the benefit, but upthread people seem happy. So cool, some people are happy. I remain unimpressed.

I agree. But, by not leaving the defaults, it forces people to get used to the new ‘options/customizations’.

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**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/72 "2023-05-30T14:49:49Z")

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Of course the old style used to show you your six most recently used categories. Or eight, maybe. In any case, it was dynamic. Replacing it with a user-created static menu seems to be a downgrade.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/73 "2023-05-30T14:54:01Z")

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Only it wasn’t your most commonly used categories, it was the system’s. So some categories i rarely use were always higher than ones i do use. I’m kinda happy to have it reflect my use and not everyone else’s.

(I discussed this with codinghorror a couple of years ago, and suggested menu change to dynamically link to each user’s most commonly used categories. He replied that sounded like a good idea, but i don’t think they ever implemented it, i think they jumped to this.)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/74 "2023-05-30T15:00:28Z")

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That’s weird. My most commonly used category is the Game Room, and it was consistently in the list every time I clicked it. I’m surprised to hear it was that popular board-wide. Probably because of Wordle.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/75 "2023-05-30T23:54:49Z")

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> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> I’m surprised to hear it was that popular board-wide.

I think it’s only second to FQ. I believe Cafe Society is high up there as well.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/76 "2023-05-30T23:57:44Z")

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It was on my list, too, and i almost never go there.

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**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/77 "2023-05-31T00:34:38Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> I think it’s only second to FQ. I believe Cafe Society is high up there as well.

If you click the All Categories, it shows the approximate number of new threads per week. That might not reflect actual activity, though - some categories like GD or the Pit have few new threads but lots of posts per thread.

| Category | new threads / week |
| --- | --- |
| Factual Questions | 39 |
| Cafe Society | 28 |
| In My Humble Opinion | 23 |
| Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share | 22 |
| The Game Room | 5 |
| About This Message Board | 4 |
| Politics & Elections | 4 |
| The BBQ Pit | 2 |
| Thread Games | 2 |
| Great Debates | 1 |

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/78 "2023-05-31T00:38:48Z")

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> [@TroutMan](#):
>
> Pit have few new threads but lots of posts per thread.

ROFL, that’s an understatement. 😆

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/79 "2023-05-31T18:54:51Z")

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Now then …  
Would it be possible to have the customized categories as a home page ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-with-the-hamburger-menu-may-25-2023/984561/80 "2023-05-31T19:58:06Z")

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Put the appropriate shortcut(s) in your browser favorites. This isn’t hard.

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