What is the best way to display a website navigation menu in C#?

[Brian Connelly]

Below are two code samples.

I am practicing with Menu navigation and have two themes where if theme 1 the Menu is horizontal and theme 2 it is vertical. The code looks like this:

    if (!Page.IsPostBack)
    {
      string selectedTheme = Page.Theme;
      HttpCookie preferredTheme = Request.Cookies.Get("preferredTheme");
      if (preferredTheme != null)
      {
        selectedTheme = preferredTheme.Value;
        if (preferredTheme.Value == "DarkGrey")
        {
          Menu1.Orientation = Orientation.Vertical;
        }
        else { Menu1.Orientation = Orientation.Horizontal; }
      }
      if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(selectedTheme) && ThemeList.Items.FindByValue(selectedTheme) != null)
      {
        ThemeList.Items.FindByValue(selectedTheme).Selected = true;
      }
    }
     }

If I added a treeview as well and if theme 1 then menu1 is visible and treeview is not. If theme 2 then vice versa where the code looks like this:

    if (!Page.IsPostBack)
    {
      string selectedTheme = Page.Theme;
      HttpCookie preferredTheme = Request.Cookies.Get("preferredTheme");
      if (preferredTheme != null)
      {
        selectedTheme = preferredTheme.Value;
      }
      }
      if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(selectedTheme) && ThemeList.Items.FindByValue(selectedTheme) != null)
      {
        ThemeList.Items.FindByValue(selectedTheme).Selected = true;
      }
    }
    switch (Page.Theme.ToLower())
    {
      case "darkgrey":
        Menu1.Visible = false;
        TreeView1.Visible = true;
        break;
      default:
        Menu1.Visible = true;
        TreeView1.Visible = false;
        break;
    }
  }

I would like to know what would be the better way of doing it or to say a best practice because either way works. How would you do it and why?

[williamregal]

Using a sitemap with Security TrimmingEnabled = "true" is a good solution.

Two other alternatives to consider are:

1)Move the code to build the menu into the Master Page.

2)Create a base class (public class BasePage : System.Web.UI.P age) and inherit all your pages from that base class. Put the code to build the menu into the base class.

http://www.dapfor.com/en/net-suite/net-grid/tutorial/headers-and-columns

[Brian Connelly]

I have actually do have a master page and a basepage and my code is in the base page. So the code above actually lives in the basepage. I was wondering which of the above samples would be the better way of doing something. I appreciate your response and will look into the Security TrimmingEnabled = "true