---
title: Highlight parent menu items
slug: cms-13/docs/highlight-parent-menu-items
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-07-30T20:22:10.345Z
---

Keep the correct parent menu item highlighted when an add-on navigates to an unlisted view. This technique is useful when an add-on has multiple views but only some appear in the menu. For example, the "Email Manager" add-on has three menu views:

- Overview
- Create email
- Reports

The following menu provider defines these three views:

```csharp
[MenuProvider]
public class EmailsMenuProvider: IMenuProvider {
  public IEnumerable<MenuItem> GetMenuItems() {
    // parent
    var emailsSection = new UrlMenuItem("Email manager", "/global/emails", ResolveMenuUrl("Overview")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true
    };

    var overview = new UrlMenuItem("Overview", "/global/emails/overview", ResolveMenuUrl("Overview")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true,
        SortIndex = 100
    };
    var create = new UrlMenuItem("Create email", "/global/emails/create", ResolveMenuUrl("Create")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true,
        SortIndex = 200
    };
    var reports = new UrlMenuItem("Reports", "/global/emails/reports", ResolveMenuUrl("Reports")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true,
        SortIndex = 300
    };

    return new MenuItem[] {
      emailsSection,
      overview,
      create,
      reports,
    };
  }

  public static string ResolveMenuUrl(string item) {
    var moduleUrl = Paths.ToResource(typeof (EmailsMenuProvider), "emails");
    return UriUtil.Combine(moduleUrl, item);
  }
}
```

**Create email** is a form with a submit action. After a user sends an email, the application redirects to the **Mail sent** confirmation page. This page does not appear in the menu, but the **Create email** menu item should remain highlighted.

To achieve this, add the **Mail sent** view to the provider with its path nested under the **Create email** path (`/global/emails/create/mailsent`) and set `IsAvailable` to `false`. The item does not render in the menu but highlights its direct parent.

```csharp
[MenuProvider]
public class EmailsMenuProvider: IMenuProvider {
  public IEnumerable<MenuItem> GetMenuItems() {
    // parent
    var emailsSection = new UrlMenuItem("Email manager", "/global/emails", ResolveMenuUrl("Overview")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true
    };

    var overview = new UrlMenuItem("Overview", "/global/emails/overview", ResolveMenuUrl("Overview")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true,
        SortIndex = 100
    };
    var create = new UrlMenuItem("Create email", "/global/emails/create", ResolveMenuUrl("Create")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true,
        SortIndex = 200
    };
    var reports = new UrlMenuItem("Reports", "/global/emails/reports", ResolveMenuUrl("Reports")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => true,
        SortIndex = 300
    };
    var mailSent = new UrlMenuItem(string.Empty, "/global/emails/create/mailsent", ResolveMenuUrl("ResendMessage")) {
      IsAvailable = (request) => false,
        SortIndex = 400
    };

    return new MenuItem[] {
      emailsSection,
      overview,
      create,
      reports,
      mailSent
    };
  }

  public static string ResolveMenuUrl(string item) {
    var moduleUrl = Paths.ToResource(typeof (EmailsMenuProvider), "emails");
    return UriUtil.Combine(moduleUrl, item);
  }
}
```