---
title: Customize the left menu
slug: commerce-connect-13/docs/customizing-the-left-menu
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-07-23T09:44:49.000Z
---

:::hint{type="info"}
**Note**
This content does not apply to Commerce Connect versions 14+.
:::

Any application may extend the left menu navigation. You also can add, delete, or change an existing tab by creating the *LeftMenu.xml* file.

## Link to an existing tab

The following image and code sample show how to add a link (**Countries**) to an existing tab in left menu.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/h_JUbRhCcdzAqNAG_heqn_f2f7fce-commgrcustomleftmenu.png)

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
    <View xmlns="http://schemas.mediachase.com/ecf/view">
      <Navigation>
        <Tabs id="mainTag">
          <Tab id="navTabAdmin" create="true">
            <Link id="Core_System">
              <Link id="Core_Dictionaries">
                <add>
                  <Link id="Core_CountriesDictionary" 
                        text="\{SharedStrings:Countries\}" 
                        order="20" 
                        iconUrl="" 
                        iconCss="" 
                        command="cmdOrderCountriesDictionary"
                        permissions="order:admin:meta:fld:mng:view"/>
                </add>
              </Link>
            </Link>
          </Tab>
        </Tabs>
      </Navigation>
    </View>
```

## Add a tab to the left menu

The following example shows how to add an empty tab within Order Management.

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
    <View xmlns="http://schemas.mediachase.com/ecf/view">
      <Navigation>
        <Tabs id="mainTag">
          <add>
            <Tab id="navTabOrderManagement" 
                 text="{OrderStrings:Order_Management}" 
                 order="80" 
                 contentType="default" 
                 imageUrl="~/Apps/Order/images/module.png" 
                 configUrl=""
                 enableHandler="Mediachase.Commerce.Manager.Apps.Order.CommandHandlers.OrderTabEnableHandler, Mediachase.ConsoleManager" 
                 permissions="order:mng:view">
            </Tab>
          </add>
        </Tabs>
      </Navigation>
    </View>
```

## Remove tabs

The following example shows how to remove a tab within Order Management.

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
    <View xmlns="http://schemas.mediachase.com/ecf/view">
      <Navigation>
        <Tabs id="mainTag">
          <remove nodeId="navTabOrderManagement">
        </Tabs>
      </Navigation>
    </View>
```

## Modify a link in a tab

The following example shows how to remove the **Core\_CountriesDictionary** link from the **Order Management** tab.

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
    <View xmlns="http://schemas.mediachase.com/ecf/view">
      <Navigation>
        <Tabs id="mainTag">
          <Tab id="navTabAdmin" create="true">
            <Link id="Core_System">
              <remove nodeId="Core_CountriesDictionary" />
                <add>
                  <Link id="Core_CountriesDictionary" 
                        text="Modified Link" 
                        order="20" iconUrl="" 
                        iconCss="" 
                        command="cmdOrderCountriesDictionary"
                        permissions="order:admin:meta:fld:mng:view"/>
                </add>
              </Link> 
            </Link>
          </Tab>
        </Tabs>
      </Navigation>
    </View>
```

## XML description

The **Tab** element can contain the following attributes:

- **id** (text) – Unique identifier within xml file.
- **text** (text) – Text displayed by the tab. Can contain a resource string with the following format: \{ResourceName\:ResourceKey}.
- **order** (int) – Weight, which determines the location of the tab.
- **imageUrl** (text) – Relative image path for the tab.
- **enableHandler** (text) – Fully qualified class name for the tab EnableHandler (if EnableHandler returns false, the tab is not displayed in the left menu). The class must implement the ICommandEnableHandler interface.
- **permissions** (text) – Parameter passed as a **CommandParameter** value to the EnableHandler.

The following example shows how to retrieve permissions in the EnableHandler class:

```csharp
public bool IsEnable(object sender, object element)
      {
        var commandParams = element as CommandParameters; 
        if (commandParams != null)
          {
            string permissions = commandParams.CommandArguments["permissions"];
          }
      }
```

The **Link** element can contain the following attributes:

- **id** (text) – Unique identifier within XML file.
- **text** (text) – displayed by the element. It can contain a resource string with the following format: \{ResourceName\:ResourceKey}.
- **order** (int) –, which determines the location of the element.
- **imageUrl** (text) – Relative image path for the element.
- **enableHandler** (text) – Fully qualified class name for the element EnableHandler (if EnableHandler returns **false**, the element is not displayed in the left menu). The class must implement the ICommandEnableHandler interface.
- **iconCss** (text) – Css class for the menu image.