Sidebar

Sidebar sources, in priority order:

1. sidebar in config.json, matched by path prefix. Highest priority.
2. nav in config.json, one flat tree shared by every page. Used only when no sidebar prefix matches.
3. Folder structure, auto-generated. Used when neither sidebar nor nav is set.

Option 1 suits sites with several sections, for example a guide and a reference.

Multi-sidebar config ​

{
  "sidebar": {
    "/guide/": [
      {
        "title": "Introduction",
        "collapsed": false,
        "items": [
          { "title": "Getting Started", "path": "guide/getting-started" },
          { "title": "Configuration", "path": "guide/configuration" }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "/reference/": [
      {
        "title": "Reference",
        "items": [
          { "title": "Site Config", "path": "reference/site-config" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Each key is a path prefix; the longest matching key applies. /guide/ and /guide/advanced/ can coexist, with the more specific key winning. An empty key ("" or /) is the catch-all.

Entries ​

Each entry is a link or a group. Groups nest to any depth:

A group without title renders as a heading-less cluster. See Grouping links without a heading.

External links ​

A path starting with http:// or https:// is an external link:

{
  "sidebar": {
    "": [
      {
        "title": "Resources",
        "items": [
          { "title": "Getting Started", "path": "guide/getting-started" },
          { "title": "Source on GitHub", "path": "https://github.com/hawkinslabdev/bark" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

External entries render with an outbound arrow and open in a new tab (target="_blank", rel="noopener noreferrer"), like external top-nav items. They are never marked active, never auto-expand their group, and are excluded from prev/next pagination.

Only http and https are recognized; other values are treated as page paths.

Collapse behavior ​

collapsed sets whether a group is collapsible and its initial state:

A group containing the current page always renders expanded. Collapsing uses native <details>/<summary> and works without JavaScript.

Grouping links without a heading ​

A group without title renders its links as one cluster without a heading. Top-level links would otherwise each be separated by a divider.

{
  "sidebar": {
    "": [
      {
        "items": [
          { "title": "Config & API Reference", "path": "reference/site-config" },
          { "title": "Changelog", "path": "more/changelog" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The cluster is separated from the previous section by a divider. Heading-less groups are always expanded and not collapsible.