Customize Application Navigation

A site map can be defined as a set of links through which a user can navigate and find their way around the website. In Dynamics 365 and in its earlier version, a site map is an XML file that is used for defining the navigation of the application or specific app module for the users. Until CRM 2016, there had been only one site map file for an organization. With the advent of apps in Dynamics 365, now we have one site map file for each of the app modules. As far as customizing the site map was concerned, until now we had to either update it using XML Editor, a text editor or some third-party tools. However, with Microsoft Dynamics 365 we have the built-in Site Map Designer in the product itself. This designer allows the administrator, customizers, or users with appropriate privileges to easily define navigation for an app by simply adding, dragging, and dropping the components within the Site Map Designer canvas. In this chapter, we will be covering the following points:

• Overview of the site map in Dynamics 365
• Understanding the designer interface and its components—areas, group, and sub areas
• Common operations that can be performed on the site map