In Drupal 10 and 11, there are instances when you need to enable and automate taxonomy terms to appear in menus or navigation items. Taxonomy terms are those classifications and categories in Drupal that you use when you need to organize and group your content. Automating this is most useful especially if you have several vocabulary terms that you need to appear as menus whether from the header main menu or as a navigation block to display somewhere as a useful navigation. Otherwise, assigning a menu item for each can be tedious and cumbersome when done manually, especially if you have many taxonomy terms.

To automate taxonomy terms to appear as menu items, you may use any of the Drupal modules that work for D9, D10, or D11 (check compatibility for each as of this writing, provided in the descriptions):

Taxonomy Menu UI

Works with Drupal: ^9 || ^10. The Taxonomy Menu UI module enhances Drupal’s taxonomy term management by providing a more intuitive and flexible interface to add taxonomy terms as menu items. It works well with the Taxonomy Menu module to simplify creating hierarchical menus based on terms.

Drupal-Taxonomy-Menu-UI-2 Drupal-Taxonomy-Menu-UI-1

Download: Taxonomy Menu UI on Drupal.org

Instructions:

    1. Install the Module: Download via Composer or manually in the Extend (Modules) UI page
    2. Enable the Module
    3. Set Up the UI:
      • Go to Structure > Taxonomy and choose your vocabulary.
      • Access the Taxonomy Menu UI configuration tab.
    4. Create Menu Items:
      • Use the UI to automatically add terms as menu items in your desired menu.
      • Configure options like setting parent items or managing nested terms directly in the UI.

Simple Taxonomy Menu (STM)

Works with Drupal: ^9 || ^10. The Simple Taxonomy Menu (STM) module allows you to easily generate menus from taxonomy terms without complex configurations. It’s ideal if you want a straightforward approach to map taxonomy terms directly to menus.

Drupal-Simple-Taxonomy-to-Menu

Download: Simple Taxonomy Menu on Drupal.org

Instructions:

    1. Install the Module: Download via Composer or manually in the Extend (Modules) UI page
    2. Enable the Module
    3. Configure the Menu:
      • Go to Structure > Menus and select or create the menu you want to link with taxonomy terms.
    4. Map Taxonomy Terms:
      • Navigate to Configuration > Simple Taxonomy Menu.
      • Choose the vocabulary and menu to be used.
      • Enable options like automatic updates, and save settings.
    5. Verify:
      • New terms in the chosen vocabulary will now generate menu links automatically.

Taxonomy Menu

Works with Drupal: ^9.1 || ^10. The Taxonomy Menu module provides powerful options to create and manage menus based on taxonomy terms. It offers automatic link generation, multi-level menu support, and various link settings, making it suitable for dynamic or hierarchical menus.

Drupal-Taxonomy-Menu

Download: Taxonomy Menu on Drupal.org

Instructions:

    1. Install the Module: Download via Composer or manually in the Extend (Modules) UI page
    2. Enable the Module
    3. Set Up in Vocabulary:
      • Go to Structure > Taxonomy and select your vocabulary.
      • Open the Taxonomy Menu tab to configure settings for menu generation.
    4. Configure Menu Options:
      • Choose a menu to link with the vocabulary, set automatic link creation, and configure link behavior.
    5. Save and Test:
      • New terms in the vocabulary should now automatically generate menu items in the specified menu.

Menu Block

Works with Drupal: ^10.1 || ^11. The Menu Block module allows you to create highly customizable blocks for any menu in Drupal. It enables the display of specific menu levels or structures within blocks, making it useful for building complex menu layouts and controlling their visibility.

Drupal-Menu-Block

Download: Menu Block on Drupal.org

Instructions:

    1. Install the Module: Download via Composer or manually in the Extend (Modules) UI page
    2. Enable the Module
    3. Create a Custom Menu Block:
      • Go to Structure > Block layout.
      • Click Place block and choose Menu Block.
    4. Configure Block Settings:
      • Select the menu you want to display.
      • Configure settings like menu level, depth, and visibility to control how the menu appears.
    5. Place and Test the Block:
      • Save the block, place it in a region, and confirm it displays the intended menu structure.

These modules provide a flexible toolkit for managing menus based on taxonomy terms, displaying custom menus in blocks, and creating dynamic, organized navigation structures in Drupal that are useful for both users and content management.