Navigating a complex world can be challenging for many readers or players. So, how can you make it easier for them? Well, there are several ways, and using global sections is the easiest one!
What are global sections?
Global sections are a World Anvil feature that lets you display a specific block of content in all articles —there are currently six different global sections that you can use in your world! To set them up, simply go to your world configuration, click the “Display” tab, and then the “Global content” tab. Since they will appear on all articles, they’re a great way to make world navigation easier. So let’s take a look at some examples of how you can use them!
Using global sections for faster category navigation
With the new [breadcrumb] BBCode tag, making your world’s structure clear is easier than ever! Just put it in the Global article introduction block and it will generate a horizontal navigation bar on every single article, like this:
Dimitris used breadcrumbs to make navigation between the different categories way easier! Check out Lyra!
When you click the category, you’ll be able to see its contents without leaving this page —make sure to have a solid category structure so your readers keep browsing your world!
Using the automatic table of contents
Sometimes it’s difficult for your readers to navigate through an article —especially if it’s a long one. Well, there’s an easy way to fix that! The [toc] BBCode tag will automatically generate a table of contents for that article. Put it in a global content section, and you’ll never have to worry about that again!
That’s a very fancy article navigation box! Check out Ethnis!
You could be like the Ethnis folks and create a fancy collapsible box that scrolls down with the reader, but you don’t need to! Just add the [toc] tag in one of the global sidebar sections, and you’re all set!
Create a navigation bar for your external links
Now, this is a bit more advanced and you’ll need some CSS knowledge, but it’s really useful too! You can use any global section as a navigation bar that appears at the top of any page —perfect to display your social media links!
It looks so pretty too! Check out Qet!
Instead of social media, you can use it for other things too: a search bar, your other worlds, your main world sections, and more! If CSS feels a bit too intimidating, come over to our Discord server —we have a CSS-specific help channel!
How are YOU using the global sections? If you haven’t used them yet, make sure to create a World Anvil account —you’ll need a Master subscription to unlock this feature!
Hello and thank you for this article! One question concerning breadcrumbs: In my (Journeryman) world, the only global block available under the Global Content tab in Display is “Global Copyright Footer”. Is there any way to apply breadcrumbs globally at the top of all articles, as opposed to in the footer space? Thanks in advance!
/Anders
Not globally, but if you want to add them just below the title and before the vignette, you can use the credits field (it has BBCode support).
Is there any way to change the appearance of the breadcrumbs? With the Eldritch Horror style they appear in a light yellow text on a solid white block and are basically unreadable.
If you’re a Guild member, you can use CSS to change how it looks. This series of guides explains how CSS on World Anvil works: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/WorldAnvilCodex/a/css
Thank you – I already looked there. There is nothing in there about specifically targeting the breadcrumbs – no other part of my world has the same color/font combination as the breadcrumbs so I need to change just them. I’ll try on Discord to see if anyone has any ideas.