Perhaps you're not familiar with the benefits of using native WordPress menus? Embracing this feature can greatly simplify your navigation setup and future maintenance tasks. Have you considered utilizing wp_nav_menu() for a smoother experience?
If you'd like more information, check out this resource: http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_nav_menu
By properly implementing a menu in this manner, the active menu item automatically receives the designated class:
.current-menu-item
This functionality is built into WordPress itself. Feel free to reach out if you opt for this approach, as I'm happy to lend assistance.
To integrate this method, make an addition to your functions.php file:
register_nav_menus('menu_slug' => 'Menu Name');
This step allows you to assign a menu through the backend interface under Appearance -> Menus.
Subsequently, when referring to the menu, include the following code:
wp_nav_menu('menu'=> 'menu_slug');
From there, the specified menu from the backend will be displayed. There are various arguments that can be passed to the wp_nav_menu function.
$defaults = array(
'theme_location' => '',
'menu' => '',
'container' => 'div',
'container_class' => '',
'container_id' => '',
'menu_class' => 'menu',
'menu_id' => '',
'echo' => true,
'fallback_cb' => 'wp_page_menu',
'before' => '',
'after' => '',
'link_before' => '',
'link_after' => '',
'items_wrap' => '<ul id="%1$s" class="%2$s">%3$s</ul>',
'depth' => 0,
'walker' => ''
);
If you adopt this method within your theme, include the following snippet:
wp_nav_menu ( $defaults );
You'll notice that by using this technique, WordPress conveniently assigns the current class to the active menu item. This strategy is highly recommended for managing menu structure changes, sub-menus, or hidden pages efficiently. Give it a try for improved navigation management!