Deep Dive

Navigation in Qlik Sense: No More Manual Menus

Last week, we covered the administrative setup for Qlik Reporting, ensuring your tenant was properly configured.

We’ve all done it.

You build a great Qlik app, the data looks sharp, KPIs are clean – but your users get lost jumping between sheets. So what do you do?

You start adding buttons. Then containers. Then show/hide logic. Maybe some variables to track the active tab. Before you know it, you’ve Frankensteined a homemade menu system.

It works... until it doesn’t.

This week, we’re looking at Navigation Menu in Qlik Sense SaaS – the new native object that solves all of this in one shot.

If you’ve been building manual navigation menus, or relying on the default sheet dropdown, this is the upgrade you didn’t know you needed.

Who Should Use This?

This is for you if:

• You’re building multi-sheet apps that need structure and flow

• You’re tired of maintaining button containers across multiple sheets

• You want a slick, styled UI that matches your dashboard branding

• You care about scalability and want to reuse nav across apps

Whether you’re working on a mobile-friendly dashboard or a detailed analytics suite, Navigation Menu gives you a clean, no-code, fully supported way to manage internal app movement.

Getting Started: Implementing Navigation Menus in Qlik Cloud

Scenario 1: Drawer-Style Navigation with Styled Groups

Let’s start with the sleekest option: the drawer menu.

This version adds a hamburger-style menu to the top-left corner of your app. When clicked, it slides open a full overlay panel showing all of your sheet sections, neatly grouped and styled.

Here’s how to build it:

1) Add the Navigation Menu

Drag the Navigation Menu object onto your sheet. You’ll find it in the Chart Library.

In the properties panel:

Appearance → Presentation → Drawer menu → On

This creates a collapsible overlay for your nav items.

3) Style the Burger Icon

Toggle: Show drawer icon → On

Customize:

• Background color

• Icon color

• Corner radius

• Placement (top-left works best)

4) Set Orientation to Vertical

Ideal for scrollable, grouped menu layouts.

5) Use Sheet Groups to Organize Content

In the app overview, right-click your sheets and choose Add to group.

Example structure:

• Dashboards

• Finance Reports

• Deep Dives

• Settings

6) Enable Dividers and Button Styling

In Appearance → Presentation → Styling:

• Add dividers between sheet groups

• Style items like “buttons” with filled backgrounds and hover states

• Set highlight color for the active sheet

7) Decide on Icons or No Icons

Toggle: Show item icons → On

Add icons to sheets or groups for extra clarity and visual impact.

🔁 Scenario 2: Replace Manual Buttons with Real Menus

This one’s for anyone still using layout containers full of buttons.

You know the setup:

• Buttons for each tab

• “Go to Sheet” actions embedded

• Variables tracking current sheet

• Manual formatting and duplication across every sheet

Here’s how to fix all of that in a few clicks.

Here’s the new approach:

1) Add the Navigation Menu

Drop it in the same spot where your old button row lived – top (horizontal) or side (vertical).

2) Turn Off Drawer Mode

This keeps the nav menu fixed on the sheet, like a button bar.

3) Choose Orientation: Horizontal

Get that familiar tab-strip feel.

4) Style to Match Old Button Logic

Use the styling panel to:

• Apply fill color (e.g. light gray)

• Add borders (adjust thickness for sharpness)

• Round the corners or keep flat

• Set hover colors and underline effects

• Highlight the active tab (built-in)

5) Same Item Width = Clean Layout

Ensures every tab looks consistent and evenly spaced.

6) Minimal or Fill Layout

• Use Fill to space items evenly

• Use Minimal for compact labels (great with icons)

7) Delete the Old Button Setup

No more variables. No more repeated actions.
Just one object that keeps itself updated.

🛠️ Practical Tips & Gotchas

• Only Public Sheets Show Up
  If the menu looks empty, make sure your sheets are published.

• Copy & Paste Ready
  You can reuse styled nav menus across apps – Qlik automatically adapts the sheet list.

• No Nested Sheet Groups
  One-level grouping is supported. Keep it simple.

• Mobile App Limitation
  The Navigation Menu won’t render in the native Qlik Mobile app. If you expect heavy mobile usage, provide a fallback.

• Brand It Like a Pro
  Use styling to align with your org’s palette and theme – fonts, icons, borders, even background images.

💬 Final Thoughts

The Navigation Menu is the upgrade you didn’t know you needed.

No more:

❌ Button maintenance
❌ Variable hacks
❌ Broken sheet links

You just drop it in, style it, and move on.

And when you want to standardize across your portfolio? Copy → paste → done.

This object is fast becoming the new default for navigating Qlik apps in the cloud – and once you’ve used it, you won’t want to go back.