Pin and Expand
Pin-and-expand is the practical hybrid pattern: you lock important pages to the top, then let auto-generation fill the rest.
The Pattern
- List a few manual
entriesin the order you want. - Set
autoGenerated: trueso remaining pages in the folder appear automatically. - Add content files without touching config—pins stay fixed.
{
id: "guides",
label: "Guides",
entries: [
{ slug: "guides/overview" }, // pinned
{ slug: "guides/getting-started" },
],
autoGenerated: true, // expand with discovered files
}
When to Use It
- You have 2-5 must-see pages and a long tail of references.
- You want predictable top-level ordering but minimal maintenance.
- Teams frequently add pages and should not edit navigation config.
Tips for Clean Results
- Keep pinned items short—too many pins defeat the purpose.
- Use consistent icons on the pins to visually separate them from the auto-generated tail.
- Pair with clear folder naming so discovered pages sort well alphabetically.
Troubleshooting
- Unexpected order? Check file names—auto-generated items sort alphabetically.
- Missing pages? Ensure the file sits under the same folder as the group with
autoGenerated: true. - Duplicate entries? Remove overlapping manual slugs when a page is also discovered automatically.
Next Steps
- See more hybrid scenarios in Real-World Patterns
- Compare with full control in Manual Creation Use Cases