> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://playground.e107sk.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://playground.e107sk.com/e107-aragorn-theme/theme-layouts/header-footer.md).

# Header & footer partials

**Status: 85% — mechanism done and verified; footer content being finished.**

## What they are

Page header and footer live in plain HTML partial files:

```
headers/header_default.html
footers/footer_default.html
```

They are loaded by the `{HEADER}` / `{FOOTER}` theme shortcodes, which core merges into the layout at the `{---HEADER---}` / `{---FOOTER---}` markers of [theme.html](/e107-aragorn-theme/theme-skeleton/skeleton/theme-html.md) **during** `e_theme::loadLayout()` — before the layout is parsed and before the Menu Manager scans it.

This pattern is **not an e107 standard** (core only provides the markers and the shortcode expansion; the partial-file convention is Aragorn's) and it is what finally made `{MENUAREA}` work in the footer — a problem reported upstream in 2019 ([#3987](https://github.com/e107inc/e107/issues/3987)) and closed in 2026.

{% hint style="info" %}
The complete pattern — core vs. theme responsibilities, implementation, and the five hard-earned rules (`__DIR__` paths, `defset()` timing, one shortcode per line, no HTML comments in partials, menu-area id ranges) — is documented as a standalone guide: [Header & footer partials with working menu areas](/e107-aragorn-theme/guides/header-footer-partials.md).
{% endhint %}

## Current state

* **Header** (`header_default.html`) — Tabler horizontal navbar with the site brand, `{NAVIGATION}` menu and the signin area (see [Signin](/e107-aragorn-theme/plugins/signin.md) for its own status).
* **Footer** (`footer_default.html`) — two-tier Tabler footer: `{MENUAREA=101}` (verified live in the Menu Manager, including the *Add* dropdown), resources columns, `{NAVIGATION=alt}` / `{NAVIGATION=alt4}`, `{SITELOGO}`, `{CONTACT_INFO}`, bare `{XURL_ICONS}` (networks managed in e107 prefs, Tabler brand-button markup from the theme's social template override), bottom bar with `{NAVIGATION=footer}` and copyright.
* Per-layout switching is live: the `auth` and `memberdesk` layouts suppress the header partial entirely (auth is a centered page without a navbar; memberdesk replaces the horizontal header with its vertical sidebar), `auth` also suppresses the footer, and `memberdesk` loads the reduced `footers/footer_small.html`. Further variants (`header_home.html`, ...) remain prepared as commented switch cases.

## Remaining work (the missing 15%)

* Footer content finalization — decide which columns stay hardcoded and which move to menu areas; final spacing pass.
* Header polish follows the [Signin](/e107-aragorn-theme/plugins/signin.md) and navigation work.