"You are here" with JavaScript

View this technique in action.Example in JSFiddle

  1. Each body is uniquely identified (id)
  2. Each navigation list item gets an id
  3. CSS rule for id="iamhere"
  4. JavaScript to set the "iamhere" id

Note the id of the body:

<html>
<head>
    <title>Election of Pine Tree Chiefs (Constitution of the Iroquois Nations)</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet"  href="style.css" />
  </head>
  <body id="part3">
    <?php include("inc/header.php"); ?>
    <?php include("inc/nav.php"); ?>
    <main>
      <?php include("inc/content3.php"); ?>
    <main>
    <?php include("inc/footer.php"); ?>
  </body>
</html>

Each navigation item has an id:

<nav id="navigation">
<ul id="mainnav">
<li id="navpart1"><a href="1.shtml">The Great Binding Law, Gayanashagowa</a></li>
<li id="navpart2"><a href="2.shtml">Rights, Duties and Qualifications of Lords</a></li>
<li id="navpart3"><a href="3.shtml">Election of Pine Tree Chiefs</a></li>
<li id="navpart4"><a href="4.shtml">Names, Duties and Rights of War Chiefs</a></li>
<li id="navpart5"><a href="5.shtml">Clans and Consanguinity</a></li>
<li id="navpart6"><a href="6.shtml">Official Symbolism</a></li>
<li id="navpart7"><a href="7.shtml">Laws of Adoption</a></li>
<li id="navpart8"><a href="8.shtml">Laws of Emigration</a></li>
<li id="navpart9"><a href="9.shtml">Rights of Foreign Nations</a></li>
<li id="navpart10"><a href="10.shtml">Rights and Powers of War</a></li>
<li id="navpart11"><a href="11.shtml">Treason or Secession of a Nation</a></li>
<li id="navpart12"><a href="12.shtml">Rights of the People of the Five Nations</a></li>
<li id="navpart13"><a href="13.shtml">Religious Ceremonies Protected</a></li>
<li id="navpart14"><a href="14.shtml">The Installation Song</a></li>
<li id="navpart15"><a href="15.shtml">Protection of the House</a></li>
<li id="navpart16"><a href="16.shtml">Funeral Addresses</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>

And the CSS:

#navigation a {
  /* Rules for navigation items */
}
#navigation a:hover {
  /* Rules for navigation items */
}

/* Rules specific for "you are here" */
#navigation #iamhere a,
#navigation #iamhere a:hover {
  /* Rules for the "you are here" item */
}

And the JavaScript (using jQuery) that finds the correct navigation item and sets the id attribute value to "iamhere":

$(document).ready(function(){
  var mybodyid = $('body').attr('id');
  var mynavid = '#nav' + mybodyid;
  /* e.g. for 3.shtml:
      mybodyid is 'part3'
      mynavid  is '#navpart3'
   */
  $(mynavid).attr('id','iamhere');
});