External Sidebar Links

Add custom links to external tools directly in the sidebar navigation.

Overview

External links let you:

• Add quick access to other tools
• Customize the sidebar with your frequently used services
• Embed external pages within Bambuddy

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Use Cases

Quick access to:

• OctoPrint or Mainsail (other print managers)
• Spoolman (filament inventory)
• Obico (AI print monitoring)
• Home Assistant (home automation)
• Documentation or reference sites
• Internal dashboards

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Adding External Links

1. Go to Settings
2. Scroll to Sidebar Links
3. Click Add Link
4. Configure:
   • Name: Display name for the link
   • URL: Full URL to the external site
   • Icon: Choose icon type
5. Click Save

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Link Configuration

Name

• Display text shown in sidebar
• Keep it short (1-2 words)
• Examples: "Spoolman", "OctoPrint", "Docs"

URL

• Full URL including protocol
• Examples:
  • http://192.168.1.100:7912 (Spoolman)
  • https://docs.example.com
  • http://octopi.local

Icon Options

Built-in Icons Choose from common icons:

• Link icon
• External link icon
• Home icon
• Settings icon
• And more...

Custom Icons Upload your own:

1. Select "Custom Icon"
2. Upload an SVG file
3. Icon is stored and displayed

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Managing Links

Reordering

Drag links to change their position:

1. Hover over the link
2. Click and hold the grip handle
3. Drag to new position
4. Release to drop

Links can be mixed with internal navigation items.

Editing

1. Click the pencil icon on a link
2. Modify settings
3. Click Save

Deleting

1. Click the trash icon on a link
2. Confirm deletion

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How Links Open

Embedded Mode (Default)

External pages open in an iframe within Bambuddy:

• Stays within Bambuddy interface
• Quick switching between tools
• Sidebar remains accessible

New Tab

Some sites require opening in a new tab:

• Sites that block iframe embedding
• Complex applications
• When you need full browser features

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Iframe Limitations

Some websites block iframe embedding for security:

Common Restrictions

• X-Frame-Options header set to DENY
• Content Security Policy restrictions
• Same-origin policy violations

Affected Sites

Sites that typically don't work in iframes:

• Google services
• Social media sites
• Banking/financial sites
• Some cloud dashboards

Workaround

If a site doesn't load in the iframe:

1. Right-click the link
2. Select "Open in New Tab"
3. Or configure the link to always open externally

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Icon Upload

Supported Formats

• SVG (recommended)
• PNG
• JPG

Icon Guidelines

• Square aspect ratio works best
• Keep file size small (<50KB)
• Simple designs show better at sidebar size
• SVG scales best at any size

Finding Icons

Sources for icons:

• Lucide Icons
• Simple Icons
• Heroicons
• Product brand guidelines (for official logos)

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Examples

Spoolman

Name: Spoolman
URL: http://192.168.1.100:7912
Icon: Built-in database icon

Home Assistant

Name: Home
URL: http://homeassistant.local:8123
Icon: Custom (Home Assistant logo SVG)

Documentation

Name: Docs
URL: https://wiki.example.com
Icon: Built-in book icon

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Tips

• Keep link names short for cleaner sidebar
• Use custom icons for brand recognition
• Test iframe embedding before relying on it
• Group related links by ordering them together
• Remove unused links to keep sidebar clean