Hey everyone!
I’m pretty new to using GitHub and finding it really overwhelming. I came across this collection of cool navigation menu animations and I really want to use one of them on my website. Specifically, I’m interested in the “Adrian” style menu effect.
The thing is, I have no idea how to actually get the code and implement it. I created a GitHub account but I’m lost on what to do next. Do I need to download specific files? How do I know which CSS and JavaScript files are required?
Can someone walk me through the basic steps of:
- Finding the right files in a repository
- Downloading what I need
- Integrating it into my existing website
I’d really appreciate any help or guidance on this. Thanks in advance!
hey sophia! just hit that green “Code” button and choose “Download ZIP”. then unzip it and open index.html to see how it all fits together. u can find the css and js links in the head section to use them in ur site!
gitHub desktop is so much simpler than just downloading; just clone the repo and browse it all locally, you won’t lose any files. for the adrian menu, look in the dist or build folder first, that’s where the compiled version often is.
When I started with GitHub repos, I’d waste time guessing which files I actually needed without understanding how the project was organized. Here’s what works: always check the README first - it’ll walk you through setup and dependencies. For navigation menus like that Adrian style, look for a demo folder or examples directory. Those usually have stripped-down versions showing exactly which CSS and JS files you need. If there’s a demo page, open your browser’s dev tools and check the Network tab - you’ll see every resource it loads. Once you know what’s essential, copy those files and keep the same folder structure at first. You can reorganize once everything’s working.
Most people skip the package.json file when browsing GitHub repos, but that’s where the real dependencies live. I learned this the hard way trying to build a similar menu component - spent hours wondering why it wouldn’t work. Go to the specific folder for the Adrian menu style. Most collections split components into separate directories. Check the import statements in JavaScript files and @import rules in CSS - they’ll show you what external libraries or fonts you need. Before downloading anything, pull up the live demo and right-click to view source. You’ll see the minimal HTML structure and exact file paths to replicate. These nav components often need specific jQuery versions or other libraries that aren’t obvious just from browsing the code.
Yeah, I get the GitHub confusion - been there when I started.
Honestly? Set up automation for this workflow. Instead of manually downloading and hunting for dependencies every time, create a workflow that pulls code, finds the required files, and integrates them into your site automatically.
For that Adrian menu, you’ll need the HTML structure, CSS file, and maybe some JavaScript. But don’t do this manually every time you want to test a new component - automate it.
I do this for all our frontend component testing. My workflow clones the repo, scans for dependencies, and creates a test environment. Saves hours and kills those “which file do I need” headaches.
You can build this with visual automation tools - no complex scripting needed. Just drag and drop components to handle GitHub repos, file processing, and website integration.
Check out Latenode for this: https://latenode.com
Had this exact problem pulling components from GitHub repos for our frontend team. Manual approach works but you’ll keep hitting the same issues.
I built a workflow that handles everything - connects to GitHub, pulls the component code, finds dependencies automatically, and sets up staging to test before production.
For that Adrian menu, my automation grabs the repo, scans component files, checks package.json for dependencies, and creates a clean integration package. No more guessing which jQuery version or CSS it needs.
Runs whenever I find a new component to test. Takes 2 minutes vs the hour I used to spend digging through files and fixing missing dependencies.
You can build this without coding. Just connect GitHub as trigger, add file processing steps, pipe into your staging site. See it works, then deploy.
Latenode’s visual builder makes this really easy. Set it up once, use it forever: https://latenode.com