diff --git a/layouts/_default/list.html b/layouts/_default/list.html
index 8d1fdab11d..c536b82900 100644
--- a/layouts/_default/list.html
+++ b/layouts/_default/list.html
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
-{{ partial "header.html" . }}
 {{ if .Content }}
+{{ partial "header.html" . }}
 {{ .Content }}
-{{ else }}
-{{ with (index (index .Site.Sections .Section) 0)  }}
-{{ .Page.Content }}
-{{ $.Scratch.Set "uniqueId" .Page.UniqueID }}
-{{ end }}
-{{ end }}
 {{ partial "footer.html" . }}
+{{ else }}
+{{ with (index (index .Site.Sections .Section) 0) }}
+{{ with .Page }}
+{{ partial "header.html" . }}
+{{ .Content }}
+{{ partial "footer.html" . }}
+{{ end }}
+{{ end }}
+{{ end }}
diff --git a/layouts/partials/footer.html b/layouts/partials/footer.html
index 8e84557123..2c75ee3897 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/footer.html
+++ b/layouts/partials/footer.html
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 
-      {{ $isChapter := or (eq .Kind "section") (.Params.chapter)}}
+      {{ $isChapter := .Params.chapter | default (eq .Kind "section")}}
       {{ if $isChapter }}
         </div> <!-- end chapter-->
       {{ end }}
@@ -33,8 +33,7 @@
         {{ if $.Site.Params.autoNav }}
         {{ $allpages := $.Scratch.Get "_allpages" }}
         {{ range $index, $element := $allpages }}
-          {{ $uniqueid := ($.Scratch.Get "uniqueId" | default $.UniqueID ) }}
-          {{if eq $element.UniqueID $uniqueid }}
+          {{if eq $element.UniqueID $.UniqueID }}
             {{ if not (isset $.Params "prev") }}
               {{ with index $allpages (sub $index 1) }}
                 <a class="nav nav-prev" href="{{ .URL }}"> <i class="fa fa-chevron-left"></i></a>
diff --git a/layouts/partials/header.html b/layouts/partials/header.html
index c61851a5fe..a9882a9cb7 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/header.html
+++ b/layouts/partials/header.html
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
     {{ partial "style.html" . }}
   </head>
   <body class="" data-url="{{ .RelPermalink }}">
-    {{ $isChapter := or (eq .Kind "section") (.Params.chapter)}}
+    {{ $isChapter := .Params.chapter | default (eq .Kind "section")}}
     {{ partial "menu.html" . }}
         <section id="body">
         <div id="overlay"></div>
@@ -51,14 +51,17 @@
                 {{ if and (not $isChapter) (.Params.toc) }}
                 <span id="toc-menu"><a href=""><i class="fa fa-list-alt"></i></a></span>
                 {{ end }}
-                {{ $type := .Type }}
-                {{ $relLink := .RelPermalink }}
-                {{ range $name , $value := .Site.Sections }}
-                  {{ if eq $name $type }}
-                    {{ $first := (index $value 0).Page }}
-                    {{ if ne $first.RelPermalink $relLink }}
-                <a href="{{ $first.RelPermalink }}" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="title">{{ $first.Title }}</span></a> <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i>
-                    {{ end }}
+                {{ $section := index .Site.Sections .Section }}
+                {{ $sectionPage := $.Site.GetPage "section" $.Section }}
+                {{ if $sectionPage.Content }}
+                  {{ $first := $.Site.GetPage "section" $.Section }}
+                  {{ if ne $first.UniqueID $.UniqueID }}
+              <a href="{{ $first.RelPermalink }}" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="title">{{ $first.Title }}</span></a> <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i>
+                  {{ end }}
+                {{ else if gt $section.Len 0 }}
+                  {{ $first := (index $section 0).Page }}
+                  {{ if ne $first.UniqueID $.UniqueID }}
+              <a href="{{ $first.RelPermalink }}" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="title">{{ $first.Title }}</span></a> <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i>
                   {{ end }}
                 {{ end }}
                 {{ with .Title }}<span itemprop="title"> {{ . }}</span>{{ end }}
diff --git a/layouts/partials/menu.html b/layouts/partials/menu.html
index 67d72026e9..8e60b3b658 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/menu.html
+++ b/layouts/partials/menu.html
@@ -11,13 +11,17 @@
 
   <div class="highlightable">
     <ul class="topics">
-      {{ $page := . }}
       {{ if $.Site.Params.menu }}
         {{ $.Scratch.Set "menuItems" $.Site.Params.menu }}
       {{ else }}
         {{ $.Scratch.Set "_pages" (slice) }}
         {{ range $key, $value := .Site.Sections }}
-          {{ $.Scratch.Add "_pages" ($.Site.GetPage "section" $key) }}
+          {{ $sectionPage := $.Site.GetPage "section" $key }}
+          {{ if $sectionPage.Content }}
+            {{ $.Scratch.Add "_pages" $sectionPage }}
+          {{ else if gt $value.Len 0 }}
+            {{ $.Scratch.Add "_pages" (index $value 0).Page }}
+          {{ end }}
         {{ end }}
         {{ $.Scratch.Set "menuItems" (slice)}}
         {{ range $key, $value := sort ($.Scratch.Get "_pages") "Weight" }}
@@ -28,12 +32,12 @@
       {{ range $i, $key := $menuItems }}
       {{ if ne $key "" }}
 
-      {{ $value := (index $page.Site.Sections $key) }}
+      {{ $value := (index $.Site.Sections $key) }}
       {{ $.Scratch.Set "_value" $value }}
       {{ with $index := $.Site.GetPage "section" $key }}
         {{ if .Content }}
           {{ $.Scratch.Set "first" $index }}
-        {{ else }}
+        {{ else if gt $value.Len 0}}
           {{ $.Scratch.Set "first" (index $value 0).Page }}
           {{ if gt $value.Len 1 }}
             {{ $.Scratch.Set "_value" (after 1 $value) }}
@@ -45,14 +49,14 @@
       {{ $first := $.Scratch.Get "first" }}
       {{ $value := $.Scratch.Get "_value" }}
 
-      <li class="dd-item {{ if eq $page.RelPermalink $first.RelPermalink }}active{{ end }} {{if in $page.RelPermalink $first.RelPermalink }}parent{{ end }}" data-nav-id="{{ $first.RelPermalink }}">
+      <li class="dd-item {{ if eq $.UniqueID $first.UniqueID }}active{{ end }} {{if eq $.Section $first.Section }}parent{{ end }}" data-nav-id="{{ $first.RelPermalink }}">
         <a href="{{ $first.RelPermalink }}">
           <span>
             {{ if isset $first.Params "icon" }}
               {{ printf $first.Params.icon | safeHTML }}
             {{ end }}
              {{ $first.Title }}
-            {{ if $page.Site.Params.showVisitedLinks}}
+            {{ if $.Site.Params.showVisitedLinks}}
               <i class="fa fa-check read-icon"></i>
              {{ end }}
            </span>
@@ -60,9 +64,9 @@
         {{ if gt $value.Len 0}}
         <ul>
           {{ range $k, $p := $value }}
-            <li class="dd-item {{ if eq $page.RelPermalink $p.Page.RelPermalink }}active{{ end }}" data-nav-id="{{ $p.Page.RelPermalink }}">
+            <li class="dd-item {{ if eq $.UniqueID $p.Page.UniqueID }}active{{ end }}" data-nav-id="{{ $p.Page.RelPermalink }}">
               <a href="{{ $p.Page.RelPermalink }}">
-                <span>{{ $p.Page.Title }}    {{ if $page.Site.Params.showVisitedLinks}}  <i class="fa fa-check read-icon">  {{ end }} </i></span>
+                <span>{{ $p.Page.Title }}    {{ if $.Site.Params.showVisitedLinks}}  <i class="fa fa-check read-icon">  {{ end }} </i></span>
               </a>
             </li>
           {{ end }}
