Zend Framework 1.12 When upgrading from a previous release to Zend Framework 1.12 or higher you should note the following migration notes. Zend_View_Helper_Navigation Prior to the 1.12 release, a helper with the name "My_View_Helper_Navigation_Menu" can not be used, because the proxy helper returns always the standard view helper "Zend_View_Helper_Navigation_Menu". Starting from version 1.12, you can use our own navigation helpers with the name "menu", "breadcrumbs", ... Create your own helper with name "Menu": setContainer($container); } return $this; } public function render(Zend_Navigation_Container $container = null) { return ''; } } ]]> Add the helper path to Zend_View in your Bootstrap class: bootstrap('view'); $this->view->addHelperPath( 'path/to/helper', 'My_View_Helper_Navigation' ); } ]]> Or add the helper path in your "application.ini" file: The following code is used in a view script: navigation()->menu(); ?> ]]> Output: Example ]]>