Override menu link HTML output menu specifically

Nice Menus has a function called theme_nice_menus_build. This function basically creates the structure of each menu item and then an other function called theme_menu_link takes care about the output rendering. This is okay, but theme_menu_link will never be informed about the menu name what the menu link belongs to, however theme_nice_menus_build knows the menu name. So theme_menu_link will render the menu link (and optionally its child links) but knows nothing about the menu name. If you want to override the menu link menu specifically in theme_menu_link function, you can't do that without modifying the theme_nice_menus_build function which calls it. In theme_nice_menus_build you have to pass the menu name variable to theme_menu_link to solve this problem.

Here is my modified theme_nice_menus_build function ...

function mytheme_nice_menus_build($variables) {

  // ***** default function behavior starts here *****

  $menu = $variables['menu'];
  $depth = $variables['depth'];
  $trail = $variables['trail'];
  $output = '';
  // Prepare to count the links so we can mark first, last, odd and even.
  $index = 0;
  $count = 0;
  foreach ($menu as $menu_count) {
    if ($menu_count['link']['hidden'] == 0) {
      $count++;
    }
  }
  // Get to building the menu.
  foreach ($menu as $menu_item) {
    $mlid = $menu_item['link']['mlid'];
    // Check to see if it is a visible menu item.
    if (!isset($menu_item['link']['hidden']) || $menu_item['link']['hidden'] == 0) {
      // Check our count and build first, last, odd/even classes.
      $index++;
      $first_class = $index == 1 ? ' first ' : '';
      $oddeven_class = $index % 2 == 0 ? ' even ' : ' odd ';
      $last_class = $index == $count ? ' last ' : '';
      // Build class name based on menu path
      // e.g. to give each menu item individual style.
      // Strip funny symbols.
      $clean_path = str_replace(array('http://', 'www', '<', '>', '&', '=', '?', ':', '.'), '', $menu_item['link']['href']);
      // Convert slashes to dashes.
      $clean_path = str_replace('/', '-', $clean_path);
      $class = 'menu-path-' . $clean_path;
      if ($trail && in_array($mlid, $trail)) {
        $class .= ' active-trail';
      }
      // If it has children build a nice little tree under it.
      if ((!empty($menu_item['link']['has_children'])) && (!empty($menu_item['below'])) && $depth != 0) {
        // Keep passing children into the function 'til we get them all.
        if ($menu_item['link']['depth'] <= $depth || $depth == -1) {
          $children = array(
            '#theme' => 'nice_menus_build',
            '#prefix' => '<ul>',
            '#suffix' => '</ul>',
            '#menu' => $menu_item['below'],
            '#depth' => $depth,
            '#trail' => $trail,
          );
        }
        else {
          $children = '';
        }
        // Set the class to parent only of children are displayed.
        $parent_class = ($children && ($menu_item['link']['depth'] <= $depth || $depth == -1)) ? 'menuparent ' : '';
        $element = array(
          '#below' => $children,
          '#title' => $menu_item['link']['link_title'],
          '#href' =>  $menu_item['link']['href'],
          '#localized_options' => $menu_item['link']['localized_options'],
          '#attributes' => array(
            'class' => array('menu-' . $mlid, $parent_class, $class, $first_class, $oddeven_class, $last_class),
          ),
        );
        $variables['element'] = $element;

        // ***** default function behavior ends here *****

        $variables['element']['menu_name'] = $menu_item['link']['menu_name'];

        // ***** default function behavior continues here *****

        $output .= theme('menu_link', $variables);

      }
      else {

        $element = array(
          '#below' => '',
          '#title' => $menu_item['link']['link_title'],
          '#href' =>  $menu_item['link']['href'],
          '#localized_options' => $menu_item['link']['localized_options'],
          '#attributes' => array(
            'class' => array('menu-' . $mlid, $class, $first_class, $oddeven_class, $last_class),
          ),
        );
        $variables['element'] = $element;

        // ***** default function behavior ends here *****

        $variables['element']['menu_name'] = $menu_item['link']['menu_name'];

        // ***** default function behavior continues here *****

        $output .= theme('menu_link', $variables);
      }
    }
  }
  return $output;
}
 

... and the modified theme_menu_link function. For example, I would like to wrap around the title of the menu link with <span> element, if the menu link belongs to the main menu.

function mytheme_menu_link(array $variables) {

  // ***** default function behavior starts here *****

  $element = $variables['element'];
  $sub_menu = '';

  if ($element['#below']) {
    $sub_menu = drupal_render($element['#below']);
  }

  // ***** default function behavior ends here *****

  $options = $element['#localized_options'];

  // If this menu link is part of the main menu, then modify the output.
  if (array_key_exists('menu_name', $element) && $element['menu_name'] == 'main-menu') {
    $options['html'] = TRUE;
    $output = l('<span>' . check_plain($element['#title']) . '</span>', $element['#href'], $options);
  }
  else {
    $output = l($element['#title'], $element['#href'], $options);
  }

  // ***** default function behavior continues here *****

  return '<li' . drupal_attributes($element['#attributes']) . '>' . $output . $sub_menu . "</li>\n";
}

So my personal opinion is, that would be nice if theme_nice_menus_build would inform theme_menu_link about the menu name.