How to remove certain sections from the navigation pane in beamer?

Question

This is a follow-up question to another question.

There are sections (\section{OUTLINE}, \section{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}, and \section{BIBLIOGRAPHY}) that I wish not to show up in the top navigation pane.

\documentclass[aspectratio=169]{beamer}
\usetheme[compress]{Singapore}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\graphicspath{ {figures/} }
\usefonttheme{serif}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage{subcaption}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\setbeamertemplate{caption}[numbered]
\setbeamersize{text margin left=14mm,text margin right=14mm} 
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}
\title{ON GENERAL RELATIVITY}
\author{John Doe\inst{1}}
\institute[Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH)]{
  \inst{1}%
  {PhD Candidate at the Department of Physics\
  Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH)}}
\date{\today}
\newcommand{\nologo}{\setbeamertemplate{logo}{}}
\logo{%
    \makebox[\paperwidth]{%
    \includegraphics[height=1cm]{example-image}%
    \hfill%
    \includegraphics[height=1cm]{example-image}%
    }\hskip-.1cm%
}
\show\hss
\begin{document}
\begin{frame}
  \titlepage
\end{frame}
\section{OUTLINE}
\begin{frame}{OUTLINE}
\tableofcontents
\end{frame}
\section{INTRODUCTION}
\begin{frame}{INTRODUCTION}
INSERT INTRODUCTION.
\end{frame}
\section{THEORY}
\begin{frame}{THEORY}
INSERT THEORY.
\end{frame}
\section{METHOD(S)}
\begin{frame}{METHOD(S)}
INSERT METHOD(S).
\end{frame}
\section{RESULTS}
\begin{frame}{RESULTS}
INSERT RESULTS.
\end{frame}
\section{DISCUSSION}
\begin{frame}{DISCUSSION}
INSERT DISCUSSION.
\end{frame}
\section{CONCLUSIONS}
\begin{frame}{CONCLUSIONS}
INSERT CONCLUSIONS.
\end{frame}
\section{BIBLIOGRAPHY}
\nologo{
\begin{frame}{BIBLIOGRAPHY}
INSERT BIBLIOGRAPHY
\end{frame}
\section{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}
\begin{frame}{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}
\centering
\includegraphics[height=2cm,keepaspectratio]{example-image}%
\hspace{30pt}
\includegraphics[height=2cm,keepaspectratio]{example-image}%
\hspace{30pt}
\includegraphics[height=2cm,keepaspectratio]{example-image}%
\end{frame}
}
\end{document}

• Is there a way to hide certain sections so they do not appear in the navigation pane at all? If I do not use \section{BIBLIOGRAPHY} and \section{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS} they do not appear but the navigation points are then listed under the previous section. I only found ways to hide them all (e.g. \setbeamertemplate{headline}{}), not specific ones.
• Is it possible to ensure that all the navigation pane names are similar in length irrespective of word length? It would look better if they had the same designated length.

---

Edit (21.12.2021):

This answers an alternative way where you use \appendix, so that \section{BIBLIOGRAPHY} and \section{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS} appear in a new navigation pane. It is however not exactly what I want since they still appear. If you comment these sections, two navigation points will still appear. \section{OUTLINE} is easily included because you can comment it and it will not appear because it is in front of other sections (not behind). It is still not exactly what I would like.

Answer 1

• to remove the section names from the headline, just don't add these sections.

• to switch off the miniframe bullets for these frames, you can use Beamer with Berlin theme: slide in "hidden" section appears in navigation bar

\documentclass[aspectratio=169]{beamer}
\usetheme[compress]{Singapore}
%\usepackage{graphicx}
\graphicspath{ {figures/} }
\usefonttheme{serif}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage{subcaption}
%\usepackage{graphicx}
\setbeamertemplate{caption}[numbered]
\setbeamersize{text margin left=14mm,text margin right=14mm} 
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}
\title{ON GENERAL RELATIVITY}
\author{John Doe\inst{1}}
\institute[Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH)]{
  \inst{1}%
  {PhD Candidate at the Department of Physics\
  Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH)}}
\date{\today}
\newcommand{\nologo}{\setbeamertemplate{logo}{}}
\logo{%
    \makebox[\paperwidth]{%
    \includegraphics[height=1cm]{example-image}%
    \hfill%
    \includegraphics[height=1cm]{example-image}%
    }\hskip-.1cm%
}
\show\hss
\makeatletter
\let\beamer@writeslidentry@miniframeson=\beamer@writeslidentry%
\def\beamer@writeslidentry@miniframesoff{%
  \expandafter\beamer@ifempty\expandafter{\beamer@framestartpage}{}% does not happen normally
  {%else
    % removed \addtocontents commands
    \clearpage\beamer@notesactions%
  }
}
\newcommand{\miniframeson}{\let\beamer@writeslidentry=\beamer@writeslidentry@miniframeson}
\newcommand{\miniframesoff}{\let\beamer@writeslidentry=\beamer@writeslidentry@miniframesoff}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\begin{frame}
  \titlepage
\end{frame}
%\section*{OUTLINE}
\begin{frame}{OUTLINE}
\tableofcontents
\end{frame}
\section{INTRODUCTION}
\begin{frame}{INTRODUCTION}
INSERT INTRODUCTION.
\end{frame}
\section{THEORY}
\begin{frame}{THEORY}
INSERT THEORY.
\end{frame}
\section{METHOD(S)}
\begin{frame}{METHOD(S)}
INSERT METHOD(S).
\end{frame}
\section{RESULTS}
\begin{frame}{RESULTS}
INSERT RESULTS.
\end{frame}
\section{DISCUSSION}
\begin{frame}{DISCUSSION}
INSERT DISCUSSION.
\end{frame}
\section{CONCLUSIONS}
\begin{frame}{CONCLUSIONS}
INSERT CONCLUSIONS.
\end{frame}
%\section{BIBLIOGRAPHY}
\miniframesoff
\nologo
\begin{frame}{BIBLIOGRAPHY}
INSERT BIBLIOGRAPHY
\end{frame}
%\section{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}
\begin{frame}{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}
\centering{
\includegraphics[height=2cm,keepaspectratio]{example-image}%
\hspace{30pt}
\includegraphics[height=2cm,keepaspectratio]{example-image}%
\hspace{30pt}
\includegraphics[height=2cm,keepaspectratio]{example-image}%
}
\end{frame}
\end{document}