Description

When creating a menu item of type "Menu Item Alias", if the Alias field is left
empty, Joomla does not auto-generate a unique alias. Instead, it throws a
validation error:

"The alias [xxx] is already used by menu item [yyy] in menu [zzz]"

The expected behavior is that Joomla auto-generates a unique alias
(e.g. appending -2, -3…) as it does for articles and categories.

Since the alias field has no functional impact for "Menu Item Alias" type links,
this error prevents saving without a workaround.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a menu item of type "Menu Item Alias" pointing to an existing menu item
2. Leave the Alias field empty
3. Save

Version

6.1

Expected result

Joomla auto-generates a unique alias.

Actual result

Validation error: alias already in use. The item cannot be saved.

System Information

• Joomla version: 6.1
• PHP version: 8.3.3
• Database: 11.4.10-MariaDB

Additional Comments

No response