NOTE: This plugin is no longer in development, so I recommend Viper’s WordPress Admin Bar. If that one doesn’t work for some reason, this one still does.
WP Admin Bar is an indispensable WordPress plugin which displays links to the Administration Panel at the top of a blog’s page – but only for users who are logged in and have permission to view the given functions.
I find this plugin to be absolutely essential to my enjoyment of WordPress. It allows me to easily jump back and forth between viewing the blog and various management functions on the back end. If you’ve never used it before you’re going to wonder how you got by without it all this time.
I’ve personally been using the WP Admin Bar from Matt Read since I started using WordPress. But with the update to WordPress 2.1 it isn’t functioning properly, Matt hasn’t updated the plugin in almost a year, and his site is currently very broken – so I decided to make the changes myself.
While I was modifying the plugin I made a number of other changes including:
- Removed support for WP 1.5. This cuts the coding in half.
- Removed the random message generator. No need to spend CPU cycles on this.
- Added new Admin links directly to “Users” and “Comments” moderation.
- Updated the links to work properly in WP 2.1.x
- Removed the automatic STYLE insertion into the WP Header.
Please Note:
If you are using my Rapid Access theme, you don’t need to do anything other than install and activate the plugin. The theme already has all of the code in it!
Frequently Asked Questions (that I’m sure are coming)
Q: Why did you remove the automatic STYLE insertion?
A: Because style rules should always be embedded into your site’s style sheet. There are too many reasons to list. It will only take you a minute to cut and paste them.
Q: Why did you remove support for WP1.5?
A: I don’t have a working copy to test it on, plus you can keep using Matt’s old version.
Q: Why are there different versions for 2.0.x and 2.1.x?
A: Because the WP developers made some slight changes that have to be compensated for.
Instructions (PLEASE READ!):
1.) If you are upgrading from the old WP Admin Bar use the Plugin Manager to disable it. If you do not, there WILL be a problem.
2.) Download, unzip and upload WP Admin Bar Reloaded to your plugins directory. wp-admin-bar-reloaded.zip
- If your blog is running WordPress 2.0.x upload only the version titled: wp-admin-bar-reloaded-v2_0.php.
- If your blog is running WordPress 2.1.x upload only the version titled: wp-admin-bar-reloaded-v2_1.php.
- There is only one difference between these two files. It has to do with the link to the Write page.
3.) Activate the plugin in WordPress.
4.) Add the following lines to the very end of your “style.css” or “style.php” file.
#wp-admin-bar {margin:0; padding:5px; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px solid #666; clear:both; text-align:center}
#wp-admin-bar ul {margin:0; padding:0}
#wp-admin-bar ul li {list-style-type:none; display:inline; margin:0 10px; padding:0}
5.) Add the following line to your “header.php” file immediately after the “<body>” tag:
<?php if(function_exists('wp_admin_bar')) wp_admin_bar(); ?>
6.) Enjoy!
If you have any problems or find a bug please drop me a comment below.
This plugin is distributed under the Nice Person license as PostcardWare. Please use it, modify it, build commercial Web sites around it, and make the Web a faster, more accessible place. Here is what you could do for me in return:
- If you could provide a link back to any article you find useful on One Man’s Blog from your Web site I sure would appreciate it.
- If you discover ways to improve the speed, accessibilty or features of this plugin, please let me know.
- Do something nice for someone you don’t know today.
- Finally, if you really like it, drop me an old fashioned post card in the mail! That would be completely awesome! You can send them to:
John Pozadzides
PO Box 2591
Frisco, TX 75034
USA
I’ll publish the really interesting ones, so include a URL!
This is a topic that is near to my heart..
. Thank you! Exactly where are your contact details
though?
thank you for plugin.
Wow… this is so handy! Thanks a lot!
John,
Just watched your 45 Ways video and learned a ton. I’m going through your list. I had a problem with WP Admin Bar Reloaded, which is probably a fault of my theme. Please peek at Thiefhunters in Paradise. The admin bar pushed down my header pix, but not my page tabs, causing the page tabs to overlap the header pix. When I couldn’t fix it (I’m pretty new), I deleted the Admin Bar code from the header php, deactivated the plugin, then even deleted the code from the style.css. Still, my page tabs are screwy. I also restored the previous header.php, just to be sure. What legacy bits could be remaining to mess up my page tabs?
Still, grateful for your many, many tips. –thiefhunter
You know what would make this plugin rock even harder? If the Admin Bar could float at the top as you scroll down through your blog, so you don’t have to go all the back to the top to click it.
Not that I don’t like it. I do.
Just sayin’…
Working now. Thanks again.
Thanks! I definitely love the plugin. I had been highlighting the bar just to get the contrast… the low tech solution. :)
Art,
You can actually fix this one yourself! :-)
In the line you added to your stylesheet that reads:
#wp-admin-bar {margin:0; padding:5px; background:#f9f9f9; border:1px solid #666; clear:both; text-align:center}The two funny codes that begin with the # symbol are colors. #f9f9f9 and #666 can be changed, and for simplicity you can use simple color names like black, blue, red, green, yellow, orange, gold, brown, silver, etc.
So, play around with just editing the colors until you get something usable on your theme and hopefully you’ll be all set!
John
John,
I am not a programmer, so I’m sure this will sound like a noob question… nevertheless…
I installed the plugin and did the update of the style sheet and header and the header did appear, but the words are off white on white and nearly impossible for me to see without really straining.
Did I do something wrong or is it in my template somewhere and I need to get one of my programmer friends to help me?
Thanks in advance.
I will install this plugin later today, seem to save a lot of flipping back and forth on admin pages…
Kim:)
After wp-admin-bar broke a while back, I thought I’d have to go without, but thanks for this fix! Working great on my site, even after upgrading to 2.5. Three cheers to you!
Thanks John, I just added this to our blog running 2.5 and it looks like it worked like a charm :)
Just thought I would touch base again about this plug-in. The more I use your plug-in, the more I couldn’t be without it. If you are running a WordPress Blog, you would be at a severe disadvantage without this handy little tool.
10-4 on that John. Thanks. Great plug-in.
Steve,
The only thing you’re missing out on… is more work! :-) I’ve already got support for this plugin built into the Rapid Access theme, so you’re good to go!
John
John, I just uploaded and activated this plug in. I did not have to do the extra steps in the style.css and header.php. It works fine. Have I missed anything?
Whoops, never mind…
Ah! I just figured it out. In the header.php file you put…