WordPress Reloaded

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The Dashboard
First impressions count and the all-new Dashboard in 2.7 is definitely a delight. The whole interface has been completely redesigned with a strong emphasis on usability. The tabbed interface of 2.6 has been replaced by a set of movable modules popularised by sites such as the BBC and iGoogle. This gives users the perfect platform for creative reorganisation and customisation. A module can be dragged from its current position and dropped into a preferred location with a single mouse action. Just one click on the title bar can toggle a module between the expanded and collapsed state. This frees up on-screen real estate allowing users to get more of what they want. To compliment and complete the Dashboard customisation there is Screen Options. A quick click of the Screen Options tab expands the window to reveal Show on screen. A host of checkboxes, all currently selected, relate to the modules within the Dashboard. It is simply a matter of unchecking a specific module to see it disappear from the Dashboard. To reinstate it simply check the desired box again.

New menu system
Beyond the main focus of the Dashboard, WordPress has given some serious thought to the menu system, which again has been given a complete redesign. At first glance all the elements of the menu system have been packaged into neat little menus with a direct link back to the Dashboard and all the major categories. This is true, but in the name of usability all the major links simply expand the menu to reveal the related items. For example, click Posts and users get to see Edit, Add New, Tags and Categories all neatly tucked together. To divert to an alternative option it is nothing more than a single click. The new option will open up leaving the menu in the same state ready for users to select a new choice. To collapse a panel it’s a single click on the menu title arrow and onto the next option. By default the menu system displays the menu text and associated icon. To free up screen space all the menus can be collapsed by dragging the double-headed arrow to the right. This leaves the menu in an icon-only state, to expand drag it back to the left.

Quick-fire access
Sitting quietly at the top of the page is a new quick access drop-down menu. The default setting New Post transports the user to the New Post page. Hover the cursor over the menu arrow and a number of options make themselves known instantly. Drafts, New Page, Upload and Comments all link directly to their respective segments. The admin panel is another element that has been given a little bit of a tweak. A couple of new admin colour schemes have been introduced. Gone are Classic and Fresh, replaced by a more simple Blue and Gray. Turbo holds a place but again this has been given a tweak over its predecessor. In addition to the Turbo: Speed up WordPress tool, users will now find Press This. This is a bookmarklet, which is a small app that runs in a browser and lets you copy text, images and videos from a webpage. It directly adds the copied item, text, image and so on into a new post window, ready for publishing. To call Press This into action simply drag the link into your bookmarks bar or right-click it and add it to your Favorites.

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