Get a Better Angle With MyDashboard
Oct 11th, 07 | Comments are closed.It’s no secret that the functionality of the Wordpress dashboard has left a few things to be desired. It’s been echoed across the blogosphere, and subsequently recognized by the WP developers.
For a while it looked like Shuttle was the answer to that, but it came to a screeching halt over a year ago and UI enhancements have taken a back seat since. Supposedly this will be remedied with the release of version 2.4 (scheduled for December), but in the meantime you might want to check out MyDashboard.
Written by Barry, of Clearskys.net, this plugin offers customization features long sought after by Wordpress users. Specifically - modules with drag & drop capability! As the author states, the concept is similar to that of iGoogle or Netvibes, and comes with a variety of gadgets you can add to (or remove from) your Dash.
MyDashboard is available for versions back to 2.0 and compatible up to 2.3, though there are a couple minor bugs which Barry is working on squashing. Nothing that render it unusable however.
This plugin does a beautiful job of enhancing the standard interface, and just like most other plugins - it’s a snap to install. If you’ve been hoping for a better overview of your Wordpress blog - wish granted. Not only that, but it’s extensible enough to build your own gadgets to add. The author has even provided a tutorial on how.
Finally, and my favorite thing about MyDashboard… you can can skin it to suit your preferences, all without touching any of the core WP files! To get you started there are two skins provided with the install, but if you know CSS the possibilities are limitless for a truly unique Dashboard. Fun! :)
Although it’s an unfair comparison on my part, by the looks of it, I’d prefer MyDashboard over Shuttle at this point. I recently looked into the Shuttle interface and it just looks confusing.
Shuttle is much cleaner than the current WordPress administration panel, but it doesn’t invite you to use the admin panel (think WP-Tiger Admin).
Oct 12, 07 | 11:08 amI really loved Tiger above all the admin replacements or tie-ons that I’ve tried so far. (SpotMilk isn’t bad either.) Too bad Tiger breaks so badly with v2.3. I finally gave it up. :(
I liked the look of Shuttle a lot, but I’ll admit I haven’t studied it in terms of usability. Not sure how it would hold up next the to the current UI.
The more I use MyDashboard the more I like it. I think there’s a lot of potential there. Would be cool to see a Drafts module built in as well. :)
Oct 12, 07 | 12:20 pmHi Charity.
Nice looking site you have here.
Viciao2k3 has a Drafts list mydashboard gadget available from his site if that’s what you mean.
See the link here:
http://blog.clearskys.net/2007/09/10/announcing-4-new-mydashboard-gadgets/
Rgds
Oct 17, 07 | 11:49 amBarry
Thanks Barry. Just downloaded the additional dashboard gadgets and they’re great. I’ve been wishing for a drafts thingamajigy for a long time. ;) Thanks for the heads-up.
Oct 18, 07 | 6:10 pmI love stumble’ing upon the answer to a question I forgot I was looking for! Great post!
Dec 4, 07 | 10:48 pm