The email address changed, a new employee will update the content, a new product has been launched, there is a need to update the data on our website, what now?
First of all - who is able do this? Can someone remember the password? Who knows how to make changes? Where are the instructions? How can I log into the mysterious Administration Panel? It's less of a problem if we introduce changes quite often, but what if no one has looked there for many months - where do I look for the appropriate tab, do I have to edit the article or module - where should I start?
The admin panel is a tool that allows you to manage content of the website. Unfortunately, it is more common than not that it has too many features, which are overwhelming, or too few. The standardized admin panel structure assumes that we know how the page was created - so we know how to modify it. This is not a realistic assumption. Most often, the person who designs the page is not the one who then manages it - and it is important to emphasize here that not everyone knows and understands HTML tags.
It is less of a problem if we have an IT professional who can "grasp" the problem - but not everyone has such a convenience. We can always refer the problem to the company that created the website - but it is usually not the most convenient solution (not to mention additional costs). So, it's a matter of arming yourself with confidence, opening up some tutorial on youtube, or digging through scores of pages of instructions - then, it’s possible to complete the task in few hours.
But there must be a better solution, right?
We think that yes, absolutely, there is. Content Management Systems developers (Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal) - usually create solutions for "power users" - people who want, like and have time to create their own website. This is a great concept that has allowed hundreds of thousands of sites to be created, and it has made it possible to inform a wide range of companies about your company and offer. Unfortunately, these popular solutions are often too complex and have far too many options for people who do not need to create a website - they just want to add or change something on one.
This simple idea and that type of users led us to decide and design and develop new administration tool.
The goal was simple:
you see -> click -> edit
Simple, isn’t it? Instead of one block of text - multiple forms - where each text on the site has a field assigned - users only change what they want, zero errors, zero HTML, and zero obstacles.
Front-side edit
At this point some more details are needed. As developers, when we create any kind of website, we divide it into sections - sections are planned and designed specifically for the particular customer - in accordance with a pre-prepared UI design, tailored for the content provided or created. So the idea is simple, if you own the website and want to edit a section, you should just click the edit icon in the top right corner of the section. Now, we don’t want any HTML her so content is entered specific form fields - for each part of content a dedicated field is available - once the form is saved, the change is immediately visible on the site.
Okay - but what is a section?
A section is a page item that groups information. Sections can include the main banner, a box with offer information, a menu, a footer. Sections are created by the website developer - and he is responsible for the amount and type of those. The idea is that for a given page we should create as many duplicate sections as possible that can be used on many sub-pages. This approach should ensure lower implementation costs and easier editing.
What if I want to add a new subpage?
Just click the "New Page" button - you have two options - you can create a new subpage or new article - what's the difference? A subpage is related to a menu item and an article is related to a category. If you want to add a new article to your news feed tab, you select article. The new subpage might be a new menu item, for example: Certificates. .
After selecting the appropriate type of subpage - you need to provide few, simple fields:
- The name of the menu item
- What menu should a new page appear in (most often there are two or more menu blocks on the site - main and bottom menus)
- Status - whether you want a subpage to be visible to users (you can hide it while working on that item)
- Access - this functionality is for sites that restrict access to specific parts of the site for logged on users
- When you create a new subpage - a tab will appear that will allow you to build the page - you can select from several predefined blocks with content. You can freely create content and arrange boxes according to the needs of the subpage.
Po stworzeniu nowej podstrony - pojawi się zakładka, która umożliwi ci zbudowanie strony - do wyboru masz kilkanaście predefiniowanych bloków z treścią. Możesz swobodnie tworzyć treść i układać boksy zgodnie z potrzebami danej podstrony.
Could it be even simpler?
Yes, you can simply go to a page you have already created and click the copy button - after you have completed the information on the menu item for this subpage - a page with the same content as the page you are copying will appear. Just change its content and your new subpage is ready.
What if I make a mistake or delete too much?
Again, simply restore historical version. The system saves each version of the subpage in a convenient changes log. Just click on the version you want to restore. You can test solutions, insert and delete sections - if the subpage looks unsatisfactory, you can return the page to the form you saved before making any modifications.
The custom admin panel is not for everyone. We only offer it to companies that want to invest in a dedicated system and need unique functional solutions. In other cases, Wordpress or Joomla will be sufficient. We hope that the developers of these systems will also, at some point, see the problem that their users face. Maybe future versions of those systems will provide solutions that allow you to edit a site from the front-end (and no, Elementor is not a good alternative). Until then, try not to be afraid of the administration tools available - it is worth approaching it like home with many rooms - to find what you are looking for, sometimes you have to look at a dozen of them - but in the end you will definitely succeed.