[wp-hackers] Plugin Settings Menu Location

[Alexander Beutl]

Well one could take it to the extend to give the blog admin the coice where
the menu entries should show up if you do not use "add_options_page" (or
alike) hook but use add_submenu_page($this->settings_page_hook,...)
and give sttings_page_hook a default value (maybe Plugins) which can be
changed if is_admin() == true.

Then they would be able to change where that menu appears. Maybe this could
be made more easy by core and the pluginname_pagehook[number] option would
be used and could be set within the plugins main page so nobody would need
to search again since they see what is the default and could adjust it to
fit their needs. One should make it possible to use more then only one
pluginname_pagehook since there are plugins which need more then only one
page. (For example a write and a manage and a settings page)

Alex

2008/5/15 Jamie <intoxination at gmail.com>:

> On this, something I think should be considered is a catch all plugin page
> for settings. I have seen some clients have so many smaller plugins loaded,
> which all have their own settings page and only one or two settings in
> there. After awhile, the submenus start getting very unmanageable.
>
> Perhaps something along the lines of a settings sub page under plugins with
> an API to easily add a setting to that page, which appears under the plugin
> name. No plugins use that page? Don't show that settings sub menu under
> plugins. Akismet would be a good candidate for such a page, and probably a
> good way to get it kicked off, so it would go something like this:
>
> AKISMET
> .
> .....Key
> ......Autodiscard
> .
> .
> .
> Next plugin
> .
> ....setting
>
> etc
> etc
>
>
>
> I know personally there have been times I have written stuff and decided to
> say "change this on line X in plugin.php to what you want", instead of
> hooking in a special page for just a single option.
>
> Jamie Holly
>
>
>
>
> Alexander Beutl wrote:
>
>> >A user knows what plugins they have and have not activated
>> Users don't know anything they only use stuff. They do not care how the
>> admin made things working they just use them. If you can not understand
>> this
>> you never set up a blog for a client - but maybe you would be able to
>> imagine a client is happy enogh if he just finds what he'd search under
>> manage right there at manage.
>>
>>
>> > > Something else to consider is the weight of precedent: almost all of
>> >> the popular plugins I can think of...
>> >... do it the wrong way. Insert "jump off a bridge" analogy here.
>> Ok - Matt has made WordPress the #1 Blogging Platform in the world all by
>> himselfe. It wasn't the comunity nor the plugin builders. /irony-off
>> You say all those plugin builders are wrong? Where would WP be without
>> them?
>> Not nearly where it is now - so they can not be such wrong at all nor did
>> they jump off a bridge.
>>
>> >my plugin configuration pages are going into the plugins menu.
>> Please do me a favor and overthink this issue when you create a plugin
>> where
>> a 'user' (not admin!) needs to be able to manage or write anything. I do
>> not
>> give admin-login to my clients and I don't allow the plugin menu for them.
>> It is fine to add pages like the one of akismet there, since they are
>> PluginSetup and will never be needed again. Sometimes I allow settings -
>> sometimes I don't. If I do not I wouldn't want one to mess around with the
>> settings and therefor wouldn't want any settings somewhere else. If I do
>> allow them, but do not allow plugins I want exactly this: Don't change
>> plugins, do not install/deinstall them and do not start managing them. But
>> if you want - change the options.
>>
>> You know: The menu also deals with the permissions and therefor one really
>> needs to think it over what a pages really does and one should add it to
>> the
>> right menu...
>>
>> >I think that some kind of standard should be
>> >established so that when an admin or a user wants to change a setting,
>> >they know where to go to do that
>>
>> Standards are nice as long as there is something which can fit into
>> standards rules. Since WP Plugins do totally different stuff and hook into
>> everything WP offers they need to spread the menues around just like they
>> spread features.
>>
>> The recommendation is: Think about what you do before you do it and ask
>> yourselfe where someone would actually search for something. If you only
>> have settings it should be obvious. If you have an installation routine
>> you
>> wouldn't even need a menu entry - if there would be any possibilities to
>> ask
>> the admin for some installation data which wouldn't need to change at any
>> time. This would be a nice feature!
>>
>> Another one is: Put your stuff where the users which should be able to use
>> it will be able to do and there where users which shouldn't aren't able
>> to.
>> The last one can easily be dropped, since it is easy to check permissions
>> and die if they aren't met. The first one can not since when there is no
>> "plugin" menu you can not access any "plugin menu pages". No matter how
>> hard
>> you try. Therefor you shoulnd't place anything which an editor, author or
>> contributor would need access to inside plugins menu obviously - no matter
>> if it is part of a plugin or not.
>>
>> Alex
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>>
>>
>>
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