[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #16048: Make Admin Menu Generation Hookable

[WordPress Trac]

#16048: Make Admin Menu Generation Hookable
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 Reporter:  mikeschinkel    |      Owner:
     Type:  enhancement     |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  Administration  |    Version:  3.1
 Severity:  normal          |   Keywords:  menus
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 This ticket proposes to make the code that generates the admin menus
 ''"hookable."'' It removes the hard-coded call to `_wp_menu_output()` and
 replaces it with a priority `0` call to the `'adminmenu'` hook that
 currently immediately precedes the existing call to `_wp_menu_output()`.
 It also adds an `add_action()` call to assign `_wp_menu_output()` to be
 called by the `'adminmenu'` hook at priority `0`.

 With the exception of a plugin or theme using a negative or zero priority
 for the `'adminmenu'` hook this hook will be 100% backward compatible.

 '''Why?'''

 Currently `_wp_menu_output()` in `/wp-admin/menu-header.php` is coded with
 very few hooks making it hard at time to modify for client requirements.

 The admin menu variables `$menu` and `$submenu` use numeric array indexes
 for menu page and submenu page placement which makes it harder to ensure
 that plugins and themes that modify admin menus are robust and compatible
 with other plugins and themes that modify admin menus. It's been discussed
 that thIs admin menu structure is suboptimal but for sake of backward
 compatibility it's wisely been decided to maintain it as is.

 This hook would allow a site developer to build his or her own admin menus
 without modifying core. It would allow a theme vendor to do the same with
 the caveat that replacing the admin menu means that other plugins or
 themes might not work as expected. In general this might be a problem but
 for those building custom solutions based on WordPress, especially when
 they are building products based on WordPress ''(as I am'') this would be
 extremely helpful. If it was felt necessary to ensure people don't do this
 without understanding the compatibilities issues a requirement to first
 set a constant like `'INCOMPATIBLE_ADMIN_MENUS'` could be required to make
 it work.

 Enabling this would also enable people ''(like me)'' to explore building
 admin menus such that in the future better admin menus could evolve to the
 point they are well thought out enough to actually replace the core admin
 menus.

 So hopefully since this is such a small patch, introduces no new hooks,
 and is 99.999% backward compatible it should be a no-brainer?

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/16048>
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