Descripcion
Admin Dashboard Shortcuts replaces the cluttered default WordPress dashboard with a clean, unified hub. Everything you need — from quick actions to view analytics — is visible at a glance.
Features:
- Quick Actions — Pinned at the top of the dashboard for instant access. One-click buttons for New Post, New Page, Upload Media, and up to four custom links you configure yourself.
- Admin Bar Shortcuts — An « Admin Dashboard Shortcuts » dropdown in the WordPress toolbar gives you a Dashboard link and a Check PageSpeed link (opens Google PageSpeed Insights for your homepage in a new tab — no API key needed).
- Page & Post View Analytics — Tracks visits to your posts and pages in your own database with no third-party service. Views are split into separate Posts and Pages panels, each showing:
- An interactive Chart.js line chart with date labels on the bottom axis and view counts on the left axis.
- Smooth curves, gradient fill, and visible data-point markers with hover tooltips.
- A trend indicator (% change vs the previous period).
- A scrollable top-content list with proportional bar indicators.
- Recent Users Sidebar — The most recently registered users are shown in the right sidebar with their name and role. Includes a total user count and an Add User shortcut.
- System Overview Sidebar — Site Health score with a visual gauge and metric list, plus server information (PHP version, memory limit, database version), all in the right sidebar. Open the full Site Health report (Critical, Recommended, and Passed tabs) from the dashboard.
- Login Activity & Recent Activity — Sidebar panels for recent logins, failed login attempts, and a feed of recent site events (new users, published posts, available updates).
- Updates Available — Plugin and theme update cards with one-click Update and Update All buttons, inline status badges, update count badges, and active-theme warnings.
- Recent Comments — Pending comments with inline Approve, Spam, and Trash actions via AJAX — no page reload required.
- At a Glance — Post, page, comment, and user counts with direct links.
- Dark / Light Mode — Toggle dashboard appearance; preference saved per user.
- Clean Dashboard — Hides core WordPress dashboard widgets when Admin Dashboard Shortcuts is enabled; third-party widgets remain visible.
- Custom Quick Links — Configure up to four quick-link slots (label, URL, icon, enabled) under Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts. Drag rows to reorder; save to apply on the dashboard.
- View Tracking Settings — Choose which post types to track, set a data-retention window (default 90 days, or keep forever), and optionally count logged-in user visits.
- Rollback — A backup is snapshotted automatically right before any plugin or theme update. If the update breaks something, restore the previous version from Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > Rollback.
Screenshots
Installacion
- Upload the
admin-shortcutsfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory, or install through the WordPress Plugins screen. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Visit the Dashboard to see the Admin Dashboard Shortcuts interface.
- Configure quick links and plugin options under Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts.
FAQ
-
Where do Admin Dashboard Shortcuts appear?
-
Admin Dashboard Shortcuts replaces the default WordPress Dashboard page with a unified layout. The main column shows Quick Actions, At a Glance stats, page view analytics, Updates, and Recent Comments. The right sidebar shows System Overview, Recent Users, Login Activity, and Recent Activity.
-
Can I disable Admin Dashboard Shortcuts?
-
Yes. Turn off « Enable Admin Dashboard Shortcuts » under Plugin status on the General tab. Core WordPress dashboard widgets will be restored.
-
What happens to default WordPress dashboard widgets?
-
When Admin Dashboard Shortcuts is enabled, core WordPress dashboard widgets (At a Glance, Activity, Quick Draft, and similar) are hidden. Third-party plugin widgets such as WooCommerce or Elementor remain visible by default and can be toggled under Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > Widgets.
-
How do I configure quick links?
-
Go to Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > General > Quick link slots. Each of the four rows supports a label, URL, icon, and enabled toggle. Drag rows by the handle to reorder them, then save settings to apply the order on the dashboard.
-
Can I update plugins and themes from the dashboard?
-
Yes. The Updates Available section lists pending plugin and theme updates with count badges. You can update items individually or use Update All on each card. Active theme updates are highlighted. You need the update_plugins or update_themes capability as appropriate.
-
How does comment moderation work?
-
Pending comments in the Recent Comments section can be approved, marked as spam, or trashed inline via AJAX — no page reload required. You need the moderate_comments capability.
-
What is Site Health on the dashboard?
-
The System Overview sidebar shows a Site Health score with a visual gauge, key metrics, and server information. Click through to open the full Site Health report in a modal with Critical, Recommended, and Passed tabs. You need the view_site_health_checks capability.
-
How does page view tracking work?
-
A lightweight JavaScript beacon fires when a visitor views a singular post or page and records the visit in a custom database table (wp_anilsuwal_post_views) on your own server. The dashboard shows views split into separate Posts and Pages panels, each with an interactive Chart.js line graph, a trend indicator, and a scrollable top-content list.
-
No. Views are recorded with a lightweight JavaScript beacon that sends data to your own WordPress site. Everything is stored in your own database. No cookies, no external tracking services.
-
Will logged-in visits inflate the view count?
-
No. By default, views from logged-in users are skipped. You can enable counting logged-in visits under Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > General > View tracking.
-
How long is view data kept?
-
The default retention is 90 days. Records older than that are deleted automatically each week. You can change the window — or set it to « Keep forever » — under Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > General > View tracking > Data retention.
-
What is Rollback and how does it work?
-
Before any plugin or theme update from the dashboard, Admin Dashboard Shortcuts automatically saves a backup of the current version. If an update causes problems, go to Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > Rollback to restore or delete saved backups. You need update_plugins or update_themes capability for the relevant item type.
-
An « Admin Dashboard Shortcuts » dropdown is added to the WordPress admin bar. It contains a Dashboard link and a Check PageSpeed link. Check PageSpeed opens Google PageSpeed Insights for your homepage in a new tab — no API key required.
-
What are Login Activity and Recent Activity?
-
Login Activity (sidebar) shows recent successful logins and failed login attempts in the last 24 hours. Recent Activity shows a feed of recent events such as new user registrations, published posts, and available updates. Both require appropriate user capabilities to view.
-
Does dark mode affect the entire WordPress admin?
-
No. Dark mode only styles the Admin Dashboard Shortcuts dashboard and settings pages. Your preference is saved per user.
Reviews
Contributors & Developers
“Admin Dashboard Shortcuts” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Admin Dashboard Shortcuts” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.3.1
- Plugin and theme update cards now show pending update count badges.
- Fixed dashboard and settings headings not switching to light text in dark mode.
- Tested up to WordPress 7.1.
1.0.3
- Added Rollback: a snapshot is taken automatically before a plugin or theme update, restorable from Settings > Admin Dashboard Shortcuts > Rollback.
- Fixed: Admin Dashboard Shortcuts could end up deactivated after updating itself from the dashboard.
1.0.2
- Admin bar dropdown with Dashboard and Check PageSpeed links.
- Page views split into Posts and Pages panels with Chart.js line charts.
- Recent Users moved to the right sidebar.
- Quick Actions pinned to the top of the dashboard.
- Removed PageSpeed API integration and device-type tracking.
1.0.1
- UI changes in Dashboard and Settings Page.
1.0.0
- Initial release with quick links, users shortcut, comment moderation, site health, update notices, theme toggle, recent posts, and custom link settings.