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Wordpress Tiger Administration Plugin

written by John Chow on June 25th, 2007

I’ve been fooling around with a new plugin call Wordpress Tiger Administration. The plugin changes the entire look and feel of the backend Wordpress administration area without touching any of the XHTML framework.

The current default WordPress administration area is functional, but I felt it could be improved. For several reasons, I didn’t want to touch the XHTML framework of the admin, but instead relied on the power of CSS2 to manipulate the presentation. The whole package has been wrapped up into a single plugin. Just install and activate. The new design will be immediately visible.

Currently the Tiger is compatible with Safari and Firefox. Until Internet Explorer complies with CSS2 specifications, this plugin will default back to the original WordPress administration design. The plugin does this automatically, without the need for browser sniffing. If the browser is incapable of displaying CSS2, it will not display the updated design. So if you don’t like the new look, switch to IE (or turn off the plugin).

The new admin layout is certainly different than the old one. It’s cleaner and more functional. The colors are also more eye pleasing as well. Here are some screen shots.

tiger1.png

tiger2.png

tiger3.png

You can download the plugin here.

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  1. webd360
    June 25, 2007 at 4:20 pm

    hmmm… I actually really like the default admin page, but I might check this out later just to compare

    Reply
  2. Glenn Wolsey
    June 25, 2007 at 4:25 pm

    This isn’t actually “that” new, although I love this theme and have been using it since release.

    Reply
  3. shaun
    June 25, 2007 at 4:26 pm

    I have seen this before , I think the original interface is better.

    Reply
  4. A video a day
    June 25, 2007 at 4:33 pm

    nice review, will give the plugin a go

    Reply
  5. Jeff
    June 25, 2007 at 4:42 pm

    Hmm it looks pretty cool, I might give it a try.

    Reply
  6. Ryan
    June 25, 2007 at 5:53 pm

    Glenn above is right. It’s really not that new (although I guess to you it is). Steve did a great job on the plugin but if you’re not a Mac guy it takes some getting used to.

    Reply
  7. Terra Andersen
    June 25, 2007 at 6:00 pm

    I’ve been thinking about getting this… it looks great! :mrgreen:

    Reply
  8. ms danielle
    June 25, 2007 at 6:07 pm

    i’ll try it out, too. anyone run into any problems with it? from the screen shots, it looks like it’s probably better for people like me with ADD :D

    Reply
  9. Suzie Cheel
    June 25, 2007 at 6:14 pm

    Great Plugin, I like the look and feel and it’s simpler to use, works in Flock too

    Reply
  10. Thomas
    June 25, 2007 at 6:26 pm

    Looks better than the default Wordpress admin. I’m going to give this a try on my new blog which should go online tomorrow :P

    Reply
  11. Win an Ipod Shuffle EASY
    June 25, 2007 at 7:12 pm

    What I hate about the default admin is the write a post page. I’d like a wider and bigger screen. It’s also glitchy when you insert images (seems to add them all at the front of the post no matter where the cursor is).

    Reply
  12. Austin Overton
    June 25, 2007 at 7:42 pm

    How do plugins handle the new admin panel?

    Reply
  13. simon
    June 25, 2007 at 7:43 pm

    It’s a great WordPress Plugin but I like the default admin page.

    Thanks John.

    Reply
  14. Walt
    June 25, 2007 at 7:44 pm

    Tried it…not a big fan.

    Interesting idea, but this is the classic case of fixing something that isn’t broken.

    Reply
  15. Pallab
    June 25, 2007 at 8:07 pm

    Firstly this isnt a new plugin. This has been there for ages.
    And I dont really find this plugin to be of any use. Instead I would recomend Wp DropDown Menus.The navigation system in Wordpress Admin Control Panel is sloppy. Most of the pages are two clicks and hence two page loads away. If you want to save yourself from some frustration install this plugin.

    Reply
  16. H:H
    June 25, 2007 at 8:25 pm

    Nice plugin.. so now we’ll see backend themes allover?

    Reply
  17. Investorblogger
    June 25, 2007 at 8:35 pm

    Yep. I was using this way back with version 2.0.4.

    It worked okay. But I reverted back to the original.

    Kenneth

    Reply
  18. devtrench
    June 25, 2007 at 8:50 pm

    I’ve seen this plugin before I saw this post also, so it’s been around a while. I’ve never had the need to install it since the default WP backend is nice looking and so easy to use. It is cool that you can do this kind of thing with WP, however, I wonder how it will scale when new versions are installed. That is an issue with any plugin, of course, but it would be a real pain to have the backend break when you did an upgrade.

    Reply
  20. Agloco Signup
    June 25, 2007 at 10:17 pm

    I also was using this before back with version 2.0.4..I also came back to the original interface..
    old habits are hard to break i guess….

    :smile:

    Reply
  22. Moses Francis
    June 25, 2007 at 11:07 pm

    Yeah, i’m a spotmilk plugin fan as well

    Reply
  23. Bob
    June 26, 2007 at 12:10 am

    Thanks for the screenshot linklove :D

    Reply
  24. MrGPT
    June 26, 2007 at 12:28 am

    I use this on a few of my blogs, but most of the main ones I just use the default. It’s good to get away from the old WP admin theme when I am posting on my different blogs, so I enjoy the plugin.

    Reply
  25. Cifra
    June 26, 2007 at 1:44 am

    Man, this is useful! :)

    Reply
  26. Goddess Carlie
    June 26, 2007 at 2:48 am

    Thanks, I’ll check it out :)

    Reply
  27. donalyza
    June 26, 2007 at 4:12 am

    The Tiger Admin plugin is the best among the others…

    Reply
  28. Jarle
    June 26, 2007 at 4:32 am

    I think I’ll just stick to the default admin page for now.

    Reply
  29. Chris
    June 26, 2007 at 5:14 am

    It’s not exactly new as I’ve been using it for 6 months ;-)

    I do prefer Spotmilk, and especially the ‘Blackmilk’ version of that. I actually use all 3, as I have 3 blogs, it helps me remember which blog I’m writing for :lol:

    Reply
  30. Vijay Teach Me
    June 26, 2007 at 5:39 am

    Johny,
    I sure will use the new admin plugin to know the difference myself.

    Vijay

    Reply
  31. website copywriter
    June 26, 2007 at 6:44 am

    All in all, it looks great — it’s always easy to go back to the default page if you don’t like the new one anyway.

    Reply
  32. Casey
    June 26, 2007 at 7:41 am

    I saw a review of this plugin on Ades Blog a week ago. It looks to be more organized, so I will try it out later.

    Reply
  33. Rob Schultz
    June 26, 2007 at 8:40 am

    This has been around for quite some time. This plugin brings a nice refreshing look to something that you see everyday if you’re John Chow.

    Reply
  34. shman
    June 26, 2007 at 8:51 am

    Great plugin, I will try it on my blog My first million dollars

    Reply
  35. Alex Mielus
    June 26, 2007 at 8:58 am

    If you really want a great WP admin plugin which helps you skip some clicks to your different admin areas … I suggest you all search for a plugin named “Admin Drop Menus”. It works with 2.x versions and above ;)

    Reply
  36. Nirmal
    June 26, 2007 at 9:59 am

    I had used this plugin when it was released, but then I removed it after a days use. I love the default WP Admin Panel :smile:

    Reply
  37. EngineerTiat
    June 26, 2007 at 10:52 am

    Thanks, John.

    I have just installed the plug-in and I love it!

    Something different from what I see everyday and it looks neat.

    Warm regards
    Tiat
    P.S: Can success be accelerated? http://www.AbundanceLaw.com

    Reply
  38. Goob
    June 26, 2007 at 11:18 am

    Pretty nifty looking! I’ve actually started growing bored with the current default look of the WP admin panel, so I’ll be giving this a spin later on today. Thanks mate.

    Reply
  39. WordPress Web 2.0 Guide
    June 26, 2007 at 1:54 pm

    Hey John,

    I was just thinking about creating a post on my blog on this plugin :) Although I do have to say that while it provides different looks I still ended up going back to the old, default WordPress backend.

    To me it seem to be more fit for the task or perhaps I’m a bigger creature of the habit then I have realized :)

    Reply
  40. AsiaSalary
    June 26, 2007 at 11:59 pm

    I installed it since i know about WP. hehe. nice interface.

    Reply
  41. A Tentative Personal Finance Blog
    June 27, 2007 at 11:39 am

    I love the sleek new look. It’s a winner.

    Reply
  42. Russell Wagner
    June 27, 2007 at 10:31 pm

    Thanks for the link john. I like this skin.

    Reply
  43. John
    June 28, 2007 at 4:14 am

    Wp’s default admin panel layout really sucks, and this is a cool plugin : )

    Reply
  44. Jaypee
    June 30, 2007 at 8:15 pm

    Like what Glenn Wolsey said, this plugin isn’t new. The first verion was released in 2005 and I started using it early 2006. The new version is really cool and it’s what I’m using right now.

    For those who are looking for another alternative to the default WP admin, there’s also SpotMilk.

    Reply
  45. John Cow
    July 4, 2007 at 10:19 am

    Does this make you play better golf?

    Reply

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