For bloggers who use WordPress as their blogging platform, there is a new useful plugin. It is called Dashboard Editor created by Aaron Dowden. What does this plugin do? Here’s a short description:

This plugin allows you to add whatever you want to the WordPress dashboard through PHP and HTML even Sidebar Widgets. You can also wipe the entire dashboard or individually remove some of the more irritating sections like the Dev news, Planet WordPress and the getting started section.

After logging in to your WordPress administration panel, you will be brought to a main page called “Dashboard”. There, you will see some elements such as shortcuts to common administration pages, news from WordPress Development Blog, posts from Planet WordPress aggregator, comments and posts activities, and basic blog statistics. There might be another element e.g. an Akismet statistic — if you install it.


Before Dashboard Editor plugin released, we can remove the WordPress Development Blog and Planet WordPress entries by modifying the core file. You can edit index.php file inside /wp-admin/ folder. Remove this two lines: <div id="devnews"></div> and <div id="planetnews"></div>. It is an example method.

Dashboard Editor plugin installation

This plugin uses a standard plugin installation method.

• First, you need to download the plugin.
• Unzip the file, and drop dashboard.php to your wp-content/plugins/ folder.
• Go to your Plugins tab, and activate the plugin. You should see a new sub panel menu called “Dashboard Management” on your Dashboard page.
• Visit the Dashboard Management page, and start editing what should be displayed in your Dashboard.

Manage your Dashboard

There are two types of options. First, you can write what you want to display in Dashboard using using a post-like type textarea. Second, you can turn on/off default elements offered by WordPress. And if you can even display items from your sidebar widgets!
If we use WordPress for community blogs (multi authors), this plugin will bring you some benefits, for example:

• Display posting guides for all authors.
• Present information your author should know.
• Any information. Anything.

I have tested this plugin using WordPress 2.2. Work nicely. I think it will be great if this plugin also available for WordPress Multi Users — it does not work now.