Plugin Moves WordPress Admin Menus Back To Top of Page
I switched to WordPress 2.7 recently (right after it was released on December 10) and like it very much. Several new features have been added or changed. Some more prominent than others. Perhaps the most prominent change is the revamped backend admin interface. I think it’s great. I like it a lot. The default theme, page layout, etc. is excellent.
I only have one complaint about it. They moved the menus from the top of the page to the left hand side. I don’t get this move at all. I suppose this was done to make it mimic most desktop GUI interfaces where you’d have icons on your screen, usually starting along the left side. But I hate it. Even with a big monitor you only have so much space within the browser window and adding something along the left side minimizes the width you have within that space. Suddenly the area where you’re typing your posts is half as wide.
The WordPress development crew had the foresight to add a feature where you can collapse the menu to it’s top level icons to give back some of this screen real estate. That’s a great idea but I like seeing the words on the menu. I have enough icons to remember without needing to remember these.
After doing some searching I found exactly what I needed. It’s the Worpdress Admin Drop Down Menu by planetOzh. The original purpose of this plugin was to allow the menus of the old admin interface to drop down on mouse over to reveal what choices were available in their respective sections. Previously without this plugin you’d need to click the section to see what was inside (via a sub menu). But in version WordPress 3.0 or higher 9the current version is 3.1) this plugin has the added feature of moving the menu back to the top of the page. This allows me to reclaim 100% of the screen real estate lost to the left side menu. It works like a charm and is highly recommended to anyone who is as annoyed with the menu change as I am.
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