Admin theme development

[Nick_H]

Hi,

I would really like to replace the icons, change from image based buttons to CSS buttons and replace some of the nested tables with CSS in the control panel. Zen Cart 2 is imminent, but I figure that I will be using 1.38a for a while to come so it would be great to make the control panel a bit easier for clients

I have searched the forums and found a few admin themes to pretty up the control panel - am I right in thinking there is no template override system for the admin side files?

Example new pages attached to give an idea of what I am aiming for!

ta,

Nick

[DrByte]

am I right in thinking there is no template override system for the admin side files?

Correct.

[Nick_H]

OK - thanks for the confirmation. Does that mean any changes to admin page code could be/will be wiped out when upgrading?

I guess the key to deciding whether to do this is me understanding how separated the logic and presentation markup are in the control panel - would you recommend altering the control panel files or just using CSS to style what is there?

Cheers,

Nick

[gjh42]

My understanding is that the admin layout will not be changed for v2.0; a later version will be dedicated to that. There will obviously have to be a number of changes to admin files to work with the recoded front end, so you are probably best off mostly just using CSS on the existing structure. That would hopefully minimize the changes needed to adapt your admin template to v2.0.

[Nick_H]

Thanks Glenn, I didn't realise the admin system was staying the same on v2!

I'll stick to CSS and new buttons then

Nick

[niccol]

A bit off topic but I have found that using admin profiles is a must with clients.

It lets you control the bits of the admin area that clients can actually see and use. I tend to limit very severely to begin with and then expand the options as people get happy with admin. The whole she-bang can be a bit daunting for someone who is not web or IT orientated.

It also has the advantage that areas that you really don't want changed can't be changed.

[Nick_H]

That's a really good point - I have had a client say the same thing! There are tons of options clients will never need to touch once the shop is set up and running, so a reduced set of menus etc will help them find what they are looking for.

Cheers,

Nick

[Nick_H]

I have an admin theme ready for testing - CSS, icons and buttons similar to the screenshots above. Would anyone like to help test it out before I release it?

Cheers,

Nick

[Nick_H]

The admin theme has been named "Paramita" and is now available for download at:
http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...oducts_id=1555

Nick

[Website Rob]

You should now start a Thread for your Theme, allowing people ask questions for more information and/or troubleshooting.