The Administration Interface

The administration is where you create, edit and organize the content of your site, and where administrators manage users and settings. This chapter walks once around its screen, so you know where things are. It shows the Admin 4 design of Exponential 6.0.15.

What you see depends on your role: an editor may see only Dashboard, Content structure and Media in the top menu, while an administrator sees more. A tab or button your role may not use is not shown.

What you need

• A user account, and the address of the administration, usually your site's address followed by /admin. See The login page.
• A current web browser. The administration also works on phones and tablets.

The header

From left to right:

Some extensions add their own buttons, for example a bell for the notifications of the import extension. On a narrow screen the tabs and the search move into a menu behind the button with three lines.

The left column and the tree

The left column changes with the tab:

• In Content structure and Media it holds the tree. Click the small triangle to open a folder, and a name to open the item. Trash is at the bottom of the tree.
• Below the tree, the Content finder opens an item from its number (ID), its path or its address on the site: type it and press Find.
• On the dashboard it lists your own pages: My pending items, My drafts, My bookmarks, your e-mail and notification settings, the help center and more.
• In Setup it lists the setup pages in groups, each shown only to roles that may open it.

Click the icon in front of a name in the tree to open the item's menu. It offers editing in a language, copying (also with everything below the item), moving, removing, bookmarks and notifications, Create here and more advanced actions.

An item's page

When you open an item, its page shows:

• the path to it at the top (click a part to go up), its name, its type (such as Folder or Landing page) and whether it is visible on the site;
• the buttons: the language list and Edit, Upload, Move, Copy, Remove, and three round buttons: View on site, Preview and Manage versions;
• a line with when it was changed and by whom, its version, its section and its numbers (Node, Object);
• tabs with more about the item: View (its content), Details, Translations, Locations, Relations and others. The Tabs switch turns the tabs into one long page and back;
• Sub items: the items below it, with buttons to create new items, select several, change the columns and act on several items at once.

A button you may not use is grayed out; pointing at it tells you why.

The right column

The right column holds small tools for you:

• Clear cache: for administrators; editors usually do not need it.
• Bookmarks: your bookmarked items, and a button to bookmark the page you are on.
• Interface: the Interface language of the administration and, when your role allows it, the Administration design. Besides Admin 4, Exponential 6 offers Admin 4 (layouts), Admin 3 and the older AdminUI and Classic designs. The choice lasts until you sign out and changes nothing for other users.
• Current user: your name, with links to change your information and password, your e-mail preferences, your devices and your security activity.
• User preferences and Quick settings: switches that change how pages are shown to you. Only some roles see them.

Hiding and resizing the columns

The tabs with a small arrow at the left and right edges of the window hide or show the left and right column. In the left column, the handle with three dots can be dragged to make the column wider or narrower; with the keyboard, focus it and use the arrow keys. The buttons at the bottom of the left column set a small, medium or large width. The administration remembers your choice.

The chapters of this part

• Overview: the parts of the screen in more depth.
• The login page: signing in and out.
• The dashboard tab: your start page.
• The Content structure tab: the tree and an item's page.
• The Media library tab: images and files.
• The object edit interface: the edit form.
• The user accounts tab: users and groups.

Read more

• A tour of the administration, in the help center, with two walk-throughs.
• How do I switch between Admin 4 and the classic administration?
• Keyboard shortcuts