Administration Screens
The Administration Screen provides access to the control features of your WordPress installation. Each Administration Screen is presented in sections..
– the Admin Bar
– the header
– the main navigation
– the work area
– the footer
The Admin Bar, with links to various admininstration functions, is displayed at the top of each Administration Screen. The top portion of all Screens,the header, is featured in light shading. The header shows the name of your site and is a link to your site’s main page, and a “Howdy, user” pull-down menu with links to your profile (shown as your user name), and Log Out. Just below the top shaded area are two hanging tabs, Screen Options and contextual Help, that can be clicked to expand them.
On the left side of the screen is the main navigation menu detailing each of the administrative functions you can perform. At the bottom of that section is a Collapse menu button to collapse the main navigation area to a set of icons, or to expand (fly-out) to show an icon and description for each major administrative function (see image on right). Within each major function, such as Posts, a pull-down arrow is presented upon hovering mouse hovers over the title area. A click of that arrow expands the menu to display each of the sub-menu choices. Clicking that arrow again collapses the sub-menu.
*The highlighted area shows the collapse/extend menu button.
The large area in the middle of the screen is the work area. It is here you add all changes to the specific information relating to a particular navigation choice, such as adding a new post or page.
Finally, in the footer, at the bottom of each Administration Screen in light shading, are links to WordPress, Documentation, Freedoms, Feedback, and Credits.
Contents
Dashboard – Information Central
The Dashboard tells you about recent activity both at your site and in the WordPress community at large and provide access to updating content
Dashboard
The Dashboard Screen provides you a number of links to start writing Posts or Pages, statistics and links on the number of posts, pages, Categories, and Post Tags. A Recent Comments box shows the number of Comments awaiting moderation and a list of the recent comments. Configurable boxes of Incoming Links, and RSS feeds from the WordPress Blog, the Plugins blog, and Planet WordPress are also displayed.
Posts – Make Some Content
Now what?
Simple. You login to your Administration Screen, and in the navigation menu on the left, click on Posts, and then Add New. WordPress displays the Posts Add New Screen. This Screen allows you to populate your site with actual information!
The Posts can be writings, compositions, articles, updates, latest news of a site owner and contributors.
Posts
Via the All Posts Screen you can select the Post or Posts you wish to edit, delete, or view. Multiple Posts can be selected for deletion and for editing. A powerful bulk edit feature allows you to change certains fields, en masse, for a group of Posts. A handy in-line edit tool, called Quick Edit, allows you to update many fields for an individual Post. Various search and filtering options allow you to find the Posts you want to edit or delete.
Add New Post
The Posts Add New Screen is where you write new Posts. While you are writing those Posts, you can also create new Categories, new Tags, and new Custom Fields. In addition, any Media (pictures, video, recordings, files) can be uploaded and inserted into the Posts.
Categories
Every Post in WordPress is filed under one or more Categories. Categories allow the classification of your Posts into groups and subgroups, thereby aiding viewers in the navigation and use of your site.
Each Category may be assigned to a Category Parent so that you may set up a hierarchy within the category structure. Using automobiles as an example, a hierarchy might be Car->Ford->Mustang. In creating categories, recognize that each category name must be unique, regardless of hierarchy.
The Posts Categories Screen allows you to add, edit, and delete Categories, as well as organize your categories hierarchically. Multiple Categories can be selected for deletion. A search option allows you to find the Categories you want to edit or delete. Also remember Categories can be added in the Posts Add New Screen.
Post Tags
Tags are the keywords you might assign to each post. Not to be confused with Categories, Tags have no hierarchy, meaning there’s no relationship from one Tag to another. But like Categories, Tags provide another means to aid your readers in accessing information on your site.
The Posts Post Tags Screen allows you to add, change, or delete Tags. Multiple Tags can be selected for deletion. A search option allows you to find the Tags you want to edit or delete. Also remember Tags can be added in the Posts Add New Screen.
Media – Add Pictures and Movies to Your Posts
Media is the images, video, recordings, and files, you upload and use in your blog. Media is typically uploaded and inserted into the content when writing a Post or Page. Note that the Uploading Files section in the Settings Media Screen describes the location and structure of the upload directory.
Library
The Media Library Screen allows you edit, delete or view Media previously uploaded to your blog. Multiple Media objects can be selected for deletion. Search and filtering ability is also provided to allow you to find the desired Media.
Add New Media
The Media Add New Screen allows you to upload new media to later use with posts and pages. A Flash Uploader is provided and the ability to use a Browser Uploader is supplied if the Flash Uploader does not work.
Links – Putting the Inter in the Internet
Links are a great way to get your site to A. connect to affiliate business’ e.g, Contractors your company uses, or another company you run that has a site or on-line details, and B, Have extra information on your site, e.g. Your navigation has 6 pages, but there’s some information you want to display, Create a post or page and link to that information from one of your pages on the site.
The All Links Screen allows you to select the Links to edit or delete. Multiple Links can be selected for deletion. Various search and filtering options allow you to find the Links you want to edit or delete.
Add New Link
As you might expect from its name, the Links Add New Screen handles the creation of new links.
Link Categories
Links, like Posts, can be categorized and categorizing Links aids your audience in navigation of your Links. But Link Categories, unlike post Categories, have no hierarchy (parent/child relationship). In creating categories, recognize that each Category name must be unique.
The Links Link Categories Screen allows you to add, edit, and delete Link Categories. Multiple Link Categories can be selected for deletion. A search option allows you to find the Link Categories you want to edit or delete. Also remember Link Categories can be added when adding or editings Links.
Pages – Your Static Content
A Page is the most common way you will add content to your WordPress site and is often used to present “static” information; Pages are typically “timeless” in nature. A good example of a Page is the information contained in “About” or “Contact” Pages. A Page should not be confused with the time-oriented objects called Posts, nor should a WordPress Page be confused with the word “page” referring to any web page or HTML document on the Web.
Pages
The All Pages Screen provides the necessary tools to edit, delete, and view existing Pages.. On this Screen you can select the Page to edit or delete. Multiple Pages can be selected for deletion and for editing. As with Posts, a powerful bulk edit tool allows certain fields to be edited for a whole group of Pages. A handy in-line edit tool, called Quick Edit, allows you to update many fields for an individual Page. Various search and filtering options allow you to find the Pages you want to edit or delete.
Add New Page
The Add New Page Screen allows you to create new Pages. Also see the Pages article for an in depth discussion.
Users – Your Profile
The Users Your Profile Screen allows to change any information related to your user account.
Logout
The Log Out link is found at the top right corner in the Administration Screens. It is simply a link that will log you out from your WordPress site.
When you log in to your site, WordPress stores a so called “cookie” in your web browser. This cookie allows WordPress to remember who you are; if you leave your site for a while but come back to it later, WordPress will see the cookie and not require you to log in again.
However, the cookie cannot tell WordPress who is using the WordPress; in other words, WordPress has no way of looking back at you through your monitor to determine if you are really you. If you have a WordPress cookie set in your web browser, anyone using your computer can access the Administration Screens of your site. If you don’t want this to happen (perhaps you are using a public computer or a computer which other people use), you can click this Log Out link, and WordPress will delete the cookie from your web browser.
You can, of course, log in at some later time.
Original content source for this post is: http://codex.wordpress.org/Administration_Screens
