Admin Forum:Admin tools feedback and suggestions

Intro
See User blog:Meighan/New Tools to Start & Grow Your Wiki for the intro to Admin tools aka the Admin Dashboard.

This post is for feedback and suggestions for the Admin Dashboard.

I will start off...

-- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:40 PM Pacific


 * Nice to see you guys creating this thread to chat about your thoughts, ideas & feedback. I have made sure to loop Susan (the product manager of the Admin Dashboard & Progress Bar) in on this so the team is able to keep track of your thoughts. Thanks guys! --Meighan http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb32675/wikia/images/e/e9/WikiaStaff.png (help forum | blog) 21:17, July 22, 2011 (UTC)

Feedback

 * The admin dashboard is breaking my face. Why would Wikia release a mandatory feature that doesn't even comply with their own theming rules? I don't expect you to fix it in a timely fashion, just give us the option to disable it altogether instead. --BBilge 09:02, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * The Advanced tab of the Admin dashboard looks like it should just be the Special:SpecialPages page of the Healthy Recipes wiki. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:42 PM Pacific
 * If there are links for CreateRecipe and CreateIngredient, then why aren't there specialized links for things like CreateCharacter, CreateEpisode, CreateItem, CreateQuest, or CreateShow? -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:42 PM Pacific
 * Could you explain a bit about what you're talking about? What's Healthy Recipes got to do with the dashboard? I haven't got access to the dashboard, so a screen would be nice.
 * I believe there are links to CreateRecipe and CreateIngredient on the Admin Dashboard, eventhough those pages only exist on the Healthy Recipes wiki. - Tjcool007 (Talk) 09:41, July 21, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah, look at the bottom area of the Advanced tab of the Admin dashboard. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 21 Jul 2011 9:28 AM Pacific
 * Progress bar doesn't account for imported pages (using Special:Import).
 * I had a sandbox wiki where I was creating pages until I got around to creating the topic-specific wiki. I exported a bunch of pages (20 or more plus some categories and templates) and then imported them into the new wiki. These pages didn't get counted as added, so I didn't get credit for "Add 10 pages". -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 21 Jul 2011 9:44 AM Pacific
 * I think the new features are great since when i first made my first wiki i had no idea where to start in my new wiki, the with the progress bar its really simply and easy, it makes wikia more enjoyable! As for the admin dashboard, i think its so easy to use since im a admin on many wikis and blocking a user or using theme designer was such a annyoing thing to do since i had to go to Special:Block or Special:themedesigner or click blocker user, etc, now every admin ability is made into one! For more feed back, check out one of my comments on Meighan's blog about these tools, i have a whole big paragraph. Good job wikia! TheBen10Mazter (Talk -Blog -Contribs) 17:40, July 22, 2011 (UTC)

21:24, July 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm probably missing something since I don't give a rat's ass about wikia's stuff but... Isn't this thingie for people just starting their wiki and that have not much knowledge? If that's the case then there is no point in putting stuff about import/export.
 * I can see the logic behind that, but there's no reason not to put one. 21:48, July 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * Besides, they're working on orienting it for experienced users, even though it's really only for n00bs now. 21:49, July 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * No, there is enough junk in Wikia's wikis for noobs and inexperienced users. The Admin dashboard needs to server both new admins and experienced ones. Many wiki admins and users have left due to Wikia's efforts to dumb down all wikis. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 22 Jul 2011 7:47 PM Pacific
 * I completely disagree with you and i think that the admin dashbaord is the perfect thing for admins, as that i have had a lot of annyoingness (i know its not a word) with going to so many different links to do a admin ability, now with the dashboard, all admin abilities are made into one! TheBen10Mazter (Talk -Blog -Contribs) 02:52, July 23, 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm not really sure what you mean by that, but I have to agree with Fandyllic. The dashboard is good for new and inexperienced admins, but beyond that it's fairly useless.
 * Im just saying it makes it easier to do admin abilities like block or theme designer since its all packed into one. TheBen10Mazter (Talk -Blog -Contribs) 03:00, July 23, 2011 (UTC)
 * You can put most of those things on your lower toolbar without ever going to the Admin dashboard, it's just that Wikia did a poor job of making the lower toolbar configurable. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 22 Jul 2011 9:34 PM Pacific


 * When looking for MediaWiki: pages to include in the Admin dashboard, I noticed some would probably be obsoleted by the new editor. It would be nice to have a list of MediaWiki: pages that are over-rode or obsoleted by Wikia features or when using the Oasis skin. -- Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 22 Jul 2011 11:03 PM Pacific
 * For starters:MediaWiki:Anoneditwarning</li><li>MediaWiki:Uploadtext</li><li>MediaWiki:Welcomecreation</li></ul>Those three — incredibly useful, by the way — are just off the top of my head. Give me some more time for some others. — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  03:29, July 24, 2011 (UTC)


 * The Admin Dashboard appears to have taken over the display of lots of Special Pages and is very dark skin unfriendly. -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 4 Aug 2011 6:30 PM Pacific


 * This feature disabled our AJAX feature for our Recent Changes page, and that isn't something I'm very happy with. I'm glad I had the RC open on another tab and can still use it. The thing took over the page and that needs to be fixed. Create seperate links for the two and just have the RC be the RC, not with all these bells and whistles. Not to mention the page is now a stark white instead of the background colors our wiki has. This needs to be fixed ASAP IMO. Lancer1289 03:20, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * Agreed! RC should not be filtered through the dashboard. It should stand on its own. Now we have a line at the top of the page that says Want recent changes to update every minute? Tick "Auto-refresh" next to the page header!, only there ain’t no box to tick anymore! — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  03:35, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * I want the RC back to the way it was. The Call of Duty Wiki was getting on fine without this stupid feature. The quick stats on the RC page is pointless; it makes the RC impossible to use on smaller screens, and leaves a giand white box down the side of the page. I don't give a shit how many edits were made yersterday, or how many photos were uploaded. and I am sure there are many other admins who feel the same way. I want an option in Special:Preferences to disable the admin dashboard, and even be able to disable it wiki-wide. Eltomo85 08:46, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * I would also like RC back to how it was before. I prefer to use RC over WikiActivity but now I've lost the search function at the top of the page if I use RC. I don't know if this is just over on the Lostpedia wikia or a problem for everyone. It also just takes away all the rest of the menus from the top of the site like shortcuts to Characters and Episodes. Recent Changes should remain independant of the dashboard. And yes, the dashboard is quite ugly and goes again the New Look theme. The logo for Lostpedia has been crammed into the small space and now looks like it was made in Paint.--Baker1000 13:36, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * This one's pretty minor, but I couldn't find any obvious link to the dashboard, I finally found it by selecting Recent Changes. If there could be a way to make it easier to find, like a button near the searchbar or something, that would be good. ~> ฬ ђ  (Ŧlยttєгรђא  ƒтω!) 05:32, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * On your toolbar at the bottom of the Oasis screen you should see, to the right of Customize, a new option labelled Admin. That takes you to the Dashboard. Also, on the ever dwindling number of places where search bars can be found, you can enter Special:AdminDashboard. Finally, on most pages on a wiki you can press Alt-r  to go to RecentChanges, which — for now — is an embedded part of the dashboard. — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  06:31, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * Ah, I see. I should look at that bar more often. Thanks. ~> ฬ ђ  (Ŧlยttєгรђא  ƒтω!) 09:21, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * Where's the search bar? Why was this removed? Why do I care about the number of people who have visited when I'm trying to keep an eye out for vandals. Why do I need this information in wikia's ad rail? Why does wikia keep removing links to the recent changes? Why must you keep releasing bug filled "improvements" that replace perfectly working features? Can wikia actually provide support for problems they didn't create, and can you maybe fix the bugs already in the system before adding new ones? Oh, and can I get this crap turned off? That would really help. - 08:09, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * By the way, loving how this overrides the theme designer. Great job there! Keep up the spectacular work there with the next exciting bug release. - 12:44, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * Anytime I visit a wiki, especially if I'm the admin, I always go to recent changes first. The search bar is missing, along with Wiki-navigation at the top of the page and the random page button. Those really need to be back for the recent changes page and any other page they may be missing on. PSH aka Kimera 757 (talk) contribs) 13:02, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * I've found adding Special:Random to MediaWiki:Recentchangestext does wonders for me, but of course I still want the search bar you're adding. PSH aka Kimera 757 (talk) contribs) 15:41, August 7, 2011 (UTC)
 * In Oasis, you could also add Special:Random to your toolbar. Adding it to MediaWiki:Recentchangestext adds it to the RC page for everyone. — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  10:06, August 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * I already did that, pretty much the moment Oasis appeared. However, it's a LOT more convenient to have those links at the top of the page. PSH aka Kimera 757 (talk) contribs) 13:55, August 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * Statistics: I feel that the statistics are somewhat buggy on this dashboard. For example, the Elder Scrolls Wikia (where I admin) says that it has 338.8k visitors in the last week. I don't think this is possible, considering that there is a very large wiki about this very subject, that exists outside of wikia. Timeoin•Say G'Day•View my work•See current projects 15:45, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I've noticed the wikia stats taking up the sidebar room are complete rubbish. They say that certain days have seen no edits, despite edits clearly being done on the days. I would report it special:contact and all that, but I honestly don't have the patience to act as an product tester for wikia instead of them dong proper product tests like any other software company--Acer4666 15:50, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * In their defence, The numbers could be generated from inside of wikia (Elder Scrolls Wiki is an "admin pick"). I would have no idea. They could honestly be legit numbers of visitors. Idk. *Shrugs* Timeoin•Say G'Day•View my work•See current projects 15:55, August 5, 2011 (UTC)

Suggestions

 * Add a whole section (or perhaps a whole page) devoted to MediaWiki UI modification page links beyond Top navigation (MediaWiki:Wiki-navigation</tt>). -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:42 PM Pacific
 * List of some other useful MediaWiki:</tt> pages:
 * Add buttons for Special:NewFiles</tt> and Special:NewPages</tt>. -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:42 PM Pacific
 * Add a section or page for useful Admin-oriented help pages. -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:42 PM Pacific
 * Add buttons that go directly to Wikia Founders and Admins blog and Support Requests forum. -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 20 Jul 2011 8:42 PM Pacific
 * Regarding the General tab:
 * If a particular task is not activated on a wiki (e.g., Special:PageLayoutBuilder), perhaps it should appear greyed out. — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  10:58, July 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * Since the Dashboard is for Administrators, who normally have more wikiskill than the average member, why not have Add a photo go to Special:Upload, the real thing? — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  10:58, July 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * How about a button that makes Add a photo button go straight to Special:Upload for all wiki users rather than the popup? Or perhaps a button that makes the popup appear expanded rather than collapsed with licensing options hidden? Of course these could go in Advanced tab as just links or checkboxes. -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 22 Jul 2011 10:36 AM Pacific
 * Exactly! — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  19:03, July 22, 2011 (UTC)


 * Regarding the Advanced tab, when buttons for it get created,
 * How about an Import button that links to Special:Import? — <font color="#DC143C" face="Garamond" size="3">Spike <font color="#000000" face="Garamond" size="3">Toronto  10:58, July 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * Might as well have an Export button that links to Special:Export too. -- <span style="border-bottom:1px dotted; cursor:help;" title="Who?">Fandyllic (talk &middot; contr) 22 Jul 2011 10:32 AM Pacific


 * A way to disable the Admin dashboard would be nice, or at least making it not destroy 100% page width on RecentChanges would be awesome. 01:23, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * Sactage, there is a drawer on the right hand side (look for a small arrow in the middle of the bar) that you can pop out to open up Recent Changes (and any tool in Special Changes) that will open up the page. --Meighan http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb32675/wikia/images/e/e9/WikiaStaff.png (help forum | blog) 01:36, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * The drawer doesn't collapse, and honestly, the dashboard shouldn't have messed with RC anyway.
 * There is no need for the collapsible drawer, as the "quick stats" only need to be on the dashboard page itself.--Sxerks 02:10, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * Less obtrusive layout, grouping pages admins may use together under a dedicated feature is useful, and a good idea, but the new layout for these pages is quite ugly. Especially the Recent changes. --Callofduty4 02:05, August 5, 2011 (UTC
 * Rappy's suggestion of only changing the layout of the pages when they're clicked from a link on the dashboard is a good way to solve this.
 * "Activity feed" and "Wiki activity" both link to the same place. Is one suppose to link to recent changes? SereneChaos 02:14, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * Can we customize it with our own Icons, and please can we have more navigation from it. There is no seach bar, or "random" button. UltrasonicNXT  10:09, August 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * As Sactage pointed out above, I think the Admin Dashboard should be optional to the user so that those who want to make use of it can while those who don't want to simply don't have to. GG (talk) 16:38, August 5, 2011 (UTC)


 * To put it simple to all those staffers who keep saying 'tell us what is wrong and we will improve it': Make it optional!!!

Navigation
As an admin I almost always go to RecentChanges first when I go to my wiki. I now can't navigate around my wiki easily.

It seems a lot of people want the local wiki navigation stuff back. Such as MediaWiki:Wiki-navigation and the search form. I also am one that needs the local navigation menus back. --Timeshifter 19:56, August 7, 2011 (UTC)


 * As a quick and dirty fix until Wikia solves the issue, you could add whatever pages you want to MediaWiki:Recentchangestext; on my wiki, there's a template on that page that has links to stuff I need. PSH aka Kimera 757 (talk) contribs) 13:54, August 8, 2011 (UTC)

Temporary fixes needed
Until some of the problems are fixed permanently, or options added to improve things in preferences, etc., then some of us need some CSS-JS fixes. List links below to relevant forums. I don't think this forum should be cluttered up with these discussions.


 * Community:Forum:I need CSS-JS for returning navigation menus to the admin-tools dashboard

List more here. --Timeshifter 12:15, August 8, 2011 (UTC)