Total Control Admin Dashboard
Provides a centralized administrative dashboard for Drupal site management using Panels and Page Manager, offering quick access to site statistics, content creation, and administrative tools.
total_control
Install
composer require 'drupal/total_control:^3.0'
Overview
Total Control Admin Dashboard creates a default panel page with useful administration tools. Its purpose is to create a central location from which a Drupal site can be properly cared for.
The module provides several overview panes for site stats and quick reference, along with administration panes with quick links to content types, menus, taxonomy, and other important Drupal site administration locations. Views panes are included for displaying recent content and users, with full-page comprehensive versions featuring bulk operations.
Each views panel pane is customizable via its pane settings, and the default views can be overridden to suit specific needs. The dashboard integrates with the Drupal toolbar for easy access and supports dynamic content based on installed modules like Comment and Taxonomy.
Features
- Centralized administrative dashboard at /admin/dashboard accessible from the toolbar
- Content Overview block showing post counts and comment statistics per content type
- Create Content block with quick links to add new content of each type
- Administer Content Types block with Configure, Manage fields, and Manage display operations
- Administer Menus block for managing site menus with configure and add link operations
- Administer Taxonomy block showing vocabulary management with term counts
- Administer Panel Pages block for managing Page Manager pages
- New Content view pane showing the 5 most recent published content items
- New User Accounts view pane displaying the 10 most recent user registrations
- Full-page content administration view at /admin/dashboard/content/all with bulk operations
- Full-page user administration view at /admin/dashboard/users with filtering and bulk operations
- Comments administration view at /admin/dashboard/comments (when Comment module enabled)
- Categories administration view at /admin/dashboard/categories (when Taxonomy module enabled)
- Toolbar integration with custom dashboard icon
- Configurable block settings to select which content types/menus/vocabularies to display
- Dynamic local task tabs for Comments, Categories, Content, and User Accounts
- Integration with menu_admin_per_menu module for per-menu permissions
Use Cases
Site Administrator Dashboard
Site administrators can use the Total Control dashboard as their primary entry point for daily site management. The dashboard provides quick access to recent content, new user registrations, and direct links to create or manage content without navigating through multiple admin pages.
Content Editor Quick Access
Content editors with the 'have total control' permission can use the dashboard to quickly see site statistics, access content creation forms for allowed types, and review recent content submissions all from one centralized location.
Multi-site Management
For agencies or developers managing multiple Drupal sites, Total Control provides a consistent dashboard interface across sites, making it easier to perform routine administrative tasks without relearning different site structures.
Custom Dashboard Creation
Using Page Manager UI, site builders can customize the dashboard layout by rearranging blocks, adding custom blocks, or removing default blocks to create a tailored administrative experience for their specific workflow needs.
Content Audit and Bulk Operations
The full-page content view at /admin/dashboard/content/all allows administrators to audit site content with filtering by status, author, or content type, and perform bulk operations like publishing, unpublishing, or deleting multiple items at once.
User Management Overview
The user administration view provides a quick overview of user accounts with filtering by role, name, or email, making it easy to find and manage specific users or perform bulk blocking operations on spam accounts.
Tips
- Grant the 'have total control' permission to editor roles for a streamlined content management experience
- Use Page Manager UI to customize which blocks appear on the dashboard and their arrangement in the layout regions
- Override the default views (control_content, control_users, etc.) at Admin > Structure > Views to customize columns, filters, or sorting
- The dashboard uses the admin theme by default - customize the admin theme for consistent styling
- Block settings can be used to filter which content types, menus, or vocabularies are displayed, reducing clutter for specialized roles
- The toolbar dashboard icon only appears for users with the 'have total control' permission
- For sites with menu_admin_per_menu module, users will only see menus they have permission to administer
Technical Details
Admin Pages 5
/admin/dashboard
The main administrative dashboard page providing an overview of site content, users, and quick access to common administration tasks. This page is built using Page Manager and Panels, allowing full customization of the layout and blocks displayed.
/admin/dashboard/content/all
Full content administration view with table display showing title, author, create date, updated date, published status, and edit link. Includes bulk operations for delete, promote, publish, unpromote, and unpublish actions. Exposed filters for published status, author, content search, and content type.
/admin/dashboard/users
Full user administration view with table display showing name, email, roles, created date, last login, and edit link. Includes bulk operations for blocking users. Exposed filters for roles, name, and email search.
/admin/dashboard/comments
Comment administration view showing title, comment body, author, posted date, reply content, approval status, and edit link. Available only when Comment module is enabled. Includes bulk operations for publish and unpublish. Exposed filters for approval status, author, and content search.
/admin/dashboard/categories
Taxonomy term administration view showing term name, description, weight, and edit link. Available only when Taxonomy module is enabled.
Permissions 1
Hooks 3
hook_element_info_alter
Attaches the Total Control CSS library to the toolbar element for displaying the custom dashboard icon.
hook_modules_installed
Loads managed configuration when Comment or Taxonomy modules are installed after Total Control. This ensures the related views and configurations are available.
hook_install
During Total Control installation, checks if Comment and Taxonomy modules are already enabled and loads their managed configurations accordingly.
Troubleshooting 5
Enable the required module mentioned in the message. Administer Content Types requires Field UI, Administer Menus requires Menu UI, Administer Taxonomy requires Taxonomy, and Administer Panel Pages requires Page Manager UI.
Ensure the user has the 'have total control' permission. Clear caches if the permission was recently granted. Verify that the Page Manager page is enabled at Admin > Structure > Pages.
These tabs only appear when the Comment or Taxonomy modules are enabled. If they were enabled after Total Control installation, try clearing caches or check that the control_comments/control_terms views were created.
Enable the Page Manager UI module (page_manager_ui). Then click 'Edit this panel' link on the dashboard or navigate to Admin > Structure > Pages > Total Control dashboard.
Ensure you are editing the block configuration through the Page Manager panel interface by clicking the cog wheel on individual blocks. Save the block settings and then update the panel page variant.
Security Notes 5
- The 'have total control' permission grants access to site statistics and administrative views - assign carefully
- Dashboard views respect individual entity permissions - users can only edit content/users they have permission to modify
- The Administer Content Types block requires 'administer content types' permission for links to be displayed
- Menu administration links respect 'administer menu' permission and menu_admin_per_menu granular permissions when available
- Taxonomy administration requires 'administer taxonomy' or 'edit terms in [vocabulary]' permissions