4.0 - Introducing the new AdminCP

We've been hard at work on IPS 4.0 for some time now, and we're finally at a stage where we are ready to reveal the new AdminCP to you. I won't be showing you everything the ACP has to offer - some things will be revealed in more detail in later blog entries. But lets get to an overview.

Background information

IPS4 brings with it a new CSS framework that aims to modularize our styles. This is something we started to work towards in IPB 3.2, but at that time we couldn't completely replace our structure. We no longer have a monolithic ipb_styles.css file. We now have a bunch of small CSS files, and each one handles something in particular. There's one each for forms, tables, pagination, buttons, layout and so on.

This brings a few key benefits. Firstly, when we need to make a bug fix in, say, the forms CSS file, IPS4 will still be able to automatically upgrade all the other css files for you. In 3.x, one bug fix in ipb_styles.css could mean the whole file had to be manually upgraded. Secondly, it will be a lot more obvious for skinners where to look for particular things. Need to style a button? Look like buttons.css. Easy. And thirdly, if you're building pages in IP.Content, and you want to use our button styles, you can simply include that one CSS file without needing to include the entire CSS framework.

CSS is of course concatenated and compressed before being delivered to the browser, but in a development environment, it exists as I described it above.

In IPS4, both front end and AdminCP share the same CSS (and Javascript) framework. Skinners will be able to ship skins that work on both the front end and AdminCP with only a little extra work - and, of course, when we make bug fixes to the framework, it'll fix both areas.

Before we go further, I want to make this part clear: The front-end and AdminCP look different. What you'll see shortly isn't what the front-end looks like. We will reveal that separately later. While the same framework is used, the AdminCP extends and overrides parts of it to suit its needs and style. 

Goals

What did we want to achieve with the AdminCP? Our current AdminCP is often regarded as the best out of the big forum software platforms, so redesigning is a big undertaking.

• Better user of space. Our current ACP uses vertical space for the main menu, and horizontal space for the application menu. In an era of widescreen desktops being standard, this could be improved.
• Get rid of dropdown menus. The main menu currently uses dropdowns for navigation, but this can be difficult to use - especially if you want access something in a 3rd party app, meaning you have to traverse the Other Apps menu.
• More consistency across pages. Our current ACP has some interactive tables (e.g. the member list) - but not every table makes use of the functionality. We should be enhancing every page with similar functionality, if it makes sense.
• Better styling. People aren't a fan of pink, it turns out. I guess it'll have to go. The blue gradients are showing their age too.
• And the big one: Better mobile support. You can't effectively use the AdminCP on a mobile device. It's time you were able to manage your entire community from your phone with all of the same functionality, right?

Responsive by default

That last one is what we're most excited about. The AdminCP in IPS4 is fully responsive, and allows you to do everything just on a phone or tablet. What is responsiveness? It means that the page automatically changes to better suit the device you're using. While a desktop user would see full navigation menus and tables of data, a mobile user will see a reduced view (but with all the same data present!). Whether you need to manage your members, change some settings, send a bulk email or run some diagnostics, it can all be done on the go. This is a first for the big community software platforms, as far as I'm aware.

Preview

Here is a sample page from the new AdminCP, as seen on a desktop, with the same page shown at a mobile resolution:

Although I won't include it here, tablets will see an 'intermediate' view with a reduced menu on the left. So, let's go over some of the key features of the screenshots.

Navigation

First, and perhaps most importantly, is the navigation. On a desktop, your applications are now arranged down the left-hand side, with their respective section menus available simply by hovering on the application - no dropdown menus to traverse. The application menu can be reordered per-admin, allowing each staff member to set the menu up to best suit their role.

On a mobile, there's obviously not the space for a wide navigation menu. Therefore, the application/module menu is activated by clicking the top-right icon. This opens a sidebar, from which you can navigate:

Tables

What you see in the screenshots are our new default way of displaying tables of data. On the desktop view, we have filters across the top, a search box (and advanced search popup), and table headers can be clicked to dynamically sort the data via ajax.

On a mobile view, this all collapses down - filters and sorting become menus, while table rows collapse to show data in a more suitable view. Responsive tables are a tricky thing to do right and there's a few different approaches, but given the types of data our AdminCP tables typically show, we think this is the best approach for us.

Forms

As has been discussed in some of our developer blogs, the IPS 4.0 framework supports a wide range of form field types - everything from text inputs to tree selectors to matrices. All of these field types work both on desktop and with a responsive mobile view.

Here's a simple AdminCP form on both desktop and mobile:

Tabs

Tabs are used extensively, where appropriate. Here's a screenshot showing a typical tabbed page (and it also shows a tree view):

Video of the mobile view in action

I've taken a short video of the member section in action, showing filtering, live searching and the advanced search popup. I'm using the iOS simulator here, which has some display jitters and requires me to use the mouse, but it should give you a good idea of how the AdminCP will work on a phone.

Conclusion

So there we go - an overview of the new AdminCP. We still have more to show you. Individual features and pages that are noteworthy will be blogged about in due course in more detail, so keep an eye on this blog and our developer blog for more.

Please do bear in mind that this is pre-alpha software, and everything you see is subject to change. We look forward to your feedback! 

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