If you’re building websites for clients you’ll probably also want to customize the back-end of the Joomla administration panel. In most cases you could just change a few lines of styles in the Bluestork or Isis template – but this solution has one general drawback; after Joomla updates you can lose everything you’ve previously made.
Customized Joomla Administration Panel
To prevent this you can use one of 3 options:
- Build your own back-end template – which of course could be based on default one, but it should have its own name.
- Use an advanced solution called JSN PowerAdmin which adds new features except different appearances.
- If you are experienced web designer you can use the Admin Custom CSS (thekrotek.com) plugin – which allows you to redesign the Joomla back-end and build an individual and unique style with your custom CSS. Remember to enable the plugin and create a custom.css file in the administrator/templates/your_template/css/ folder.
Custom Admin Quick Icons
To help the UX (User Experience) of your back-end you can also use your own Quick icons – which are displayed on the main administrator control panel and is the first thing you see when you log in. Hiding unnecessary icon links can also make the control panel seem less daunting for clients and reduces the risk of them wandering around in places where you don’t want them to; it makes administering your site easier and quicker.
Customize your Joomla! cpanel quickicons
You can use one of these free extensions (available for Joomla 2.5 and Joomla 3.x):
- HD-QuickIcons (hyde-design.co.uk) – only for J2.5
- Asikart Quickicons (ext.asikart.com)
- Easy Quickicons (awynesoft.com)
- KD QuickIcon (kaozdesigns.com)