XOOPS Admin Panel Overview¶

Complete guide to navigating and using the XOOPS administrator dashboard.

Accessing the Admin Panel¶

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://your-domain.com/xoops/admin/

Or if XOOPS is in root:

http://your-domain.com/admin/

Enter your administrator credentials:

Username: [Your admin username]
Password: [Your admin password]

You'll see the main admin dashboard:

flowchart TB
    subgraph Dashboard["🖥️ Admin Dashboard"]
        direction TB
        Header["👤 Welcome, Administrator | Logout | My Account"]
        Title["📊 Dashboard"]
        subgraph Content["Main Content Area"]
            Widgets["⚡ Quick Access Widgets"]
            Stats["📈 Statistics"]
            Recent["🕐 Recent Activities"]
        end
    end

    Header --> Title
    Title --> Content

    style Header fill:#1976d2,color:#fff
    style Title fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#1976d2
    style Content fill:#f5f5f5,stroke:#ccc

Admin Panel Layout¶

graph TD
    A[Admin Dashboard] --> B[Top Navigation]
    A --> C[Left Sidebar]
    A --> D[Main Content Area]
    B --> B1[Admin Name]
    B --> B2[My Account]
    B --> B3[Logout]
    C --> C1[System]
    C --> C2[Content]
    C --> C3[Users]
    C --> C4[Modules]
    C --> C5[Appearance]
    C --> C6[Tools]
    D --> D1[Dashboard Stats]
    D --> D2[Quick Actions]
    D --> D3[Recent Items]

Dashboard Components¶

Top Bar¶

The top bar contains essential controls:

Element	Purpose
Admin Logo	Click to return to dashboard
Welcome Message	Shows logged-in admin name
My Account	Edit admin profile and password
Help	Access documentation
Logout	Sign out of admin panel

Main menu organized by function:

├── System
│   ├── Dashboard
│   ├── Preferences
│   ├── Admin Users
│   ├── Groups
│   ├── Permissions
│   ├── Modules
│   └── Tools
├── Content
│   ├── Pages
│   ├── Categories
│   ├── Comments
│   └── Media Manager
├── Users
│   ├── Users
│   ├── User Requests
│   ├── Online Users
│   └── User Groups
├── Modules
│   ├── Modules
│   ├── Module Settings
│   └── Module Updates
├── Appearance
│   ├── Themes
│   ├── Templates
│   ├── Blocks
│   └── Images
└── Tools
    ├── Maintenance
    ├── Email
    ├── Statistics
    ├── Logs
    └── Backups

Main Content Area¶

Displays information and controls for selected section:

Forms for configuration
Data tables with lists
Charts and statistics
Quick action buttons
Help text and tooltips

Dashboard Widgets¶

Quick access to key information:

System Information: PHP version, MySQL version, XOOPS version
Quick Statistics: User count, total posts, modules installed
Recent Activity: Latest logins, content changes, errors
Server Status: CPU, memory, disk usage
Notifications: System alerts, pending updates

Core Admin Functions¶

System Management¶

Location: System > [Various Options]

Preferences¶

Configure basic system settings:

System > Preferences > [Settings Category]

Categories: - General Settings (site name, timezone) - User Settings (registration, profiles) - Email Settings (SMTP configuration) - Cache Settings (caching options) - URL Settings (friendly URLs) - Meta Tags (SEO settings)

See Basic Configuration and System Settings.

Admin Users¶

Manage administrator accounts:

System > Admin Users

Functions: - Add new administrators - Edit admin profiles - Change admin passwords - Delete admin accounts - Set admin permissions

Content Management¶

Location: Content > [Various Options]

Pages/Articles¶

Manage site content:

Content > Pages (or your module)

Functions: - Create new pages - Edit existing content - Delete pages - Publish/unpublish - Set categories - Manage revisions

Categories¶

Organize content:

Content > Categories

Functions: - Create category hierarchy - Edit categories - Delete categories - Assign to pages

Comments¶

Moderate user comments:

Content > Comments

Functions: - View all comments - Approve comments - Edit comments - Delete spam - Block commenters

User Management¶

Location: Users > [Various Options]

Users¶

Manage user accounts:

Users > Users

Functions: - View all users - Create new users - Edit user profiles - Delete accounts - Reset passwords - Change user status - Assign to groups

Online Users¶

Monitor active users:

Users > Online Users

Shows: - Currently online users - Last activity time - IP address - User location (if configured)

User Groups¶

Manage user roles and permissions:

Users > Groups

Functions: - Create custom groups - Set group permissions - Assign users to groups - Delete groups

Module Management¶

Location: Modules > [Various Options]

Modules¶

Install and configure modules:

Modules > Modules

Functions: - View installed modules - Enable/disable modules - Update modules - Configure module settings - Install new modules - View module details

Check for Updates¶

Modules > Modules > Check for Updates

Displays: - Available module updates - Changelog - Download and install options

Appearance Management¶

Location: Appearance > [Various Options]

Themes¶

Manage site themes:

Appearance > Themes

Functions: - View installed themes - Set default theme - Upload new themes - Delete themes - Theme preview - Theme configuration

Blocks¶

Manage content blocks:

Appearance > Blocks

Functions: - Create custom blocks - Edit block content - Arrange blocks on page - Set block visibility - Delete blocks - Configure block caching

Templates¶

Manage templates (advanced):

Appearance > Templates

For advanced users and developers.

System Tools¶

Location: System > Tools

Maintenance Mode¶

Prevent user access during maintenance:

System > Maintenance Mode

Configure: - Enable/disable maintenance - Custom maintenance message - Allowed IP addresses (for testing)

Database Management¶

System > Database

Functions: - Check database consistency - Run database updates - Repair tables - Optimize database - Export database structure

Activity Logs¶

System > Logs

Monitor: - User activity - Administrative actions - System events - Error logs

Quick Actions¶

Common tasks accessible from dashboard:

Quick Links:
├── Create New Page
├── Add New User
├── Create Content Block
├── Upload Image
├── Send Mass Email
├── Update All Modules
└── Clear Cache

Admin Panel Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Quick navigation:

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+H`	Go to help
`Ctrl+D`	Go to dashboard
`Ctrl+Q`	Quick search
`Ctrl+L`	Logout

User Account Management¶

My Account¶

Access your administrator profile:

Click "My Account" in top right
Edit profile information:
Email address
Real name
User information
Avatar

Change Password¶

Change your admin password:

Go to My Account
Click "Change Password"
Enter current password
Enter new password (twice)
Click "Save"

Security Tips: - Use strong passwords (16+ characters) - Include uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols - Change password every 90 days - Never share admin credentials

Logout¶

Sign out of admin panel:

Click "Logout" in top right
You'll be redirected to login page

Admin Panel Statistics¶

Dashboard Stats¶

Quick overview of site metrics:

Metric	Value
Users Online	12
Total Users	256
Total Posts	1,234
Total Comments	5,678
Total Modules	8

System Status¶

Server and performance information:

Component	Version/Value
XOOPS Version	2.5.11
PHP Version	8.2.x
MySQL Version	8.0.x
Server Load	0.45, 0.42
Uptime	45 days

Recent Activity¶

Timeline of recent events:

12:45 - Admin login
12:30 - New user registered
12:15 - Page published
12:00 - Comment posted
11:45 - Module updated

Notification System¶

Admin Alerts¶

Receive notifications for:

New user registrations
Comments awaiting moderation
Failed login attempts
System errors
Module updates available
Database issues
Disk space warnings

Configure alerts:

System > Preferences > Email Settings

Notify Admin on Registration: Yes
Notify Admin on Comments: Yes
Notify Admin on Errors: Yes
Alert Email: admin@your-domain.com

Common Admin Tasks¶

Create a New Page¶

Go to Content > Pages (or relevant module)
Click "Add New Page"
Fill in:
Title
Content
Description
Category
Metadata
Click "Publish"

Manage Users¶

Go to Users > Users
View user list with:
Username
Email
Registration date
Last login
Status
Click username to:
Edit profile
Change password
Edit groups
Block/unblock user

Configure Module¶

Go to Modules > Modules
Find module in list
Click the module name
Click "Preferences" or "Settings"
Configure module options
Save changes

Create a New Block¶

Go to Appearance > Blocks
Click "Add New Block"
Enter:
Block title
Block content (HTML allowed)
Position on page
Visibility (all pages or specific)
Module (if applicable)
Click "Submit"

Admin Panel Help¶

Built-in Documentation¶

Access help from admin panel:

Click "Help" button in top bar
Context-sensitive help for current page
Links to documentation
Frequently asked questions

External Resources¶

XOOPS Official Site: https://xoops.org/
Community Forum: https://xoops.org/modules/newbb/
Module Repository: https://xoops.org/modules/repository/
Bugs/Issues: https://github.com/XOOPS/XoopsCore/issues

Customizing Admin Panel¶

Admin Theme¶

Choose admin interface theme:

System > Preferences > General Settings

Admin Theme: [Select theme]

Available themes: - Default (light) - Dark mode - Custom themes

Dashboard Customization¶

Choose which widgets appear:

Dashboard > Customize

Select: - System information - Statistics - Recent activity - Quick links - Custom widgets

Admin Panel Permissions¶

Different admin levels have different permissions:

Role	Capabilities
Webmaster	Full access to all admin functions
Admin	Limited admin functions
Moderator	Content moderation only
Editor	Content creation and editing

Manage permissions:

System > Permissions

Security Best Practices for Admin Panel¶

Strong Password: Use 16+ character password
Regular Changes: Change password every 90 days
Monitor Access: Check "Admin Users" logs regularly
Limit Access: Rename admin folder for additional security
Use HTTPS: Always access admin via HTTPS
IP Whitelisting: Restrict admin access to specific IPs
Regular Logout: Logout when done
Browser Security: Clear browser cache regularly

See Security Configuration.

Troubleshooting Admin Panel¶

Can't Access Admin Panel¶

Solution: 1. Verify login credentials 2. Clear browser cache and cookies 3. Try different browser 4. Check if admin folder path is correct 5. Verify file permissions on admin folder 6. Check database connection in mainfile.php

Blank Admin Page¶

Solution:

# Check PHP errors
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

# Enable debug mode temporarily
sed -i "s/define('XOOPS_DEBUG', 0)/define('XOOPS_DEBUG', 1)/" /var/www/html/xoops/mainfile.php

# Check file permissions
ls -la /var/www/html/xoops/admin/

Slow Admin Panel¶

Solution: 1. Clear cache: System > Tools > Clear Cache 2. Optimize database: System > Database > Optimize 3. Check server resources: htop 4. Review slow queries in MySQL

Module Not Appearing¶

Solution: 1. Verify module installed: Modules > Modules 2. Check module enabled 3. Verify permissions assigned 4. Check module files exist 5. Review error logs

Next Steps¶

After familiarizing yourself with admin panel:

Tags: #admin-panel #dashboard #navigation #getting-started