XeroWP
Better Admin Pointers

Better Admin Pointers

4.2/5 (6 ratings) 10 active installs Updated Apr 14, 2016
admin pointershelp
Download v2.0.3 Plugin Website
The config page for my example pointer.

The config page for my example pointer.

This plugin will allow creation of admin pointers on any screen in the WordPress admin area, or any front end page, or on all pages. It creates a custom post type called Pointers to store information. You need to add the following info to make it work:

  1. Title – the part in the blue title bar
  2. Main content area
  3. Pointer id – A unique id so that it can be tracked in the WP DB as dismissed
  4. Screen (or Page/Post ID) – What page/screen it should appear on (if in admin) or what is the post ID (if showing on the front end). OR you have the ability to show on all admin or all front end pages (using ALL_ADMIN or ALL_FRONT)
  5. Target – CSS id or class we want the pointer to attach to on the screen or post above
  6. Position Edge – Which edge should be adjacent to the target? (left, right, top, or bottom)
  7. Position Align – How should the pointer be aligned on this edge, relative to the target? (top, bottom, left, right, or middle)
  8. (OPTIONAL) Nudge Horizontal – How much should we nudge the pointer horizontally? (Value in pixels. ex: -50, from edge value above, only works if edge above is left or right)
  9. (OPTIONAL) Nudge Vertical – How much should we nudge the pointer vertically? (Value in pixels. ex: -50, from align value above, only works if align above is top or bottom)
  10. (OPTIONAL) Z-index – What should the depth of the pointer be along the z-axis (in case you want some of them to sit higher/lower than others or higher/lower than other elements on the page)

EXAMPLE:
Let’s say I want to add a pointer on the edit plugin page that tells a user to notice which plugin they are editing. I would use:

  1. “Which Plugin am I Editing?”
  2. “This is the file you are editing, duh”
  3. “ss_editplugs”
  4. “plugin-editor”
  5. “.fileedit-sub”
  6. “top”
  7. “right”
  8. “-50”
  9. “-5”
  10. “50000”

NOTE: This will only work for logged in users, whether on front end or back end.

NOTE: I also have a plugin that does help tabs, if you are interested in that one you can find it here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/better-admin-help-tabs/

This plugin leverages the great work done by others here:

For configuring metaboxes on the custom post type:
https://github.com/WebDevStudios/CMB2

For base class and code to allow pointers to display properly:
https://gist.github.com/brasofilo/6947539