WordPress Admin Area Overview

WordPress Admin Area Overview

Now that WordPress is installed, let's explore the admin dashboard — the control panel where you manage everything about your site.

Accessing the Dashboard

Go to http://localhost/developer-coffee/wp-admin and log in.

Dashboard Overview

The dashboard is the first screen you see. It shows:

• At a Glance — number of posts, pages, and comments
• Quick Draft — write a quick post draft
• Activity — recent posts and comments
• WordPress Events — WordCamps and meetups near you

Admin Menu (Left Sidebar)

Menu Item	What It Does
Posts	Create, edit, and manage blog posts and categories
Media	Upload and manage images, videos, and files
Pages	Create static pages (About, Contact, etc.)
Comments	Moderate and manage user comments
Appearance	Manage themes, customize, menus, widgets
Plugins	Install and manage plugins (extend functionality)
Users	Manage user accounts and roles
Tools	Import/export data, site health
Settings	Site title, tagline, URL structure, reading settings

Posts vs Pages

Posts	Pages
Blog entries — date-based, chronological	Static content — About, Contact, Services
Have categories and tags	No categories or tags
Appear in blog archives and feeds	Standalone — not part of the blog
Ordered by date (newest first)	Ordered by menu or page hierarchy

Creating a Post

1. Go to Posts → Add New
2. Enter a title and content in the block editor
3. Set a category (e.g., HTML & CSS, JavaScript)
4. Add a featured image (appears as the post thumbnail)
5. Click Publish

Creating a Page

1. Go to Pages → Add New
2. Enter a title and content
3. Choose a page template if available (we'll create these later)
4. Click Publish

Appearance Menu

This is the most important menu for theme developers:

• Themes — install, activate, and preview themes
• Customize — live preview of theme options
• Widgets — add content blocks to sidebars and widget areas
• Menus — create and manage navigation menus
• Theme Editor — edit theme files directly (not recommended for production)

Settings to Configure

• Settings → General — site title, tagline, timezone
• Settings → Reading — what your front page displays (latest posts vs static page)
• Settings → Permalinks — URL structure (we'll change this in the next episode)
• Settings → Discussion — comment settings

Key Takeaways

• The admin dashboard at /wp-admin is the control panel for your site
• Posts are for blog content; Pages are for static content
• The Appearance menu is where you'll manage your custom theme
• Configure basic Settings (title, tagline, reading, permalinks) first
• The block editor is used for writing posts and pages