Admin Pages

Overview

The Phenix Design System provides a set of PHP methods for creating and managing custom administration pages in WordPress. These methods simplify the process of building professional, integrated admin interfaces that maintain WordPress's native look and feel while providing custom functionality. This documentation covers the core functions and techniques for creating admin pages using the Phenix Design System.

Key Features

• Simplified page creation with minimal code
• Consistent WordPress admin styling
• Tabbed interface support for organizing complex settings
• Form handling capabilities
• Integration with WordPress admin menu
• Responsive design that works across all devices
• Customizable content areas

Core Functions

pds_add_admin_page()

The primary function for creating custom admin pages with a consistent layout and styling.

pds_add_admin_page(
    $page_title,       // Page title
    $page_description, // Page description
    $form_page,        // Form action URL (or false for no form)
    $tabs_list,        // Tabs configuration
    $submit_button     // Submit button text (or false for no button)
);

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
$page_title	String	The title displayed at the top of the admin page
$page_description	String	A brief description of the page's purpose
$form_page	String/Boolean	The form action URL, or false for no form
$tabs_list	Array	Configuration for page tabs (see Tabs Configuration below)
$submit_button	String/Boolean	Text for the submit button, or false for no button

Tabs Configuration

The $tabs_list parameter accepts an associative array where each key is a unique tab identifier and each value is an array with the following properties:

Property	Type	Description
title	String	The tab title displayed to users
icon	String	Dashicon class for the tab icon
content	String/Callback	HTML content or callback function that returns content

Return Value

Returns a string containing the HTML markup for the admin page.

Creating Admin Pages

Basic Admin Page

Here's a basic example of creating a simple admin page with a single tab:

function my_custom_admin_page() {
    // Generate page content
    $page_content = pds_add_admin_page(
        'My Custom Page',
        'This is a custom admin page',
        false,
        [
            'general' => [
                'title' => 'General Settings',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-admin-generic',
                'content' => '<p>This is the content of the general settings tab.</p>'
            ]
        ],
        false
    );

    // Output the page content
    echo $page_content;
}

Multi-Tab Admin Page

For more complex admin pages, you can create multiple tabs to organize content:

function my_multi_tab_admin_page() {
    // Generate page content
    $page_content = pds_add_admin_page(
        'Multi-Tab Settings',
        'Configure various settings for your site',
        'options.php',
        [
            'general' => [
                'title' => 'General',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-admin-generic',
                'content' => 'general_settings_tab'
            ],
            'advanced' => [
                'title' => 'Advanced',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-admin-tools',
                'content' => 'advanced_settings_tab'
            ],
            'api' => [
                'title' => 'API',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-rest-api',
                'content' => 'api_settings_tab'
            ]
        ],
        'Save Settings'
    );

    echo $page_content;
}

// Tab content callback functions
function general_settings_tab() {
    ob_start();
    ?>
    <div class="form-group">
        <label for="setting-1">Setting 1</label>
        <input type="text" id="setting-1" name="setting-1" value="<?php echo esc_attr(get_option('setting-1')); ?>">
    </div>
    <?php
    return ob_get_clean();
}

function advanced_settings_tab() {
    ob_start();
    ?>
    <div class="form-group">
        <label for="setting-2">Setting 2</label>
        <input type="checkbox" id="setting-2" name="setting-2" <?php checked(get_option('setting-2'), 'on'); ?>>
    </div>
    <?php
    return ob_get_clean();
}

function api_settings_tab() {
    ob_start();
    ?>
    <div class="form-group">
        <label for="api-key">API Key</label>
        <input type="text" id="api-key" name="api-key" value="<?php echo esc_attr(get_option('api-key')); ?>">
    </div>
    <?php
    return ob_get_clean();
}

Registering Admin Pages

After creating your admin page content, you need to register it with WordPress using the add_menu_page() or add_submenu_page() functions:

Top-Level Menu Page

function register_my_custom_admin_page() {
    add_menu_page(
        'My Custom Page',         // Page title
        'Custom Page',            // Menu title
        'manage_options',         // Capability required
        'my-custom-page',         // Menu slug
        'my_custom_admin_page',   // Callback function
        'dashicons-admin-generic', // Icon
        30                        // Position
    );
}
add_action('admin_menu', 'register_my_custom_admin_page');

Submenu Page

function register_my_custom_submenu_page() {
    add_submenu_page(
        'options-general.php',     // Parent slug
        'My Custom Submenu',       // Page title
        'Custom Submenu',          // Menu title
        'manage_options',          // Capability required
        'my-custom-submenu',       // Menu slug
        'my_custom_submenu_page'   // Callback function
    );
}
add_action('admin_menu', 'register_my_custom_submenu_page');

Form Handling

When creating admin pages with forms, you'll need to handle form submissions using the WordPress Settings API:

// Register settings
function register_my_settings() {
    register_setting('my-settings-group', 'setting-1');
    register_setting('my-settings-group', 'setting-2');
    register_setting('my-settings-group', 'api-key');
}
add_action('admin_init', 'register_my_settings');

// Create the admin page
function my_settings_page() {
    // Add settings fields to the form
    settings_fields('my-settings-group');
    
    $page_content = pds_add_admin_page(
        'My Settings',
        'Configure your settings here',
        'options.php',  // WordPress settings API form handler
        [
            'general' => [
                'title' => 'General Settings',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-admin-generic',
                'content' => 'general_settings_tab'
            ]
        ],
        'Save Settings'
    );

    // Output the page content
    echo $page_content;
}

Styling Admin Pages

The Phenix Design System automatically applies WordPress admin styles to your pages, but you can add custom styles:

function my_admin_styles() {
    $screen = get_current_screen();
    
    // Only load on your custom page
    if ($screen->id === 'toplevel_page_my-custom-page') {
        wp_enqueue_style('my-admin-styles', plugin_dir_url(__FILE__) . 'css/admin-styles.css');
    }
}
add_action('admin_enqueue_scripts', 'my_admin_styles');

Common Use Cases

Plugin Settings Page

function plugin_settings_page() {
    $page_content = pds_add_admin_page(
        'Plugin Settings',
        'Configure how the plugin works',
        'options.php',
        [
            'general' => [
                'title' => 'General',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-admin-generic',
                'content' => 'general_settings_tab'
            ],
            'advanced' => [
                'title' => 'Advanced',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-admin-tools',
                'content' => 'advanced_settings_tab'
            ]
        ],
        'Save Settings'
    );

    echo $page_content;
}

Documentation Page

function plugin_documentation_page() {
    $page_content = pds_add_admin_page(
        'Documentation',
        'Learn how to use this plugin',
        false,  // No form needed
        [
            'getting-started' => [
                'title' => 'Getting Started',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-welcome-learn-more',
                'content' => 'getting_started_content'
            ],
            'features' => [
                'title' => 'Features',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-star-filled',
                'content' => 'features_content'
            ],
            'faq' => [
                'title' => 'FAQ',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-format-chat',
                'content' => 'faq_content'
            ]
        ],
        false  // No submit button
    );

    echo $page_content;
}

Import/Export Page

function import_export_page() {
    $page_content = pds_add_admin_page(
        'Import/Export',
        'Import and export your settings',
        'admin-post.php?action=export_settings',
        [
            'export' => [
                'title' => 'Export',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-upload',
                'content' => 'export_settings_tab'
            ],
            'import' => [
                'title' => 'Import',
                'icon'  => 'dashicons-download',
                'content' => 'import_settings_tab'
            ]
        ],
        'Export Settings'
    );

    echo $page_content;
}

Best Practices

1. Use clear, descriptive titles for pages and tabs

2. Group related settings into logical tabs

3. Include helpful descriptions for settings fields

4. Use appropriate capabilities to control access

5. Follow WordPress UI patterns for consistency

6. Validate and sanitize all user inputs

7. Use nonces for form security

8. Add confirmation messages after form submissions

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Page not appearing in menu	Check the add_menu_page() or add_submenu_page() function call
Form not saving	Verify settings are registered with register_setting()
Permission errors	Check the capability parameter in the menu registration
Styling issues	Ensure WordPress admin styles are not being overridden
JavaScript errors	Check for conflicts with other admin scripts

Related Features

• API Creator
• Custom Post Types
• Custom Taxonomies
• Custom Meta Fields