Table-based dashboard admin page should be linked to from the dashboard only (not from the rest of the admin UI) [#930670]

This issue grows out of a discussion at #601932: Allow dashboard to limit available blocks, where both Bojhan and I agree that the page at admin/structure/dashboard should be better hidden than it is currently.

The workflow that the dashboard module is trying to promote is that people should go to the dashboard itself and click the "Customize dashboard" link to edit it. This takes them to the drag-and-drop UI, which is the primary UI for managing the dashboard. This also contains links to admin/structure/dashboard (which provides a table-based method for managing dashboard blocks). This second page exists primarily for people without JavaScript, and for screen reader users.

This situation is good as it is - anyone who needs to configure the dashboard goes there through the dashboard UI itself. However, this second dashboard admin page also shows in the admin UI as an item under Admin > Structure, and at the index page, admin/index.

I don't know why we did it that way originally, but it wasn't a good idea because having these prominent links to that page promotes it too much and gives people a back-door way to configure the dashboard without going through the dashboard itself, which we don't want.

The attached patch removes those links from admin/structure and admin/index (note that by doing the latter we also basically solve #928744: Dashboard has two admin pages called 'dashboard').

Unfortunately, to do this properly (to make the breadcrumbs work correctly) we also have to change the URL of this page, which I was hoping to avoid... oh well. The attached screenshot shows the former admin/structure/dashboard page at its new location, with breadcrumbs now taking you back to the dashboard itself, consistent with its new (and always-intended) location as a "child" of the Dashboard itself.

Comment	File	Size	Author
#9	dashboard_js.png	37.18 KB	David_Rothstein
#9	dashboard_no_js.png	28.2 KB	David_Rothstein
#5	dashboard-configure-link-from-dashboard-only.patch	5.68 KB	David_Rothstein
	configure-dashboard-page.png	73.51 KB	David_Rothstein
	dashboard-configure-link-from-dashboard-only.patch	5.68 KB	David_Rothstein

Comments

Comment #1

David_Rothstein commented 4 October 2010 at 01:44

Specifically, the thing to note in the screenshot is that the breadcrumbs say "Home >> Administration >> Dashboard"...

Comment #2

Bojhan commented 4 October 2010 at 07:40

Priority:

Normal

» Major

I am going to move this up to major as it breaks our information architecture approach. I have no idea why it was comitted as is, since it was already noted it was placed in the wrong place.

What is the new location? And how do people get to it, might be something to screenshot.

Comment #3

4 October 2010 at 10:20

Status:

Needs review

» Needs work

The last submitted patch, dashboard-configure-link-from-dashboard-only.patch, failed testing.

Comment #4

EvanDonovan commented 4 October 2010 at 12:32

I think this makes sense because otherwise it will be confusing to people which of these two pages to go to edit the dashboard. We just need to make sure that the non-JS page is still findable for accessibility purposes.

Comment #5

David_Rothstein commented 5 October 2010 at 03:29

Status:

Needs work

» Needs review

Status	File	Size
new	dashboard-configure-link-from-dashboard-only.patch	5.68 KB

Not sure I believe that test failure, so I'm reuploading the same patch.

The new location is admin/dashboard/configure (so it shows up under Home > Administration > Dashboard as in the screenshot), and it's linked to from the Dashboard itself just like currently - this patch doesn't change that.

We already have links to it in both the JS and non-JS cases.

Comment #6

David_Rothstein commented 9 October 2010 at 23:27

#936798: Dashboard uses unreliable method for identifying blocks. is an example of confusion surrounding the two separate admin pages.

I think we should get the patch here in, even if it means changing this one URL (perhaps also with some changes to the help text at the top of the table-based page to explain more clearly what it is for?).

Comment #7

Everett Zufelt commented 10 October 2010 at 00:49

As an aside.

It isn't that the drag and drop interface is JS and the table based interface is not JS (at least I hope not). It is that one requires a drag and drop, or mouse interaction, and the other does not).

Comment #8

Bojhan commented 10 October 2010 at 09:25

@David I think this patch just needs screenshots that are more explaining.

Comment #9

David_Rothstein commented 11 October 2010 at 03:37

Status	File	Size
new	dashboard_no_js.png	28.2 KB
new	dashboard_js.png	37.18 KB

I don't understand what other screenshots you think it needs. There is already a screenshot above.

In any case, here are screenshots of the main dashboard page when it is being configured (one with JavaScript enabled, one without). In both cases, there is a link to the table-based page.

This is completely unchanged by this issue.

First screenshot (with JS):
Drag and drop these blocks to the columns below. Changes are automatically saved. More options are available on the configuration page.

Second screenshot (without JS):
To customize the dashboard page, move blocks to the dashboard regions on the Dashboard administration page, or enable JavaScript on this page to use the drag-and-drop interface.