Sometimes when working on a site, there is a lot of jumping between backend pages. One may want to know if a plugin is currently used, cross checking content for a certain keyword, or even searching terms in taxonomies.
The Admin Search plugin brings up results from your whole site in a single interface that integrates to your admin interface. One keyboard shortcut allows you to search for anything from post types and comments to taxonomies and admin pages.
Getting Started
To get started, download and install Admin Search.
Begin by navigating to Plugins on the dashboard and click Add New. From here, there are two options for installation.
Option 1: Search for Admin Search. Click Install Now and Activate.
Note: The plugin may not be the first result
Option 2: Go to the plugin page, download the zip file, and upload into the designated section under Upload Plugin.
*Check if the plugin was successfully installed and activated under Installed Plugins.
Using the Plugin
The admin search can be opened from anywhere on your site by pressing the following shortcut: “Ctrl + S” on Windows or “Command + S” on Mac. You may also click the search icon in the admin bar.
Once the shortcut is entered, a search bar will pop up on the screen. By default, the search results will only return content on your site. The results will be sectioned by the source type.
To exit the search, you can either use the keyboard shortcut again, the ESC key or click anywhere outside the popup search window.
Settings
Through the Admin Search Settings, you will find additional filters to expand the search results. There are two ways to find the plugin’s settings:
Option 1: Plugins > Installed Plugins and click Settings under Admin Search plugin.
Option 2: Settings > Admin Search.
General
Result Count: Changes how many items are returned (options are: 8, 16, 24, 32, 64, unlimited). Note: The more results you wish to display, the longer load times you may experience.
Query Highlighting: Highlight the matching keyword
Show on Site: Allow searching when viewing site – (unchecked) will only work on the backend; (checked) will also work on front end.
Note: There is a PHP warning on the frontend if you leave the box checked.
Sources
Post Types: Add/remove posts, pages, or media from the results.
Taxonomies: Add/remove categories, tags, or formats from the results.
Admin Pages: Include admin pages in results – still in Beta.
You may also choose to include comments, users, and external websites in the results
*Make sure to Save Changes at the bottom
Summary
Searching your WordPress site can be a tedious task, especially as an admin. The Admin Search plugin allows you to search anything on your website at any time with a simple keyboard shortcut.
A lightweight plugin that does not use space on your WordPress database, includes additional filters, and pulls up the search results in seconds – taking the headache out of the constant clicking to find that one piece of content.
