Admin toolbar and the 5 keys to its success

With over 296,000 sites reporting its use, Admin Toolbar is without a doubt one of the most used modules by the Drupal community, ranking in the top 10 most popular modules , behind Field Group .

If you are an experienced Drupal developer you have probably worked with this module many times, but do you know the hidden secrets that the module hides?

What is the Admin Toolbar module?

Admin Toolbar extends Drupal's basic admin bar by adding a drop-down menu that facilitates quick access to the various sections of the admin panel. Without replacing Drupal's native functionality, Admin Toolbar builds on top of it, providing a more efficient, comfortable and user-friendly administration experience for day-to-day management of the CMS. Some of its main features are:

• Quick Navigation – Admin Toolbar turns the admin bar into a drop-down menu with shortcuts to all important areas of the site. This allows administrators to quickly move between different sections without having to load multiple intermediate pages.
• Full Compatibility – The module is fully compatible with other Drupal modules. This means that any new modules installed that add links to the Admin Toolbar will be automatically integrated into the Admin Toolbar dropdown menu.
• Simplicity and usability : It is easy to install and does not require complicated configurations. Its intuitive design and direct integration with the existing administration bar make it accessible for both new users and experienced administrators.
• Direct access to settings – Specific settings for modules, themes, and other site components can be quickly accessed from the drop-down menu. This reduces the time administrators spend searching for settings and options in the backend.
• Expanded Functionality – Admin Toolbar has additional sub-modules like Admin Toolbar Extra Tools , which adds more tools and functionalities to the admin bar, further improving the efficiency of site management.

Keys to its popularity

The Admin Toolbar module is one of the most downloaded and used modules in the Drupal community. Its popularity can be attributed to several factors:

• Improved User Experience – The usability improvements in the Drupal backend are significant. The Admin Toolbar makes day-to-day site administration faster and less frustrating, resulting in a much better user experience for administrators.
• Reduced management time – Administrators can perform common tasks with fewer clicks and in less time, increasing productivity and enabling more effective site management.
• Compatibility and Extensibility – Admin Toolbar’s ability to seamlessly integrate with other modules and its ease of use contribute to its widespread adoption.
• Constant Support and Updates – Being a popular module, Admin Toolbar receives regular updates and is well supported by its maintainers and the community. This ensures that it remains compatible with the latest Drupal versions and that any issues or vulnerabilities are addressed quickly.
• Stability – Admin toolbar is a module with a long history behind it. Since its inception in 2015 until now, it has evolved into a fully stable release thanks to the Drupal community and the people who maintain the module.

How to install and configure Admin toolbar

The Admin toolbar is installed and enabled like any other contributed Drupal module. The first step is to access the module's page, and specifically, in the Releases section, until you find the composer command that will execute the download of the module and its dependencies. It is important to check that you comply with the required version of the Drupal core before proceeding.

composer require 'drupal/admin_toolbar'

To enable the module on your Drupal web portal you can access the Extend tab from the administration, search for the module and enable it. You can also do it directly through drush:

drush en admin_toolbar -y && drush cr