WordPress Admin Search

I've been developing WordPress websites for a long time so I'm familiar with the WordPress admin interface, but I've never understood why I can't search everything on the website in one interface. You can search for posts within a post type, but only from that post type's admin page, it's not quick and it's not convenient.

I wanted something elegant like Spotlight on macOS – accessible from anywhere in the interface and simple to use. So I created a WordPress plugin that would do just that.

Heavily inspired by Spotlight, the plugin introduces an interface that displays when pressing Ctrl + S on Window or Cmd + S on macOS, clicking a newly added search icon in the admin bar, or by typing the search term when no input is in focus. Results are instantly displayed, grouped into post types, taxonomies, or admin pages (which are searchable as well).

The search function utilises WordPress's WP_Query class so integration is seamless with almost any WordPress setup. Additionally, the plugin is extendable and configurable using the add_filter function.

This is the first WordPress plugin I have uploaded and shared publicly on WordPress's plugin directory. I have been updating and supporting it since 2019.

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© 2023 — Andrew Stichbury