You can configure the administrative back-end of your site to use the look and feel of either the standard administrative theme or your website's current theme.
Changing the theme
To change the administrative theme, go to Configuration > Administration theme and overlay and select the theme you wish to use:
- "Seven" is the default Drupal 7 administrative theme and has been optimized for site administration.
- "Default theme" selects your current front-end theme. This is not recommended. Drupal Gardens front end themes are not optimized for administrative tasks. You may, however, want to use your front end theme when creating or editing content - this will give you the same user experience as your site visitors.
Content creation theme - "Use the administration them when creating or editing content" will give your site visitors a seamless visual experience on sites where they are allowed to contribute content. This option will also give you the same experience as your site visitors.
Administrative overlay
By default, the Drupal 7 administrative overlay will open when you click on administrative link (any of the links on the left side of the administrative toolbar or in your shortcut bar). This is is a panel displaying your site's administrative interface that floats above the page you are on. Make the changes to configuration and content you need, save them, then close the overlay by clicking the "X" on the top right and you'll be right back where you were before the overlay opened.
Javascript must be enabled in your browser for the overlay to function.
Disabling the administrative overlay
If you prefer the administrative back-end of your Drupal Gardens website to be displayed as normal pages rather than in the administrative overlay, you can disable the administrative overlay based on selected user roles.
All users
- Go to Configuration > Administration theme and overlay.
- Deselect the Use the overlay for administration pages check box.
- Click Save configuration.
Selected user roles
If different groups of users on your site have different preferences about using the administrative overlay, you can set role-based permissions on the Permissions tab at People > Permissions, giving some roles the "Access the administrative overlay" permission and removing it from others.
In the example below, the administrator does not like using the overlay, but content authors and bloggers love it.
- Note: The Site maintainer will always see the administrative overlay unless it is turned off as shown above.
- Security note: Anonymous and "normal" authenticated users should not be given access to the overlay or any administrative functions.
Individual administrators
If you are a site administrator you can deselect the Use the overlay for administrative pages check box on your profile page (click the "Hello, [username]" link at the right of the administrative menu, then the edit tab.). This disables the overlay for you, but leaves it enabled for other administrators.