Dashboard and modules

The Dashboard is the first screen you see when you open Darwin Side Kick. It lists every Side Kick module installed on your site and lets you switch them on and off and update them, all in one place.

What a module is

A module is a separate WordPress plugin built to work with Side Kick. It carries a marker that tells Side Kick it is a module. Side Kick looks through your installed plugins, finds any that carry that marker and shows them on the Dashboard. There is no separate list to keep up to date: if a module is installed, it appears.

You install a module the same way as any plugin, from Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin. Once it is installed, you can manage it from the Dashboard. Examples include Admin Style, Omni Logger and User Profile. See Side Kick utilities for more.

If no modules are installed, the Dashboard says No modules installed yet.

The module list

At the top of the Dashboard, a short summary shows how many modules are installed and how many are active, for example 3 installed, 2 active.

Modules are grouped by the main tag each one declares:

• Security
• Utilities
• Marketing
• Other, for any module without one of the three tags above.

Within each group, modules are listed in alphabetical order.

Module cards

Each module has a card showing its icon, name, installed version number and a one-line description. On the right is an on/off switch, and an Update to button when a newer version is available.

Click a module's name to open its card and see more detail:

• a longer description, if the module provides one;
• Installed: the version you have;
• Latest: the newer version available (shown only when there is an update);
• Author: who made the module.

Click the name again to close the card.

Filtering and searching

Above the list are filter buttons, each with a count:

• All: every installed module.
• Active: modules that are switched on.
• Inactive: modules that are switched off.
• Needs update: modules with a newer version waiting. This button only appears when at least one module has an update.

To find a module by name, type in the Search modules box. The list narrows as you type, and works together with the filter you have chosen.

Switching modules on and off

Switching a module on or off does not happen straight away. Instead, Side Kick collects your changes so you can review them first.

1. Click the switch on each module you want to change. The card shows what will happen, for example Off → On.
2. The bar at the bottom of the screen counts your changes, for example 2 changes waiting to be applied.
3. Click Apply changes to carry them out, or Discard to forget them. To undo a single change, click that module's switch again.

When you apply, Side Kick activates or deactivates the module plugins in the usual WordPress way. The page then reloads, so that any menus and screens the modules add or remove are shown correctly. If a module cannot be switched on, Side Kick tells you which one, and the page does not reload.

Checking for and installing updates

Module updates come through WordPress's normal plugin update system. The Dashboard simply lets you check for them and install them without leaving the page.

• Check for updates asks WordPress to check again for new plugin versions straight away, rather than waiting for its next scheduled check. A message tells you how many modules have an update waiting, or that everything is up to date.
• Update all installs every waiting module update in one go. It only appears when at least one module has an update, and shows how many.
• Update to (followed by a version number, for example Update to 1.4.0) on a card updates just that module.

When an update finishes, the cards and counts refresh in place. If an update cannot be installed, a message gives the reason, for example No package was offered for this module.

These buttons only cover Side Kick modules. Your other plugins are updated from the WordPress Plugins or Updates screens as usual.

Hiding modules from the Plugins screen

If you have several modules, you may prefer to keep them out of the main WordPress Plugins list. Go to Settings > General and switch on Hide modules from the plugins screen. It is off by default.

Hidden modules stay installed and keep working as normal. You can still switch them on and off and update them from the Dashboard.

If a module fails to load

Each module runs inside your site, so a fault in one module could cause problems. To limit the damage, Side Kick watches each module as it starts. If a module throws an error while loading, Side Kick:

• skips that module, so the rest of your site keeps working;
• shows a red notice in the admin naming the module that was skipped;
• writes the details to your server's PHP error log, where your developer or host can find them.

If you see this notice, switch the module off from the Dashboard and contact whoever supplied it.