The ExSite webtop shows all of your plug-in web applications that support administration functions (control panels). They are organized into categories, which by default are:

• Content Management - apps for handling pages, libraries, and templates.
• Database - apps for working directly with your database.
• System - apps for managing ExSite itself.
• Applications - all other apps.

The order that these categories are shown in is defined by the configuration settings "webtop.categories", and how they are labelled is defined by the configuration settings "webtop.headings". The default setup is:

webtop.categories = CMS
webtop.categories += Applications
webtop.categories += System
webtop.categories += Database

webtop.headings = Content Management
webtop.headings += Applications
webtop.headings += System
webtop.headings += Database

To change the order that the categories are shown, simply reorder the above settings in your exsite.conf file.

Custom categories

Each plug-in module can declare its category (via the ioctl("Category") call). To create a new category on the webtop, all you have to do is have your special apps declare their own special category. This category will be positioned in the sequence you defined above, or placed at the bottom if it is not mentioned in this sequence.

Some apps will declare different categories depending on the context. For instance, the e-commerce apps will look for an "Ecommerce" category to join, but if no such category has been pre-declared, will use "Applications" instead. (If you want a separate Ecommerce category, add "Ecommerce" to the above list of categories.)

Customizing the applications that appear on the webtop

Some applications can define the permission level that is necessary to run them. If you do not have the required access level, you will not see the app. Downgrading casual admins from level 3 to level 2 will therefore hide some of the more advanced apps that are for advanced administration only.

For even more control over which apps to show your level 2 admins, use a whitelist in your exsite.conf file. For example:

webtop_whitelist = MySite
webtop_whitelist += Document
webtop_whitelist += PhotoAlbum
webtop_whitelist += EvtCal
webtop_whitelist += Webalizer
webtop_whitelist += Trash

Only the listed apps will be displayed to level 2 admins. (Note: this does not prevent them from running other apps that they are allowed to run, it merely hides them from the webtop to simplify their options.)