How to customize the Umbraco backoffice for a better user experience

Umbraco is a powerful and flexible content management system (CMS) that allows developers to create and manage websites with ease. It provides a user-friendly backoffice interface that allows administrators to easily edit and publish content. However, the default backoffice interface may not always meet the specific needs of your website or organization. In this article, we will explore how to customize the Umbraco backoffice to improve the user experience and make it more tailored to your requirements.

1. Customizing the Login Screen

The first thing users see when accessing the Umbraco backoffice is the login screen. This is an opportunity to make a good first impression and align the branding with your website. To customize the login screen:

• Create a new HTML file named "login.html" with your desired design.
• Login to the Umbraco backoffice and navigate to the "Settings" section.
• Under "Templates", create a new template and paste the HTML code from your "login.html" file.
• Save the template and navigate to the "Users" section.
• Select the user you want to apply the custom login screen to and click "Edit".
• Under the "User" tab, select the custom template you created from the "Login page" dropdown.
• Save the changes and the next time the user logs in, they will see the customized login screen.

2. Creating Custom Sections

The Umbraco backoffice is divided into different sections such as "Content", "Media", "Settings", etc. These sections can be customized to group related functionality and make it easier for users to navigate and find what they need. To create custom sections:

• Login to the Umbraco backoffice and navigate to the "Developer" section.
• Under the "Sections" tab, click "Create a new section".
• Give your section a name and an icon.
• Under the "Trees" tab, you can define the tree structure for your section.
• Each tree node represents a menu item in your section.
• Click "Create" to add a new tree node and configure its properties.
• You can specify the icon, name, and controller for each tree node.
• Save the changes and your custom section will be available in the Umbraco backoffice.

3. Customizing the Content Editor

The content editor is where administrators create and edit content in Umbraco. By customizing the content editor, you can simplify the interface and provide a more intuitive editing experience. To customize the content editor:

• Login to the Umbraco backoffice and navigate to the "Developer" section.
• Under the "Data Types" tab, you can create custom data types to define the fields available in the content editor.
• Click "Create" to add a new data type and configure its properties.
• You can specify the name, icon, and data type for each field.
• Under the "Document Types" tab, you can create custom document types that define the structure and properties of your content.
• Click "Create" to add a new document type and configure its properties.
• You can specify the name, icon, and properties for each document type.
• Save the changes and your custom data types and document types will be available in the content editor.

4. Extending Functionality with Packages

Umbraco provides a wide range of packages that can extend the functionality of the backoffice. Packages can add new features, tools, and integrations that are not available out of the box. To install a package:

• Login to the Umbraco backoffice and navigate to the "Packages" section.
• Click "Install local package" to upload a package file or "Install package from URL" to download a package from a remote location.
• Follow the prompts to complete the installation process.
• Once installed, the package will add new functionality to the Umbraco backoffice.

Conclusion

Customizing the Umbraco backoffice can greatly improve the user experience and make it more tailored to your specific requirements. By customizing the login screen, creating custom sections, customizing the content editor, and extending functionality with packages, you can create a backoffice interface that is intuitive, efficient, and aligned with your website or organization's branding. Take the time to explore the customization options available in Umbraco and make the backoffice a powerful tool for your website development and content management needs.