Skip to content

Admin Navigation Menu Settings Documentation

Menu Location: Settings > System > Admin Navigation Menu Settings

Access Level: Administrator and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Admin Navigation Menu Settings page allows administrators to customize the admin panel navigation menu structure, personalize menu items based on user roles, and optimize the admin interface for team workflows. This powerful tool helps streamline daily operations by showing only relevant menu items to each admin user.

Primary Functions:

  • Customize admin menu structure and organization
  • Show/hide menu items based on admin role
  • Create custom menu groupings and shortcuts
  • Reorder menu sections for workflow optimization
  • Set personalized menu preferences per admin user
  • Manage quick action buttons and favorites
  • Configure search/filter behavior in admin menu
  • Reset menu to default settings

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Admin User Selector: Choose which admin user's menu to customize
  • Reset to Default button: Restore original menu configuration
  • Save Settings button: Apply menu changes
  • Preview Mode toggle: See changes before saving
  • Import/Export buttons: Share menu configurations across users

Left panel showing current menu structure:

  • Expandable sections - All menu categories
  • Drag handles - Reorder items
  • Visibility toggles - Show/hide items
  • Edit icons - Modify item properties

Settings Panel (Right)

Configuration options for selected menu item:

  • Label/name customization
  • Icon selection
  • Visibility rules
  • Access level requirements
  • Badge/notification settings
  • Keyboard shortcut assignment

Preview Section (Bottom)

Live preview of admin menu as users will see it with current settings applied.

Understanding Admin Menu Structure

Top Level Sections:

  • Dashboard - Main dashboard and quick stats
  • Customers - Customer management and reports
  • Orders - Order management and fulfillment
  • Products - Product catalog and inventory
  • Reports - Analytics and business intelligence
  • Content - Website content and marketing
  • Settings - System configuration
  • Tools - Kiva admin tools and utilities

Each section contains:

  • Direct Links - Pages accessed with one click
  • Submenus - Grouped related pages
  • Separators - Visual organization within section
  • Recently Used - Dynamic list of recent pages

Default vs. Customized Menu

Default Menu:

  • Standard layout shipped with system
  • All available menu items visible
  • Organized by functionality
  • Same for all admin users

Customized Menu:

  • Tailored to specific user or role
  • Only relevant items shown
  • Optimized for daily workflow
  • Can vary per admin user

Customizing Menu for Different Roles

Customer Service Role

Show Only:

  • Dashboard (basic stats)
  • Customers (all pages)
  • Orders (view and edit, no financial)
  • Reports (customer and order reports only)
  • Content (contact forms, customer communication)

Hide:

  • Products (inventory management)
  • Financial reports
  • System settings
  • Kiva admin tools
  • Bulk operations tools

Example Configuration:

  1. Select admin user with Customer Service role
  2. Expand "Products" section
  3. Uncheck all items
  4. Expand "Reports" section
  5. Uncheck financial and revenue reports
  6. Keep customer engagement and order reports checked
  7. Save settings

Manager Role

Show:

  • Full customer and order management
  • Product catalog (view/edit, limited inventory)
  • Customer reports and analytics
  • Email marketing tools
  • Basic settings (business hours, shipping)

Hide:

  • System technical settings
  • Database tools
  • Payment gateway configuration
  • Kiva admin utilities
  • Advanced developer tools

Administrator Role

Show:

  • All customer, order, and product features
  • All reports and analytics
  • System settings
  • Payment configuration
  • User management
  • Backup and maintenance tools

Hide:

  • Kiva-specific development tools
  • Database direct access
  • Code deployment tools
  • API testing utilities

Kiva Admin Role

Show:

  • Everything (no restrictions)
  • Development tools
  • Database management
  • System monitoring
  • API configuration
  • Multi-tenant management

Personalization Features

Favorites/Bookmarks

Purpose: Quick access to frequently used pages

Setting Up Favorites:

  1. Find menu item to bookmark
  2. Click star icon next to item
  3. Item appears in "Favorites" section at top of menu
  4. Drag to reorder favorites
  5. Click star again to remove from favorites

Favorites appear:

  • At top of navigation menu
  • In quick access dropdown
  • On dashboard as shortcut tiles
  • In global search results (prioritized)

Best Practice: Limit to 5-7 most-used pages for clean interface

Recently Used Pages

Automatic Tracking:

  • System tracks last 10 pages visited
  • Appears in "Recent" menu section
  • Updates dynamically
  • Can be cleared manually

Benefits:

  • Quick return to recently visited pages
  • Reduces navigation time
  • Especially helpful for multi-step workflows

Privacy:

  • Recent pages are per-admin user
  • Not visible to other users
  • Can be disabled if desired

Custom Labels

Rename Menu Items:

  • Change "Customers" to "Members"
  • Change "Orders" to "Deliveries"
  • Change "Products" to "Menu Items"
  • Use terminology familiar to your team

Steps to Rename:

  1. Click edit icon on menu item
  2. Enter new label in "Custom Label" field
  3. Save
  4. Label updates throughout admin panel

When to Use:

  • Industry-specific terminology
  • Simplified language for non-technical users
  • Brand-specific naming
  • Multi-language customization

Create Custom Groupings: Example: Create "Daily Operations" section with:

  • Orders for Today
  • Customers with Issues
  • Inventory Alerts
  • Pending Approvals
  • Contact Form Submissions

Steps:

  1. Click "Add Custom Section"
  2. Name section (e.g., "Daily Operations")
  3. Drag menu items into new section
  4. Items can appear in multiple sections
  5. Set visibility rules for section
  6. Save configuration

Benefits:

  • Workflow-based organization
  • Role-specific task grouping
  • Reduce menu clutter
  • Faster task completion

Visibility Rules

Show/Hide Based On:

  • User Role: Only show to specific access levels
  • Permissions: Require specific capability
  • License/Plan: Show only if feature enabled
  • Time of Day: Show packing pages only during warehouse hours
  • Day of Week: Show reports on Mondays, hide on weekends
  • Custom Conditions: Advanced logic (requires developer)

Example Rule: "Show 'Packing Lists' only to Warehouse role, Monday-Friday, 6am-6pm"

Badge Notifications

Show Count Badges:

  • Pending orders (red badge)
  • Unread contact forms (blue badge)
  • Items requiring approval (yellow badge)
  • System alerts (orange badge)

Configure Badges:

  1. Edit menu item
  2. Enable "Show Badge"
  3. Select badge type:
    • Count (shows number)
    • Alert (shows exclamation)
    • Custom text
  4. Choose color
  5. Set refresh interval
  6. Save

Example: "Orders" menu item shows red badge "12" indicating 12 pending orders

Icons

Change Menu Icons:

  1. Edit menu item
  2. Click icon selector
  3. Browse icon library
  4. Select new icon
  5. Preview in menu
  6. Save

Icon Guidelines:

  • Choose recognizable icons
  • Consistent style across menu
  • Don't use similar icons for different items
  • Consider color-blind accessibility

Search and Filter in Menu

Quick Access:

  • Press "/" (slash) to open menu search
  • Type page name or keyword
  • Results appear instantly
  • Press Enter to navigate
  • ESC to close search

Search Includes:

  • Menu item names
  • Page descriptions
  • Keywords/tags
  • Recent pages (higher priority)
  • Favorites (highest priority)

Configuration:

  1. Settings > Menu Search
  2. Enable/disable search
  3. Set search scope
  4. Configure keyboard shortcut
  5. Customize result ordering
  6. Save preferences

Filter Menu By:

  • Show All - Default view
  • Favorites Only - Quick access mode
  • Recent Pages - Workflow mode
  • By Section - Focus on one area
  • By Frequency - Most-used pages first

Access Filters:

  • Dropdown at top of menu
  • Keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, etc.)
  • Quick toggle buttons

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Simplify Menu for New Employee

Goal: Create beginner-friendly menu for new customer service hire

Steps:

  1. Create new admin user account
  2. Navigate to Admin Navigation Menu Settings
  3. Select new user from dropdown
  4. Start with "Reset to Default"
  5. Hide all advanced features:
    • Bulk operations
    • Financial reports
    • System settings
    • Database tools
  6. Keep only essential pages:
    • Dashboard
    • Customer search
    • Customer detail
    • Order search
    • Order detail
    • Contact forms
  7. Basic reports
  8. Rename items using simple language:
    • "Customers" ’ "Find Customer"
    • "Orders" ’ "View Orders"
    • "Contact Forms" ’ "Customer Messages"
  9. Add favorites for most common tasks:
    • Search Customers
    • Today's Orders
    • Contact Form Inbox
  10. Save configuration
  11. Test by logging in as new user
  12. Gather feedback and refine

Result: Clean, focused menu reduces training time and confusion

Use Case 2: Optimize Menu for Daily Workflow

Goal: Reorganize menu to match daily task sequence

Morning Workflow:

  1. Check dashboard for alerts
  2. Review today's orders
  3. Print packing lists
  4. Check inventory alerts
  5. Respond to contact forms
  6. Update customer issues

Menu Reorganization:

  1. Create custom section: "Morning Routine"
  2. Add items in workflow order:
    • Dashboard
    • Orders for Today
    • Print Packing Lists
    • Inventory Alerts
    • Contact Forms (with badge)
    • Customer Issues Report
  3. Pin "Morning Routine" to top of menu
  4. Collapse other sections by default
  5. Add keyboard shortcuts for each step
  6. Save configuration

Benefit: Complete morning tasks faster with logical flow

Use Case 3: Create Role-Specific Menus

Goal: Different menu for warehouse vs. office staff

Warehouse Staff Menu:

  1. Create admin users for warehouse team
  2. Customize menu to show only:
    • Packing Lists
    • Shipping Labels
    • Inventory Management
    • Route Management
    • Order Status Updates
  3. Hide all reports and analytics
  4. Hide customer personal information
  5. Large text/icons for warehouse tablets
  6. Add quick action buttons for common tasks
  7. Save as "Warehouse Template"
  8. Apply to all warehouse users

Office Staff Menu:

  1. Full customer management
  2. All reports
  3. Email marketing
  4. Settings and configuration
  5. Financial tools
  6. Hide warehouse-specific pages
  7. Save as "Office Template"

Templates:

  • Export warehouse template
  • Export office template
  • Quick application to new users
  • Consistent experience per role

Use Case 4: Seasonal Menu Adjustments

Goal: Show holiday-specific pages during peak seasons

November-December (Holiday Season):

  1. Create custom section: "Holiday Operations"
  2. Add items:
    • Gift Box Orders
    • Holiday Shipping Cutoffs
    • Gift Message Review
    • Holiday Promotions
    • Black Friday Report
  3. Make section highly visible (top of menu)
  4. Add prominent badges for urgent items
  5. Schedule auto-activation: Nov 1
  6. Schedule auto-deactivation: Dec 31

January (New Year):

  1. Show year-end reports
  2. Highlight renewal campaigns
  3. Show inventory planning tools

Use scheduling to automate seasonal changes

Use Case 5: Collaborative Menu Design

Goal: Get team input on best menu structure

Process:

  1. Survey team: "What pages do you use daily?"
  2. Identify most common tasks per role
  3. Create draft menu structures
  4. Export configurations for each role
  5. Have team test for 1 week
  6. Gather feedback via survey
  7. Refine based on feedback
  8. Create final "approved" templates
  9. Apply to all users by role
  10. Document menu structure for training

Questions to Ask:

  • Which pages do you visit most?
  • What menu items are hard to find?
  • Any pages you never use?
  • Would different labels be clearer?
  • What shortcuts would help most?

Troubleshooting

Symptoms:

  • Saved menu settings don't apply
  • Menu looks the same after changes

Solutions:

  1. Clear browser cache and hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R)
  2. Log out and log back in
  3. Verify you selected correct admin user
  4. Check if "Preview Mode" is still on (changes not saved)
  5. Ensure "Save Settings" was clicked
  6. Check browser console for JavaScript errors
  7. Try different browser

Common Causes:

  • Browser cache
  • Forgot to save
  • Preview mode still active
  • JavaScript conflict

Missing Menu Items

Symptoms:

  • Expected menu items don't appear
  • Menu seems incomplete

Check:

  1. Verify user has appropriate access level
  2. Check menu item visibility settings
  3. Ensure item isn't hidden by role rules
  4. Check if license/feature is active
  5. Look in collapsed sections
  6. Search menu to confirm item exists
  7. Compare to default menu

Solution: Reset to default menu and reapply customizations

Symptoms:

  • Slow menu loading
  • Lag when clicking menu items
  • High CPU usage in browser

Solutions:

  1. Reduce number of badge notifications
  2. Disable auto-refresh badges
  3. Limit recently used items (default 10, reduce to 5)
  4. Reduce number of visible menu items
  5. Collapse unused sections by default
  6. Clear browser cache
  7. Update browser to latest version

Performance Tips:

  • Show only needed items
  • Disable unnecessary badges
  • Use sections to collapse rarely-used items

Custom Labels Not Saving

Symptoms:

  • Renamed menu items revert to original labels

Check:

  1. Ensure proper permissions (Administrator required)
  2. Verify special characters aren't used
  3. Check label length (max 50 characters)
  4. Save settings after each change
  5. Don't use restricted words (system keywords)

If Problem Persists: Contact Kiva Logic support - may be cache or database issue

  • Admin Users (admin-users.php) - Manage admin user accounts and roles
  • Roles & Permissions (roles.php) - Configure role-based access control
  • Dashboard Customization (dashboard.php) - Customize admin dashboard
  • System Settings (settings.php) - General system configuration
  • Activity Log (activity-log.php) - Track admin user actions

Typical Workflow:

  1. Admin Users ’ Create user account
  2. Roles & Permissions ’ Assign role
  3. Admin Navigation Menu Settings ’ Customize menu for role
  4. Dashboard Customization ’ Set dashboard widgets
  5. Test by logging in as that user

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Administrator or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Administrator: Customize menus for all users, create templates, manage visibility rules
  • Kiva Admin: All Administrator + system defaults, global menu templates, advanced configuration

Restricted Features:

  • Modify System Defaults: Kiva Admin only
  • Create Global Templates: Kiva Admin only
  • Access Menu API: Kiva Admin only

Note: Admins cannot modify menus for users with higher access level

Best Practices

  1. Keep it simple - Show only what users need daily
  2. Organize by workflow not alphabetically
  3. Use clear labels that match how your team talks
  4. Group related items in logical sections
  5. Prioritize common tasks at top of menu

Role-Based Customization

  1. Start with defaults and remove rather than build from scratch
  2. Create role templates for consistency
  3. Test with actual users before rolling out
  4. Document menu structure for training materials
  5. Review quarterly - workflows change over time

User Experience

  1. Limit favorites to 5-7 items max
  2. Use badges sparingly - too many cause alert fatigue
  3. Consistent iconography across menu
  4. Enable menu search for power users
  5. Provide user guide explaining menu customization

Maintenance

  1. Version control - export configurations before major changes
  2. User feedback loops - ask team what works/doesn't work
  3. Regular audits - remove unused items, update labels
  4. New user onboarding - simplified menu for training period
  5. Seasonal adjustments - show/hide based on business cycles

Things to Avoid

  • L Showing all possible menu items (overwhelming)
  • L Complex nested menus (hard to navigate)
  • L Renaming items with unclear labels
  • L Too many custom sections (defeats organization purpose)
  • L Changing menu structure frequently (confusing)
  • L Identical menus for all roles (one size doesn't fit all)
  • L Hiding critical pages users need

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
Open menu settings Settings > System > Admin Navigation Menu
Select user to customize User dropdown at top of page
Hide menu item Uncheck visibility box next to item
Show menu item Check visibility box next to item
Rename menu item Click edit icon > Enter custom label > Save
Change menu icon Click edit icon > Select icon > Save
Add to favorites Click star icon next to menu item
Reorder items Drag and drop using drag handle
Create custom section "Add Custom Section" button
Reset to default "Reset to Default" button (top right)
Preview changes Toggle "Preview Mode" on
Save settings "Save Settings" button (top right)
Export configuration "Export" button > Save JSON file
Import configuration "Import" button > Select JSON file

FAQs

Can each admin user have a different menu?

Yes! Each admin user can have a completely customized menu tailored to their role and preferences. Changes to one user's menu don't affect others.

What happens if I hide a page someone needs?

They won't be able to access it from the menu, but the page still exists. They could access it via direct URL if they know it. It's better to show pages users might occasionally need.

Can I undo menu changes?

Yes, click "Reset to Default" to restore the original menu structure. You can also export your current configuration before making changes as a backup.

Will menu customization affect system functionality?

No, hiding menu items only affects navigation. All functionality remains available via direct URLs, API, or other access methods. It's purely a UI customization.

Can I create menu templates to apply to multiple users?

Yes! Configure menu for one user, export the configuration, then import and apply to other users. Great for standardizing menus across teams.

How often should I update admin menus?

Review quarterly or when:

  • User roles change
  • New features are added
  • Team feedback indicates navigation issues
  • Business processes change

Can users customize their own menus?

Depends on your settings. You can allow users to manage their favorites and recently used items, but structural changes typically require Administrator access.

What's the difference between hiding and disabling a menu item?

  • Hide: Item doesn't appear in menu, page still accessible via URL
  • Disable: Item appears grayed out, page blocked even via direct URL (requires permission system changes, not just menu setting)

Can I schedule menu changes?

Yes, visibility rules can include date/time conditions to show seasonal items automatically. Example: Show "Holiday Shipping" menu from Nov 1 - Dec 31.

Will mobile admin app reflect menu changes?

Yes, menu customizations apply to both desktop admin panel and mobile admin app. Changes sync across all platforms.

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.