Can Multisite acheive this?

  • I’ve had some specs come in for a site that requires quite a unique management system. Basically I just want to ascertain whether this is achievable with WordPress/Multisite, details below.

    An administrator will have the ability to manage the entire site.

    The site will include a parent menu (editable only by the administrator) that links to a set of subsections of the site, the content for each subsection needs to be controlled by a set of sub administrators.

    Preferably the parent url structure for each subsection would be as such – mysite.com/subsection1, mysite.com/subsection2, mysite.com/subsection3, etc.

    Sub administrators will have the ability to update only their own subsections of the site. They need to have capabilities to,

    • add/edit pages & posts – only as sub pages of their parent url.
    • add/edit a specific subsection menu – on the front end this menu will be unique to each of the subsections of the website.
    • edit their subsection sidebar – on the front end this sidebar will again be unique to each of the subsections of the website.
    • add their own logo – to either the header section (if possible) or their subsection sidebar.

    Graphical representation of what I’m explaining here.

    I’m fairly new to Multisite, does it support such functionality?

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Moderator Bet Hannon

    (@bethannon1)

    The first thing to understand is that in multisite, each site is a completely separate website.

    That said, if you use the same theme on each subsite (so that to the user it does not immediately appear that they are leaving one website and going to another), and you use the links in the menu (instead of regular page items) to jump between the sites, I think you might be able to do what you’re needing to do.

    To get the URL structure that you proposed, you would want to use subdirectories rather than subdomains for the multisite.

    The only thing I’m not sure about is being able to add logos.

    If I understand correctly, then, Yes — multisite has the functionality. But you would use different terminology.

    Install using a subdirectory structure
    main site is the top page
    each section is actually a subsite
    only Superadmin (network admin) can manage the network and the top site
    each subsite has its own administrator

    some of the particulars (sidebars, logo, secondary menu) are set up using the theme.

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    some of the particulars (sidebars, logo, secondary menu) are set up using the theme.

    Then per-site admins will be able to edit them.

    But … what’s the question? Do you want to prevent that?

    Thread Starter Salpetriere

    (@salpetriere)

    Thank you all for your responses.

    I do apologise if the terminology I’m using here is incorrect.

    Ipstenu, yes the intention is to allow the subsection (per-site) admins the ability to edit their sidebar, logo & menu.

    Bet Hannon, with regards to your response I guess the only thing that I’m unsure about now is how I would go about ensuring that the parent menu is editable only by the super admin & is consistent across every subsection. My understanding here is that I would have to implement it as a menu in each of the subsection websites, thus making it editable to the subsection admins. Is that correct?

    Moderator Bet Hannon

    (@bethannon1)

    If you are the only administrator on the main parent site, you are the only one who will be able to make changes to that menu.

    As far as consistent menus across every subsection, you can have it either way, but not both ways: either the subsection/subsite admins will be able to control the menus on their sections, or they won’t.

    If they are administrators on their subdirectory site, they will be able to change the menu. If this doesn’t involve too many people, you can of course come to some understanding with them that they will not be making changes.

    If you want to be the SAICOAM (“super administrator in charge of all menus”), you can remove menu editing capabilities from your subsite administrators using a plugin like User Role Editor.

    Hope this is helpful.

    Thread Starter Salpetriere

    (@salpetriere)

    Sounds as though I’ll have to include both the parent menu & subsection menu as editable menus in each subsection site & just come to a verbal agreement for each subsection admin not to amend the parent menu. That’s not a huge problem.

    I may even be able to fudge up some css to hide the parent menu in the backend of the subsection sites, we’ll see.

    Thanks Bet.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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