Why is the dashboard forcing 3 columns wp3.8?

Indeed, I’d love to have to use 2 ou 3 columns. Mine is forcing 4.

Looks great, but taking out the ability to choose 1,2 or 3 columns was NOT a good idea.

Google Analytics and several other plugins display incorrectly now!

You really have to ask if these plugins were “doing it wrong” in the first place…

I see there is a lot of debate about the new admin area. That can be expected of course. I like the changes, apart from one thing and that is what this thread is about.

I am looking at the admin area on a large screen and am seeing 4 columns. I am using the 2 on the left, and I see 2 reserved areas on the right that I do not use. There is no way for me to make the columns I use wider, or tell WP that I have only 2 active columns.

If I decrease the width of the browser window, there is a point where I only see 3 columns, and my active columns are actually wider!

I understand the concept of making things responsive, but it looks to me that there is a flaw in how this is implemented.

It looks like WP looks at the width of the browser window and decides then how much columns are needed. I agree with some of the people on this forum that one must be able to set the number of active columns and use that as a basis for showing the admin area in a responsive way.

Right now I have columns that are really narrow, while there is a lot of unused space on the right. And there is no way to change that. Or is there, and have I just not looked hard enough?

I found a way to get the choice of how many columns back:
https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/126301/wordpress-3-8-dashboard-1-column-screen-options

@jodzee:
Thanks a lot. Looks like I can use that.

But… I sure hope this unfortunate side effect of the changes to admin is getting solved in 3.8.1…

Count me in as another voice not happy w/ the removal of configurable columns in 3.8

+1. I would also like dashboard columns back.

I have 1920px x 1080px display and I used to have just 2 columns which worked great!

Now 4 columns are displaying, yet my widgets have all been forced into the first 2 columns.

Obviously the widgets are also now half the sizze that they were so many plugins are having display issues with the Dashboard widgets (JetPack stats included!).

Responsive design isn’t supposed to PUNISH users that have larger displays.

I sincerely hope column choices return in the next update.

Other than that – the new admin UI is awesome.

+1 Especially in the widget area. I have now 4 columns: two looooong columns for the widgets and two (!) short for the sidebars. If I want to place a text widget in the sidebar I have to scroll to the very bottom (due to the two columns only) grab the text widget and try to move it to all the way up the very top to the widget area … that’s not very user friendly.

+1 for dashboard columns. I use a netbook almost exclusively and even the 2-col layout is just too cramped for my dashboard widgets. will try function that @jodzee posted.

I have three WordPress sites. One shows 3 columns in the admin area. That’s my preference. The other went from 4 columns prior to the 3.8 upgrade to 2. And I can’t change it! I hate that I can’t change it! Want the configurable columns back. I do NOT want to go fiddling with the admin code!

It’s based on your window size.

You can do this with a plugin: https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/126301/wordpress-3-8-dashboard-1-column-screen-options

Please don’t force me to use another plugin to get rid of those 3rd or 4th empty columns wasting space in my admin!

Why does WordPress/Automattic have so little common sense? Why do you keep doing these idiotic things?

I “fixed” it for now by adding the following code from a link earlier in this thread to my functions.php, under my growing ‘f*** you Matt Mullenweg’ code section:

function wpse126301_dashboard_columns() {
    add_screen_option(
        'layout_columns',
        array(
            'max'     => 2,
            'default' => 1
        )
    );
}
add_action( 'admin_head-index.php', 'wpse126301_dashboard_columns' );

add_action( 'admin_head-index.php', function()
{
    ?>
<style>
.postbox-container {
    min-width: 100% !important;
}
.meta-box-sortables.ui-sortable.empty-container {
    display: none;
}
</style>
    <?php
});

+1 for the ability to control the number of columns again. I also use very little items on the dashboard, and prefer to stretch the dashboard widgets out longer across two columns instead of the forced four.

Totally understand this is for responsive purposes, and absolutely agree with the decision for the auto growing of the columns, but lets add back in the ability to adjust the number columns.

As for the quick fix, this is great for those running a single instance, but for those running multi-site systems, it’s quite a bit more difficult.

Lastly, for those going nuts over this… come on, you’re using a free CMS system, let alone the most popular one. Has any application, web or desktop, ever been released that pleased 100% of it’s buyers? I’ve been buying apps for 18 years I’ve yet to come across one. Give a little!

To WP: lets see this added back… but seeing the ticket has already been submitted, but it’s “Awaiting Review”, so it doesn’t look like it will be in the next update. https://core.trac.www.ads-software.com/ticket/26575

+1 for bringing back the ability for site admins to choose how many columns they want displayed. I use a large monitor because I have vision challenges – the four columns WP now wants to display makes things worse! I want the ability to be able to easily set my dashboard back to 2 columns without needing a plugin, or putting code in my functions that could go away if I change Themes.

Why do the WP developers keep taking choices away?