Dashboard Widgets for Multisite

Add Custom Dashboard Widgets for a Network

As easy as it could be 👍 If you have experience with non-multisite dashboard widgets, you already know about wp_dashboard_setup action hook. WordPress Multisite Dashboard action hook is wp_network_dashboard_setup.

Now let’s try it for a test widget.

Some notes by the below code:

• You can also use add_meta_box() function instead of wp_add_dashboard_widget, because add_meta_box() allows to manipulate with dashboard widgets positioning and priority.
• 3rd parameter of add_meta_box() means where to display a widget/metabox. dashboard-network is Network Dashboard (line 6)
• Do not use IDs of the default widgets – network_dashboard_right_now and dashboard_primary.

add_action('wp_network_dashboard_setup', 'misha_multisite_dash_widget');
 
function misha_multisite_dash_widget(){
 
	wp_add_dashboard_widget( 'misha_1', 'Test Widget', 'misha_test_widget_2');
	add_meta_box('misha_2', 'Misha Widget', 'misha_widget_1', 'dashboard-network', 'normal', 'high' );
 
}
 
function misha_widget_1(){
	echo 'Some content for Misha Widget';
}
 
function misha_test_widget_2(){
	echo 'Some content for Test Widget';
}

And the result:

Remove default ones

Before coding anything, please look at the screenshot below:

By default WordPress Multisite dashboard has only two default widgets – “Right now” and “WordPress Events and News”. Let’s remove both of them.

add_action('admin_init', 'misha_remove_default_ones');
 
function misha_remove_default_ones(){
	// remove Right now
	remove_meta_box( 'network_dashboard_right_now', 'dashboard-network', 'core' );
	// remove WordPress Events and News
	remove_meta_box( 'dashboard_primary', 'dashboard-network', 'side' );
 
}

• The interesting thing is that if you remove dashboard widgets with wp_network_dashboard_setup, they won’t disappear from Screen Options. Using admin_init hook instead solves this problem.
• If some plugins added their custom dashboard widgets and you do not know how to remove them, you can try to find out their IDs with global $wp_meta_boxes; print_r( $wp_meta_boxes['dashboard-network'] );. Your browser code inspector can help you with it too.
• By the way, you can also manipulate with $wp_meta_boxes if you want to sort the widgets the way you need.

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Misha Rudrastyh

I love WordPress, WooCommerce and Gutenberg so much. 12 yrs of experience.

Need some custom developer help? Get in touch