Creating Custom Admin Menus in WordPress

Team Wpnzee on June 21, 2026

custom pages and custom menus in wordpress

Series: WordPress Development From Scratch
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Project Reference: Flipnzee Analytics

Introduction

One of the most powerful features of WordPress plugins is the ability to create custom pages inside the WordPress dashboard.

Have you ever installed a plugin and noticed a new menu item appear in the admin sidebar?

Examples include:

  • WooCommerce
  • Yoast SEO
  • Elementor
  • MonsterInsights
  • Flipnzee Analytics

These plugins create custom admin menus that allow users to configure settings, view reports, and manage plugin features.

In this tutorial you’ll learn:

  • How WordPress admin menus work
  • How plugins create dashboard pages
  • The purpose of menu permissions
  • Creating top-level menus
  • Creating submenu pages
  • Best practices for admin interfaces
  • How the Flipnzee Analytics plugin creates its dashboard

By the end, you’ll be able to add professional dashboard pages to your own plugins.

What Is an Admin Menu?

An admin menu is a navigation item inside the WordPress dashboard.

Examples:

Dashboard
Posts
Media
Pages
Comments
Appearance
Plugins
Users
Tools
Settings

Plugins can add their own entries:

Dashboard
Posts
Media
Pages
Flipnzee Analytics

Clicking the menu opens a custom admin page.

Why Create Admin Menus?

Many plugins need a place to:

  • Store settings
  • Display reports
  • Configure APIs
  • Show analytics
  • Manage users
  • Run maintenance tools

Without admin menus, users would have no easy way to interact with the plugin.

How WordPress Creates Menus

WordPress uses the:

admin_menu

hook.

Example:

add_action(
    'admin_menu',
    'wpnzee_admin_menu'
);

This tells WordPress:

“Run my function when admin menus are being built.”

Creating Your First Admin Menu

Example:

function wpnzee_admin_menu() {

    add_menu_page(
        'WPNzee Dashboard',
        'WPNzee Dashboard',
        'manage_options',
        'wpnzee-dashboard',
        'wpnzee_dashboard_page'
    );

}

add_action(
    'admin_menu',
    'wpnzee_admin_menu'
);

Understanding add_menu_page()

The function:

add_menu_page()

creates a top-level menu.

Example:

add_menu_page(
    'WPNzee Dashboard',
    'WPNzee Dashboard',
    'manage_options',
    'wpnzee-dashboard',
    'wpnzee_dashboard_page'
);

Let’s examine each parameter.

Page Title

'WPNzee Dashboard'

Displayed in the browser title.

Menu Title

'WPNzee Dashboard'

Displayed in the sidebar.

Capability

'manage_options'

Determines who can access the page.

Menu Slug

'wpnzee-dashboard'

Unique page identifier.

Callback Function

'wpnzee_dashboard_page'

Function that displays page content.

Creating the Dashboard Page

Now create the callback:

function wpnzee_dashboard_page() {

    echo '<div class="wrap">';

    echo '<h1>WPNzee Dashboard</h1>';

    echo '<p>Welcome to your first plugin dashboard.</p>';

    echo '</div>';

}

After activation, you’ll see a new menu inside the WordPress dashboard.

Understanding User Permissions

One of the most important concepts in WordPress administration is permissions.

Example:

'manage_options'

Only administrators can access pages using this capability.

Common Capabilities

CapabilityAccess
manage_optionsAdministrators
edit_postsAuthors and above
publish_postsEditors and above
activate_pluginsAdministrators
edit_pagesEditors and above

Choosing the correct capability is important for security.

Adding a Custom Icon

You can assign an icon:

add_menu_page(
    'WPNzee Dashboard',
    'WPNzee Dashboard',
    'manage_options',
    'wpnzee-dashboard',
    'wpnzee_dashboard_page',
    'dashicons-chart-line'
);

WordPress includes hundreds of Dashicons.

Examples:

dashicons-chart-line
dashicons-admin-generic
dashicons-analytics
dashicons-admin-tools
dashicons-chart-pie

Creating Submenus

Professional plugins usually contain multiple pages.

Example:

Flipnzee Analytics
├── Dashboard
├── Reports
├── Settings

WordPress provides:

add_submenu_page()

Example Submenu

add_submenu_page(
    'wpnzee-dashboard',
    'Reports',
    'Reports',
    'manage_options',
    'wpnzee-reports',
    'wpnzee_reports_page'
);

This creates a Reports page beneath the main menu.

Creating the Reports Page

Example:

function wpnzee_reports_page() {

    echo '<div class="wrap">';

    echo '<h1>Reports</h1>';

    echo '<p>Analytics reports appear here.</p>';

    echo '</div>';

}

Organizing Menu Code

As plugins grow, menu code should move into a dedicated file.

Example:

admin
├── menu.php
├── settings-page.php
└── reports-page.php

Then load it:

require_once plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'admin/menu.php';

This keeps the plugin organized.

Real Example: Flipnzee Analytics

The Flipnzee Analytics plugin uses custom admin pages to manage:

  • Google Analytics connections
  • Property configuration
  • Reports
  • Dashboard widgets
  • Search Console integration

Instead of placing everything inside Settings, it provides a dedicated interface designed specifically for analytics management.

This creates a better user experience.

Typical Flow of an Admin Menu

Plugin Activated
          ↓
admin_menu Hook Fires
          ↓
add_menu_page()
          ↓
Menu Appears in Sidebar
          ↓
User Clicks Menu
          ↓
Callback Function Executes
          ↓
Dashboard Page Loads

Understanding this flow makes admin development much easier.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Using Duplicate Slugs

Bad:

'settings'

Good:

'wpnzee-settings'

Always use unique prefixes.

Incorrect Permissions

Avoid:

'read'

for administrative pages.

Choose capabilities carefully.

Mixing Logic and Presentation

Keep:

Menu Registration

separate from:

Page Rendering

This improves maintainability.

Creating Too Many Top-Level Menus

Bad:

Dashboard
Posts
Pages
Plugin A
Plugin B
Plugin C
Plugin D

Use submenus whenever possible.

What You’ve Learned

In this tutorial you learned:

✓ What admin menus are

✓ How plugins create dashboard pages

✓ How add_menu_page() works

✓ How add_submenu_page() works

✓ How permissions control access

✓ How menu callbacks work

✓ How Flipnzee Analytics organizes its admin interface

✓ Best practices for scalable dashboard development

Key Takeaway

Admin menus are the foundation of plugin user interfaces.

They provide a professional way for users to interact with plugin settings, reports, and tools.

Most successful WordPress plugins rely heavily on custom admin pages, making this an essential skill for every plugin developer.

Next Lesson

In the next tutorial we’ll explore:

Building a Professional Settings Page Using the WordPress Settings API

You’ll learn how plugins save settings securely, how WordPress stores configuration data, and how the Flipnzee Analytics plugin manages API credentials, analytics settings, and user preferences using professional WordPress development practices.

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