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manifest / admin / bonsai_support

The Bonsai Digital Collective Support Widget

Adds the Bonsai Digital support widget to the WordPress Dashboard.

by Ben Ervine / The Bonsai Digital Collective · github.com/bonsai-systems/bonsai_support · website

★ 0stars

Install

Download source zip No release zip yet

This is the repository archive. It installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow.

Install straight from GitHub with WP-CLI:

wp plugin install https://github.com/bonsai-systems/bonsai_support/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
Updates itself. It ships its own updater (Plugin Update Checker), so new versions appear under Dashboard → Updates.
Readme github.com/bonsai-systems/bonsai_support ↗

A lightweight WordPress plugin that adds a branded support widget to the WordPress Dashboard. Provides quick access to the Bonsai Digital Collective Help Centre and support request form.

Description

This plugin adds a custom dashboard widget to the WordPress admin area with:

The widget helps ensure clients always know where to go for help, while keeping the WordPress dashboard clean and simple.

As of v2.0.0, the plugin also self-updates from GitHub releases via the wp-admin Plugins screen, using Plugin Update Checker (matching the pattern used by bonsai-code-injector).

Installation

  1. Download the plugin .zip or clone the repo.
  2. Upload to /wp-content/plugins/ directory or install via the WordPress admin Plugins → Add New → Upload.
  3. Activate the plugin from the WordPress Plugins screen.
  4. The support widget will appear automatically on the Dashboard.

Once active, WordPress will check https://github.com/gakdesign/bonsai_support for new releases and offer updates through the normal Plugins screen "update available" flow.

Development

This plugin ships its update-checker dependency via Composer, committed into vendor/ (no build step required on a live site).

If you need to update the dependency:

composer update

Then commit the regenerated vendor/ and composer.lock alongside the code change.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for the full history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who can see the support widget? A: By default, all WordPress users with Dashboard access. You can restrict it further by editing the plugin and adding a capability check (e.g. current_user_can('manage_options')).

Q: Can I customise the links or banner? A: Yes — edit the URLs inside the plugin's main function, or fork this repo with your own settings.

Q: How do updates work? A: The plugin checks the gakdesign/bonsai_support GitHub repo's releases and offers updates directly in wp-admin — no separate update plugin required.

Development Notes

  • Built to be lightweight and DRY.
  • Uses modern WordPress best practices.
  • Inline styles are minimal for simplicity. If desired, enqueue custom admin CSS for more control.

Author

Developed by Ben Ervine / The Bonsai Digital Collective