Smart navigation tabs for Django Admin
Project description
Django Admin Tabs
A Django admin extension that adds smart navigation tabs to help you quickly switch between recently visited admin pages.
Zero Configuration Required - Just install and it works!
Features
- Zero Configuration - Works out of the box with automatic setup
- Smart Tab Navigation - Automatically maintains a tab bar of your recent admin pages
- Quick Page Switching - Click any tab to instantly jump to that page
- Close Tabs - Remove individual tabs with a click
- Persistent Tabs - Your tabs survive page refreshes (stored in browser)
- Theme Compatible - Automatically adapts to Django Admin's color scheme
- Custom Theme Support - Works with django-admin-interface, django-jazzmin, etc.
- No Layout Jump - Seamless page transitions without visual flicker
Requirements
- Python 3.8+
- Django 3.2+
Installation
pip install django-nav-toolbar
Or install from source:
pip install git+https://github.com/lazyjean/django-nav-toolbar.git
Usage
1. Add to INSTALLED_APPS
INSTALLED_APPS = [
'nav_toolbar',
'django.contrib.admin',
# ... your other apps
]
Note: No special ordering required - nav_toolbar can be placed anywhere in INSTALLED_APPS.
2. Collect Static Files
python manage.py collectstatic
3. Run Your Project
python manage.py runserver
Navigate to Django admin, and you'll see the tabs bar at the top of the page!
How It Works
As you navigate through different admin pages, Django Admin Tabs automatically maintains a tab bar showing your recent pages. This allows you to:
- Quickly switch between different admin sections without using the back button
- Keep context of where you've been working
- Access previous pages with a single click
The tabs are automatically managed based on your navigation patterns.
Configuration (Optional)
Currently, the package uses fixed default values. Advanced configuration support is planned for future releases.
Current Defaults
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
MAX_ITEMS |
20 | Maximum number of tabs to display |
STORAGE_KEY |
'admin_tabs_' |
Browser storage key prefix (includes hostname) |
Technical Details
Automatic Middleware Injection
This package uses Django middleware to automatically inject CSS/JS into admin pages:
- CSS Injection: The middleware adds the tabs stylesheet to the
<head>section - Container Pre-insertion: An empty container is inserted after the admin header to prevent layout jumps
- JavaScript Injection: The tabs script is added before the closing
</body>tag - Dynamic Content: JavaScript fills the pre-inserted container with tab data
This approach ensures:
- Zero configuration - No template modifications or INSTALLED_APPS ordering required
- Universal compatibility - Works with any admin theme or customization
- No visual jumps - Container exists before page render completes
- Automatic middleware registration - Added automatically by the app config
Theme Compatibility
The package uses CSS variables to automatically match your admin theme:
Django Admin Interface Variables:
--admin-interface-header-background-color- Header/tabs bar background--admin-interface-header-text-color- Active tab text--admin-interface-module-background-color- Module colors--admin-interface-module-link-color- Link colors
Fallback to Django Admin Variables:
--primary- Primary color--header-bg- Header background--body-bg- Background color
If you have a custom admin theme, the tabs will automatically adapt to match your design.
Troubleshooting
Tabs not showing
- Check INSTALLED_APPS order: Ensure
nav_toolbarcomes beforedjango.contrib.admin - Run collectstatic: Make sure static files are collected
- Clear browser cache: Hard refresh the admin page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
Warning about INSTALLED_APPS order
If you see a warning like:
UserWarning: nav_toolbar should be placed BEFORE django.contrib.admin...
Simply reorder your INSTALLED_APPS as shown in the Usage section above.
Development
Setup
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/lazyjean/django-nav-toolbar.git
cd django-nav-toolbar
# Install in development mode
pip install -e .
# Run the example project
cd example
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py runserver
Code Quality
# Linting
ruff check nav_toolbar/
# Formatting
ruff format nav_toolbar/
Testing
# Run tests
python -m pytest
# Or with Django's test runner
python manage.py test
License
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
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