Set of plugins to control the Admin UI

Question

What plugin you would recommend that would give powerful Admin UI options such as change Add Posts menu item to Add Articles, remove Add Media option for certain user roles and not allowing certain user roles to create Tags etc.

I'm not talking about those plugins that lets you do client logo instead of Wordpress logo and stuff. I'm talking about some real hard core admin functionality customization.

Is there one out there that excells in this regard?

Answer 1

I have found Role Scopper to be a powerful role management tool. It's a PAIN to figure out, but once it clicks, it's genius. There's a new, paid version (not terribly expensive), but I have not tried it, and can't speak to it's usefulness. @brasofilo, thanks for the good information. I will incorporate some of that into my install.

Answer 2

I know you're asking for plugins - but my first reaction is to suggest code a plugin to fit your needs. http://codex.wordpress.org/Creating_Admin_Themes

Answer 3

I do this all the time and I'm still about to find one plugin that covers all the ground.
( That would be the Holy Grail... hey, that's a good name for a plugin! :) )

This is what I use to have enhanced, controlled and minimalistic Admin UIs:

• Adminimize: CSS hiding of large chunks of the Admin with role filtering. Custom roles are also listed. You can declare custom rules in Your Own Options.
• To really block (or give) user capabilities: User Role Editor or Members
• For giving another flavor to the Menu, Ozh' Admin Drop Down Menu coupled with Admin Menus Fixed
• This one is quite nice for hiding all the Help Texts: Admin Expert Mode. But it is very specific, and I ended up incorporating its CSS (due credited) into my own plugin (bellow).

And there's a last one that I wrote, Many Tips Together.
And if you allow me, a brief history:
Adminimize was not enough for my goals. And I had a private plugin with a collection of functions for dealing with many other little hacks, like the ones found in is this wonderful post: Best Collection of Code for your functions.php file

Finally, I made an interface and released it.
Version 1 grew immensely and there are hundred plus options to play with. It is fairly decent coded, but I cannot be sure until not sitting down and reading this book: Professional WordPress Plugin Development. Caveat emptor.

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So, in every site I do, this four are always there: Adminimize, Ozh+Fixed and Many Tips. The role management goes case by case. And normally I have a plugin - /wp-content/mu-plugins/site-name.php - where I drop site specific functions.

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[update]
Just found a brilliant WPSE plugin for dealing with all your custom translations needs: Retranslate, by toscho