Force Admin Color Scheme

Though it is typically an individually configurable aspect of WordPress, there are times when forcing a single admin color scheme upon all users of a site can be warranted, such as to:
- Provide a unique backend color scheme for multiple sites used by the same set of users to reinforce the difference between the sites.
- Clearly denote backend differences between a production and staging/test instance of a site. Especially given that in this situation with the same plugins active and often the same data present, it can be easy to get mixed up about what site you’re actually on.
- Force a site brand-appropriate color scheme.
- Crush the expression of individuality under your iron fist.
Additionally, the plugin removes the “Admin Color Scheme” profile setting from users who don’t have the capability to set the admin color scheme globally since being able to set its value gives them the false impression that it may actually apply.
Links: Plugin Homepage | Plugin Directory Page | GitHub | Author Homepage
Hooks
The plugin is further customizable via one filter. Typically, code making use of filters should ideally be put into a mu-plugin or site-specific plugin (which is beyond the scope of this readme to explain).
c2c_force_admin_color_scheme (filter)
The ‘c2c_force_admin_color_scheme’ filter allows you to set or override the forced admin color scheme. Use of the constant (“) takes priority over the filtered value, but the filtered value takes priority over the value set via the admin.
Arguments:
- $color (string): The name of the admin color scheme. If an empty string is returned, then the plugin will behave as if no forced admin color scheme has been defined.
Example:
/**
* Sets a forced admin color scheme based on user. Admins get one color scheme, whereas everyone else gets another.
*
* @param string $color The current forced admin color scheme. Empty string indicates no forced admin color scheme.
* @return string
*/
function my_c2c_force_admin_color_scheme( $color ) {
return current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ? 'sunrise' : 'coffee';
}
add_filter( 'c2c_force_admin_color_scheme', 'my_c2c_force_admin_color_scheme' );
Download & install the zip archive
The plugin package installer can be downloaded from the WP2E project tab called “code”.
1 – Select the version to download if this option is available otherwise the “latest” version of the main plugin will be used.
2 – After downloading the zip archive install the plugin package installer in you local environment and activate the script from the plugin list.
3 – Under the section “Plugins” of the admin dashboard you should see a new “Dependencies & Licenses” link. Follow the instructions from this panel to finalize the installation of the missing dependencies.
- Give a name to your project
- Download the Installer Package
- Install & activate the plugin locally
- Install the suggested dependencies
Tips: Use the WP2E panel to add/suggest new dependencies to the local installation. Press F5 in the list of dependencies if the changes are not displayed right away.



