Customizing the Evolution CMS Manager Tree and Top Menu

One of the strengths of Evolution CMS has always been how easy it is to adapt the manager to the real workflow of a team. This older article showed that even major-looking manager customizations can be done with a plugin instead of patching system files.

What the customization did

The example plugin intercepted OnManagerPageInit and replaced the default tree area with a simplified navigation block. That made it possible to expose only the actions that mattered to a specific role.

if($_SESSION['mgrRole'] !== '2') return;
if($action != 1 || $_GET['f'] !== 'tree') return;

echo '<h2>Resources</h2>';
echo '<ul><li><a href="index.php?a=4">New resource</a></li></ul>';
echo '<h2>Tools</h2>';
echo '<ul><li><a href="index.php?a=17">Configuration</a></li></ul>';
exit;

Why this pattern is useful

• you can simplify the manager for specific roles
• you can surface the actions editors actually use
• you avoid core hacks that become painful during upgrades

Today you might implement admin UX changes in a cleaner or more structured way, but the original lesson still holds: if the default manager layout slows down a real editorial team, it is worth shaping it around the job instead of forcing the team to adapt to the default.