The admin bar alert provides at-a-glance security status while you work in WordPress. A badge displays the count of critical findings, ensuring you never miss important security issues.

Understanding the Admin Bar Icon #

Location #

The Content Guard Pro icon appears in the WordPress admin bar (top toolbar), visible on:

• All admin pages
• Front-end when logged in (if admin bar enabled)

Badge Indicators #

Badge	Meaning
——-	———
Red number	Critical findings require attention
Yellow number	Suspicious findings present
No badge	No open findings
Shield icon only	Plugin active, no issues

Example States #

• 🛡️ 3 (red) = 3 Critical findings
• 🛡️ 5 (yellow) = 5 Suspicious findings (no critical)
• 🛡️ (no badge) = All clear

Quick Actions Dropdown #

Click the admin bar icon to see:

Finding Summary #

• Count by severity (Critical, Suspicious, Review)
• Total open findings
• Last scan timestamp

Recent Findings #

List of most recent findings showing:

• Severity indicator
• Brief description
• Affected post title
• Time detected

Quick Links #

• View All Findings – Go to full findings page
• Run Quick Scan – Start a scan immediately
• Settings – Access plugin settings

Enabling/Disabling Admin Bar #

Currently Shown #

Admin bar alerts are enabled by default when:

• You have manage_options capability (admin)
• There are open findings to display

Hiding the Badge #

To hide the admin bar notification:

1. Go to Content Guard Pro → Settings
2. Find Notifications section
3. Uncheck Admin Notices
4. Click Save Changes

Note: This hides the badge but doesn’t hide the icon entirely. The icon remains for quick access to the plugin.

Badge Updates #

When Does It Update? #

The badge count updates:

• When a new finding is detected
• When findings are resolved/quarantined
• On each admin page load
• After scans complete

Real-Time Updates #

The badge reflects current database state. If you:

• Quarantine a finding → Badge count decreases
• Run a scan with new findings → Badge count increases
• Resolve findings → Badge count decreases

Workflow Integration #

Typical Usage #

1. Notice the badge while working normally
2. Click to see summary of current issues
3. Click a finding to review details
4. Take action (quarantine, edit, ignore)
5. Badge updates to reflect resolution

Best Practice #

• Check the badge daily during routine WordPress work
• Investigate immediately when Critical (red) appears
• Review weekly when only Suspicious (yellow)

Customizing Behavior #

Show Only Critical #

To only show badge for Critical findings:

• This is the default behavior
• Badge appears red only for Critical
• Yellow for Suspicious (no Critical)

Hide When Clean #

When no open findings exist:

• Badge disappears
• Only shield icon shows
• Click still opens dropdown

Troubleshooting #

Badge Not Appearing #

1. Check admin bar visibility:
– Go to Users → Your Profile
– Ensure “Show Toolbar” is checked

2. Check plugin settings:
– Verify admin notices are enabled

3. Check permissions:
– Badge only shows for admins (manage_options)

4. Clear caches:
– Object cache may have stale data

Badge Shows Wrong Count #

1. Page cache issues:
– Clear your page/browser cache
– Badge should update on next load

2. Stale data:
– Run a new scan
– Refresh the page

Dropdown Not Working #

1. JavaScript errors:
– Check browser console for errors
– Disable other plugins to test for conflicts

2. CSS conflicts:
– Some themes may style admin bar differently
– Check theme compatibility

Mobile Responsiveness #

On mobile devices:

• Admin bar may be hidden by default
• Badge appears when admin bar is visible
• Dropdown works with touch

Related Features #

• Dashboard Widget – Full security overview on main dashboard
• Email Alerts – Get notified even when not in WordPress
• Webhook – Integrate with external monitoring tools