Auto Remove Admin 'Sidebar Layout' and 'Footer Widget' for Contributors

CORRECTION:

add_action(‘add_meta_boxes’, ‘remove_generate_metaboxes’);

INSTEAD OF:

add_action(‘add_meta_boxes_page’, ‘remove_generate_metaboxes’);

Hi Manny,

By default, only administrators should be able to see these metaboxes.

You can try that same function, but with this instead:

add_action('add_meta_boxes', 'remove_generate_metaboxes', 9999);

Thanks for the prompt reply Tom.

Admins only yes, but I don't want it to show for anyone below the 'Editor' role which, currently, it does. I log in with a contributors account and see the layout and footer widget metaboxes. Tried the recommended solution and the metaboxes remained. Will continue tinkering with this code. Again, much appreciate the support.

Interesting - I'll have to look into that, as I agree only administrators should be able to change those options.

What might be happening is you have "post" set in your remove_metabox function:

remove_meta_box( 'generate_add_layout_meta_box', 'post', 'high');

That will only remove it on the "post" post type, but not on "Pages" or any other post type.

Just a guess?

Again, thank you Tom.

That is where I am specifically attempting to hide it from ("posts") but I have also tried "pages" to no avail.

Just tried it on another site to confirm and sidebar/footer widget metaboxes appears there as well for contributors. Contributors should be able to post but not alter the layout or footer widgets (at least that is how I am attempting to set it up).

Tried seeing if a contributor can actually alter the sidebar/footer and indeed they can.

Will continue to tinker on the code above to create a sort of patch. I could probably just edit the inc/metaboxes.php file with is_admin(); but upon an update that would go bye-bye.

Much appreciate the prompt and courteous support.

This may work:

if (is_admin()) :
function my_remove_meta_boxes() {
   if(!current_user_can('administrator')) {
      //remove_meta_box stuff
   }
}
add_action( 'admin_menu', 'my_remove_meta_boxes' );
endif;

Tom,

I added to the inc/metaboxes.php file the following on the first line:

if( current_user_can('administrator') ) {

Then closed at bottom with:

}

And this has removed both metaboxes from all but admins view. I just have to remember upon an update to redo this :)

Interestingly enough, it wouldn't work if only applied to the function generate_add_layout_meta_box(). All related functions had to be encased to get it to work.

Posted this 'horrible fix' in case another needs it in a pinch. I do not recommend this at all.

Went back because your solution would be better (updating the functions.php file within child theme). However, after multiple attempted variations I was unable to achieve the desired effect. I even tried just removing the metaboxes for all users .

function my_remove_meta_boxes() {
remove_meta_box( 'generate_layout_meta_box', 'post', 99999);
remove_meta_box( 'generate_save_layout_meta', 'post', 99999);
}
add_action( 'add_meta_boxes', 'my_remove_meta_boxes', 99999 );
add_action( 'admin_menu', 'my_remove_meta_boxes', 99999 );
add_action('save_post', 'my_remove_meta_boxes', 99999);

I've made it so the next version will only show these metaboxes for admins.

For those of you who want to change that, I added a filter so you can change the required capability.