How can I add a custom 'Posts' menu item to SpreeCommerce Admin's content tab?

Below is one way to “register” your Posts link by using the Spree backend configuration. Instead of relying on Deface (which requires hooks in the view), you can add your menu item by modifying the Spree::Backend::Config.menu_items. For example, you can create an initializer (or modify your extension’s engine code) with something like:

RUBYCopied
# config/initializers/spree.rb

Spree::Backend::Config.configure do |config|
  # Register a new backend menu item for Posts.
  # The first argument of MenuItem.new is an array representing the “menu node”
  # path. In our case, putting it under the content tab (which is grouped
  # under pages) might look like [:contents, :posts]. Adjust this array depending
  # on how you want your menu item nested.
  config.menu_items << Spree::Backend::Config::MenuItem.new(
    [:contents, :posts],
    label: 'Posts',
    url: proc { Spree::Core::Engine.routes.url_helpers.admin_posts_path },
    icon: 'icon-file',
    # Optionally, you can restrict the link to users who have the proper permission.
    condition: proc { |menu_item| can?(:admin, Spree::Post) }
  )
end

A few notes on this approach:

1. Menu Path:
   In the code above, the first argument is an array. The first part (here, :contents) can be considered the “parent” node; in other words, it tells Spree to place your item within the content grouping. Adjust this to match your desired grouping—if you already have a pages or content tab and you want posts to live there, make sure that grouping is being used internally in your Spree installation.

2. URL:
   The URL is defined as a proc so that it’s lazily evaluated. Make sure you have an admin route named (for instance) admin_posts_path defined in your routes.

3. Authorization:
   The condition proc is optional—it makes the menu item visible only if the current user can perform the specified action on a Spree::Post. Adjust this check as necessary per your authorization setup.

4. Icon:
   Modify the icon to a suitable CSS class that matches your design.

After placing this initializer file (or inserting this code into the extension’s engine), restart your server. Your Posts link should now appear in the content tab under pages according to the menu hierarchy configured.

This “modern Spree” method (configuring menu items via Spree::Backend::Config) is preferred when there’s no suitable Deface hook available. If you later need to adjust the ordering or grouping further, you may explore methods such as inserting before or after other menu items by using additional helper methods on the menu configuration object.