Re{code} Object Identifier

Why a permanent identifier matters

Files move. Themes change. Galleries get reorganized, uploads get migrated to a new folder, a CDN gets swapped, an image gets replaced with a higher-resolution scan. Every time that happens, any link pointing at the old file — a backlink, a Pinterest pin, a blog embed, a shared image URL — breaks.

Re{code} Object Identifier fixes this by attaching a permanent, human-readable identifier to any object in your WordPress database (an attachment, a post, a WooCommerce product) and exposing it through a handful of clean, stable public routes. The identifier never changes, even if everything behind it does — much like a DOI for a research paper, or an accession number in a museum collection.

One field. Four public routes. Zero symlinks.

Key Features

Screenshots

Settings → General — identifier meta key, legacy fallback, WooCommerce SKU matching, and object sources

Public routes — active toggle, editable slug, and purpose for each of the four endpoints

Statistics at a glance — identifier, referring domain, hit count, and last seen

A Real Example

On shulmanart.com, every painting carries its own inventory number. Once that number is registered as the object's identifier, it becomes a permanent public handle for the piece — for example, identifier 93154603 resolves at:

https://shulmanart.com/art/93154603

That single URL stays valid however the painting is filed, moved between galleries, or re-exported at a new resolution — while /media/93154603, /embed/93154603, and /api/93154603 give you the raw image, a share-ready preview, and structured data for the same painting, respectively.

Who This Is For

• Galleries & artist archives — give every work a permanent link that survives re-catalogueing and site redesigns
• Collectors & private funds — a lightweight, self-hosted cataloguing layer on top of a collection you already manage in WordPress
• Museums & institutions — accession-number-style identifiers exposed as clean, linkable, embeddable URLs
• WooCommerce catalogue stores — stable product links and embeds that work independent of SKU changes or catalogue restructuring

Installation

Manual Upload

1. Download the plugin ZIP file
2. Upload via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
3. Activate — then configure identifier and routes under Settings → Object Identifier

Requirements

• WordPress 5.9 or higher (tested up to 6.9)
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• WooCommerce (optional, required only for SKU matching)
• An existing meta field or ACF field already holding your identifier (or start fresh with the plugin's default)

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to change my existing custom field?

No. Point the plugin's Meta key setting at your existing field (e.g. an ACF text field like inventory_number) and it works immediately — no data migration required.

Does this only work for art galleries?

No — that's simply the first use case. Any post type or WooCommerce product with a unique identifying value can be exposed this way: real estate listings, product catalogues, document archives, or media libraries.

Will this slow down my site?

No. Object lookups are cached for 5 minutes, and routes only add a single lightweight rewrite check — there's no overhead on pages that don't use the identifier routes.

What happens if an identifier isn't found?

The plugin returns a standard 404 — it never guesses or falls back to unrelated content.

Can I rename the routes later?

Yes, at any time from Settings → Object Identifier → Public routes. Rewrite rules are refreshed automatically on save.