Uplink Media Bridge for Etch

Uplink Media Bridge for Etch adds a native Media > Etch Collections workspace for organizing the WordPress media library with Etch itself. Create and edit two-level collections, upload or select media, assign items to multiple collections, drag selected items into a collection, and use bulk assignment tools without installing another folder plugin. Read the Uplink Media Bridge for Etch 2.0 overview. Wicked Folders and HappyFiles remain supported as optional bridge providers. Choose one under Media > Uplink Media Bridge when you want bidirectional synchronization instead of the native-only mode. To update the plugin settings, open Media > Uplink Media Bridge in the WordPress admin. The settings are located under the Media tab, not the Settings menu. WordPress 7.0 and newer also exposes the manager and Media Bridge settings through the Command Palette. The manager entry uses the administrator-defined label and is available only in native Etch Collections mode; it is hidden from both the Media menu and Command Palette while Wicked Folders or HappyFiles is selected. WordPress capability checks determine which entries each user can see. Administrators who choose the Enhanced Media Manager can change its label. The default remains Etch Collections. The custom name is used in the Media menu, manager title, information popup, WordPress media-selection tab, and Command Palette. Searching the Command Palette for Etch continues to find the manager and Media Bridge settings, even when the manager uses a custom name. The Media Library experience setting offers two exclusive choices in Etch-only mode. WordPress Media Library keeps the native screens and can add Etch Collection tools to them. Enhanced Media Manager replaces the Media screen and WordPress media-selection dialogs with the custom-labeled manager and its inserter. Optional providers:

• Wicked Folders
• HappyFiles

Native features include collection creation, rename, movement and deletion; Etch drag-and-drop collection ordering; media uploads and permanent deletion; a full-screen attachment editor and compact icon toolbar; title, alt text, decorative state, caption, and description editing; adjustable grid and masonry layouts plus a compact list view; detailed filtering by media and MIME type, uploader, attachment status, date, dimensions, file size, and missing alt text; Media Health scanning; optional EXIF display; Auto, Light, and Dark appearance modes; search; automatic scroll loading; optional numbered pagination; multi-collection assignments; Ctrl/Command-click and Shift-click range selection; drag-and-drop assignment; and bulk add, remove, uncategorize, or delete actions.

2.2.1

• Uses raw attachment titles and decoded fallback filenames in the Enhanced Manager, Etch dynamic data, and collection galleries.

2.2.0

• Adds Etch Collections to the native WordPress media library and media selector, including filtering, upload destinations, collection management, assignment controls, and drag-and-drop organization.
• Adds a clear choice between the familiar WordPress Media Library and the complete Enhanced Manager workflow.
• Extends native attachment editing with Etch Collection assignments, registered custom fields, direct image editing, and a return path to the originating media screen.
• Reorganizes settings around collection source and media workflow, with persistent save controls, unsaved-change warnings, and reset-to-default support.

2.1.2

• Adds list, grid, and masonry controls to the media inserter and shares the saved view with the manager.
• Matches the inserter search and toolbar layout to the manager, including live search and responsive wrapping.
• Keeps the Images filter active for featured-image fields and sorts MIME types alphabetically by subtype.
• Moves the selection control into the card footer and aligns it with the media status icons.
• Clears stale featured-image selections after the current image is removed.

2.1.1

• Shows the currently assigned featured image as selected and visible without opening the Details panel.
• Removes the first-click delay when selecting media from a large library.
• Keeps parent disclosure controls aligned with top-level folder icons in the manager and inserter.
• Removes an unrelated legacy optimizer note from the plugin description.

2.1

• Detects and reports optimization metadata recorded by Cimo without depending on Cimo's internal PHP classes.
• Records successful Etch attachment replacements so later optimization details can be displayed.
• Distinguishes the optimized full-size image from aggregate storage across generated WordPress image sizes.
• Preserves earlier Cimo or Etch results as clearly labeled optimization history when another optimizer subsequently replaces the attachment.
• Moves optimization history into a contextual inspector tab and identifies WordPress-generated image sizes processed by Cimo.
• Visually separates the current file from earlier optimization stages in both attachment inspectors.
• Improves attachment inspector sizing on smaller screens and corrects its semantic heading order.
• Adds matching optimization indicators and filters to the manager and media inserter.
• Uses a standardized gauge icon for optimized media throughout both interfaces.
• Adds an Optimization documentation tab with guidance for Cimo, Etch, and Cimo's documented AVIF support.
• Ignores stale Cimo statistics after Etch or another tool replaces the attachment, while allowing a later Cimo run to become current again.
• Reworks the Upload screen with collection destination selection, drag-and-drop staging, file validation, remove and clear controls, and an explicit batch upload action.
• Adds an optional Keep originals switch for Cimo uploads so original embedded metadata can reach WordPress unchanged.
• Adds inline collection creation and an accessible explanation popover to the Upload screen.
• Moves collection management controls beside the collection tree and adds collection assignment to the Main tab of the attachment editor.
• Adds delayed live search to the media inserter so search behavior matches the manager.
• Opens the Media Bridge uploader from WordPress's Add Media File menu when Media Bridge is the default Media screen.
• Preserves WordPress's canonical Media menu identifiers so menu-management plugins can continue to recognize and organize the Media item and its submenus.
• Adds a settings button to the manager header so administrators retain direct access when Media Bridge replaces the default Media screen.
• Keeps attachment text areas at a usable multi-line height on tablets and adds a clearer branch treatment for nested collection assignments.

2.0.7

• Renames Muted text to Secondary text throughout the appearance editor.
• Adds independent foreground controls for badges and non-image previews.
• Groups backgrounds beside their associated text and icon colors in the appearance editor.
• Separates media card backgrounds from panel backgrounds in both the manager and inserter.
• Clarifies the foreground controls used on accent, soft-accent, and destructive backgrounds.
• Shows a live pass/fail dot and contrast ratio beside every configurable text or icon foreground.
• Keeps older appearance exports compatible by filling newly introduced colors from accessible defaults.

2.0.6

• Adds a context-aware attachment-details action for selecting, inserting, setting, or replacing an image based on user feedback.
• Makes the full media card open attachment details while keeping its checkbox dedicated to selection.
• Organizes attachment inspectors into Main, Metadata, and contextual EXIF tabs, with editable descriptive fields grouped under Main.
• Uses the manager's full-screen two-pane attachment editor in the media inserter, replacing Delete with the current Insert, Set featured image, or Replace featured image action.
• Standardizes manager and inserter metadata as matching label-and-value rows and removes the incomplete Usage indicator.
• Unifies filter badges, active-filter counting, Clear all behavior, and attachment tabs between the manager and inserter; search remains independent from filters.
• Returns manager uploads and Instant Images imports to the newly created attachment instead of leaving the user in a selection screen.
• Keeps inspector tabs and action buttons fixed while the active tab content scrolls.
• Keeps the themed media-selector footer visible while hiding only its unavailable action button.

2.0.5

• Keeps the WordPress upload, Etch Collections, and Instant Images tabs within one stable media-selector frame.
• Adds separate Accent text colors for selected-state labels in light and dark palettes.
• Uses Primary text consistently for media titles, including hover and keyboard-focus states.
• Includes Accent text in live appearance previews, WCAG 2.2 AA validation, reset, import, and export.

2.0.4

• Moves appearance controls beside Manage Collections in the native manager.
• Adds live light- and dark-palette previews with WCAG 2.2 AA foreground validation.
• Exposes the complete semantic color palette used by the manager and media selector.
• Preserves the selected notification text color and adjusts its background only when needed for WCAG 2.2 AA contrast.
• Adds versioned JSON export and preview-before-save import for appearance settings.
• Replaces oversized generic MIME icons with compact video, audio, document, and file placeholders when no poster image is available.

2.0.3

• Package the Media Bridge settings icon with the plugin and load it from the runtime assets directory.

2.0.2

• Fix a fatal error when WordPress deletes attachment metadata during plugin updates and other attachment cleanup operations.

2.0.1

• Adds permission-checked attachment deep links with uplink_mbe_attachment.
• Adds upload-flow deep links with uplink_mbe_action=upload.
• Adds uplink_mbe_get_library_url() and the uplink_mbe_media_library_url filter for integrations.
• Dispatches uplink-mbe:library-ready after the native library and requested interface action initialize.
• Keeps search independent from the filter count and Clear All action.
• Reloads the library when a browser-native search clear control empties the search field.
• Includes attachment filenames in native library search results.
• Improves search-clear visibility, joins the search field to its button, and applies configured icon contrast colors to accent-backed controls.
• Adds debounced live search with busy-state semantics and polite result-count announcements for assistive technology.

2.0.0

• Reworks attachment previews and editing as one full-screen Media Bridge modal.
• Adds title, alt text, decorative state, caption, description, file details, collection membership, and optional EXIF to the editor and media-selection modal.
• Organizes attachment metadata into accessible File Info and EXIF tabs, with File Info selected by default.
• Adds detailed filters to both media views and labels the author filter “Uploaded by.”
• Moves Clear All into the filter header, removes unnecessary desktop overflow, and improves control spacing.
• Themes the complete WordPress media frame in Auto, Light, and Dark modes, retains Instant Images as a peer tab when active, stabilizes provider switching, and makes its monochrome Unsplash mark theme-aware.
• Strengthens contrast, focus visibility, and target sizing for WCAG 2.2 AA.
• Adds independently validated light- and dark-mode icon colors for controls shown on accent backgrounds.
• Replaces the accordion drawer with compact filter and display popovers.
• Adds Media Health scanning and issue-specific library views.
• Adds definitions below the Health filters, including type-specific file-size limits for Oversized media.
• Exposes EXIF on current Etch image objects as *.image.exif.*, with GPS as a separate opt-in and no legacy featured-image alias.
• Adds a context-free Etch lookup at options.upm.img[ID].exif.* and an Etch EXIF documentation tab.
• Reads EXIF and GPS from WordPress's retained original image when the generated -scaled derivative has stripped metadata.
• Replaces the large manager actions with compact icon controls.
• Adds a persistent masonry view alongside grid and list layouts.
• Adds uplink_mbe_execute_media_command for trusted Ops Center edits and collection assignments.
• Adds post-operation hooks for attachment edits and collection assignment changes.

1.5.3

• Adds off-by-default Network Admin cleanup overrides for network deactivation and plugin deletion.
• Keeps site-level deactivation governed by each site’s local setting unless a network-wide action invokes an enabled override.
• Adds icon-free, Etch-style drag-and-drop collection reordering in the native media workspace.
• Adds an accessible Alt+Up/Down keyboard alternative for reordering sibling collections.
• Keeps keyboard focus on a selected collection after its media reloads so Option/Alt+Arrow movement remains available.
• Preserves Etch’s drag-and-drop collection sequence in the native media workspace and gallery collection selectors.
• Keeps collection groups alphabetical by default while preserving custom sequences during native create, rename, move, and delete actions.

1.5.2

• Adds an off-by-default setting to remove Media Bridge settings, logs, legacy options, and mapping metadata during uninstall.
• Adds a separate off-by-default cleanup setting for managed environments that deactivate plugins before removing their files through deployment.
• Preserves Etch Collections, third-party folders, attachment assignments, media records, and files during cleanup.
• Adds a prominent warning that gallery blocks, shortcodes, and the Etch passthrough require Media Bridge to remain active.
• Adds direct, cumulative, and direct/total parent collection count display options.
• Adds a broadly supported 10-pixel drawer radius with progressive squircle enhancement.

1.5.1

• Moves main-library search, filters, thumbnail sizing, and collection assignment actions into a docked top drawer that pushes the media view, while keeping list/grid controls always visible.
• Adds a persistent pin control that keeps the main-library drawer open between visits and closes it when unpinned.
• Fixes collection assignment controls so they wrap cleanly on tablet and mobile screens.
• Uses closed and open folder icons for leaf collections while leaving parent collection groups unadorned.
• Includes child collections when a parent collection is selected.
• Adds a paperclip indicator to cards for media attached to content.
• Adds the upload date to the attachment details modal.
• Refines media status icon sizing and the accessible drawer presentation.

1.5.0

• Adds a server-rendered Collection Gallery preview for Etch passthrough blocks.
• Adds focused collection, layout, image, caption, and lightbox controls inside the Etch builder.
• Saves Etch-side gallery changes back to the original Gutenberg block representation.
• Keeps the Etch Collection Gallery passthrough wrapper in normal document flow so parent containers grow to the gallery's rendered height.
• Improves Etch gallery settings contrast, focus visibility, control boundaries, and touch target sizing.
• Traps keyboard focus inside the settings dialog, makes the builder background inert, and restores focus when the dialog closes.
• Exposes the dialog description and saving state to assistive technology.

1.4.1

• Makes the gallery block and shortcode an option (on by default).
• Fixed overlap issues in the filter bar on smaller screens.
• Matches the Media Collections modal sidebar spacing and controls to the main media manager.
• Applies the configured appearance colors consistently inside the Media Collections modal.
• Refreshes the modal collection view as soon as an upload completes.
• Adds modal uploads to the collection that was selected when the upload began.

1.4.0

• Adds a file-extension filter populated from extensions present in the media library.
• Expands Clear filters to reset media type, file extension, upload date, and search.
• Adds the main media filters and Clear filters to the Media Collections tab in the Add Image modal.
• Adds a dynamic Collection Gallery block and matching shortcode fed automatically by a collection.
• Adds an enabled-by-default setting that can unregister and hide all Collection Gallery functionality.
• Adds aligned collection counts, collapsible parents, and parent chevrons to the collection tree.
• Adds a visual shortcode generator with a live gallery preview in the media manager.
• Adds grid, columns, circles, square, and true masonry mosaic gallery layouts with optional aspect-ratio cropping.
• Adds thumbnail title and caption controls, including position, typography, color, and background styling.
• Adds a professional custom lightbox with full-image containment, keyboard navigation, zoom, fullscreen mode, styled title and caption content, and horizontal or vertical thumbnail strips.
• Preserves custom block CSS classes and responsive lazy loading in gallery output.
• Keeps child collections directly beneath their parent in gallery collection selectors.
• Prevents the hidden native Media Library view from appearing when the collection manager is the default Media screen.
• Makes the gallery generator refresh its selected collection regardless of how it was opened.
• Opens the gallery generator with the collection currently selected in the Media Manager.

1.3.0

• Adds an explicit second confirmation before deleting media detected in site content.
• Prompts administrators to delete child collections or promote them when deleting a parent collection.
• Fixes collection renaming so updated names are saved and synchronized.
• Adds grid and list views plus media type and date filters.
• Adds a one-click control for clearing active media type and date filters.
• Makes the collections tab the default media-selector view and hides its legacy Media Library tab when the optional default Media screen setting is enabled.
• Adds bulk collection creation from comma-delimited or line-delimited names and bulk taxonomy-only deletion.
• Adds accessible light- and dark-mode color customization.
• Displays the plugin version in settings and the media-manager information popover.
• Adds a first-phase used/not-found status to attachment details.

1.2.0

• Added an administrator-defined white-label name for the native media manager while retaining Etch Collections as the default.
• Applied the custom manager name consistently to the Media menu, page title, media-selection tab, information popup, settings guidance, pagination control, and manager callout.
• Added capability-aware WordPress Command Palette entries for the manager and Media Bridge settings, with both discoverable by searching for Etch.
• Hid the native manager menu and media-selection tab while Wicked Folders or HappyFiles is the active organization mode.
• Added an off-by-default option to make the custom manager the primary Media destination and hide the legacy Library submenu link without disabling WordPress's native media library.

1.1.1

• Improved bulk selection with reliable Shift-click checkbox ranges, clearer collection guidance, collection-aware actions, and a dedicated Clear selection action.

1.1

• Enforced the Etch dependency with activation and runtime checks, preventing the bridge from starting unless Etch is installed and active.
• Added a native Media > Etch Collections workspace that does not require a third-party folder plugin.
• Added two-level collection management, media uploads, search, drag-and-drop assignment, multi-selection, and bulk actions.
• Added an in-place attachment details modal with file metadata, editable alt text, dimensions, and collection membership so viewing media does not lose the current collection context.
• Kept attachment-specific confirmations and errors inside the attachment modal instead of displaying them in the main library window.
• Added previous and next attachment navigation with keyboard controls, position tracking, automatic page-boundary loading, and alt-text saving before navigation.
• Made numbered media-library pagination optional and disabled it by default, using automatic scroll loading instead.
• Added permanent media deletion from library cards, bulk selection tools, and the attachment modal.
• Added Ctrl/Command-click toggling and Shift-click range selection for bulk category actions.
• Refined the media cards with uniform edge-to-edge thumbnails, compact selection and deletion footers, alt-text status indicators, and accessible usage guidance.
• Added a persistent 180–400 pixel thumbnail-size control, centered in the library header and defaulting to 240 pixels.
• Consolidated library instructions and the alt-text indicator explanation into an accessible information popup beside the Etch Collections title.
• Kept thumbnail placement centered and consistent across the library and WordPress media dialogs.
• Matched Etch Collections cards inside WordPress media-selection dialogs, including filenames, collection badges, and alt-text status.
• Replaced the media-dialog Load more button with automatic scroll loading and tightened the collection sidebar.
• Expanded the native library to the available admin width and increased its minimum card width to 240 pixels.
• Kept the WordPress admin chrome fixed while giving the image results and an overflowing collection tree independent scroll areas.
• Restored the image library's viewport-bound scroll area and lets WordPress admin submenus escape the independently scrolling navigation while open.
• Prevented unusually long WordPress admin menus from increasing the Etch Collections page height by containing the menu in an independent desktop scroll area.
• Added thin, theme-aware scrollbars throughout the native library and media-selection interface.
• Contained long collection lists within the 240-pixel media-dialog sidebar so they no longer enlarge WordPress's outer modal.
• Added Auto, Light, and Dark appearance modes for the Etch Collections library and its WordPress media-selection tab.
• Audited light and dark interface colors for WCAG AA text contrast, visible focus, selection, status, and destructive-action states.
• Removed image-layout indicators from cards to keep the selection footer unambiguous.
• Documented the WordPress capability checks used for media, collection, assignment, editing, and deletion access.
• Replaced the redundant upload-or-select workflow with a focused uploader that opens directly to file upload while preserving automatic assignment to the active collection.
• Added an Etch Collections tab to WordPress media-selection dialogs with collection filtering, search, automatic scroll loading, and native single or multiple attachment selection.
• Hid synchronization history in Etch-only mode, where no external folder bridge is active.
• Added automatic alphabetical position normalization for collections created or edited in the native workspace.
• Kept Wicked Folders and HappyFiles available as optional synchronization modes.
• Documented the complete migration and rollback procedure for removing an external folder provider safely.

1.0.2

• Fixed Clear History immediately restoring entries from the legacy log option.
• Fixed new folder synchronization when a fixed conflict authority is selected, while continuing to enforce that authority for mapped folders.
• Preserved alphabetical placement for new folders that have no explicit source order, while continuing to synchronize custom ordering when available.

1.0.1

• Fixed synchronized folder deletions by preserving mapped counterpart details until WordPress confirms the source folder was deleted.
• Fixed stale counterpart mappings when a folder is deleted while deletion synchronization is disabled.
• Clarified that plugin settings are managed under Media > Media Bridge, not the WordPress Settings menu.

1.0.0

• First stable release.

0.1.1

• Hardened provider input validation and mapped-term verification.
• Replaced the reconciliation tax query with taxonomy-native object lookups.
• Improved admin table semantics, status announcements and translated notices.
• Added missing translator context.

0.1.0

• Initial development release.
• Added Etch, Wicked Folders and HappyFiles providers.
• Added bidirectional folders and attachment assignments.
• Added reconciliation, conflict policy, deletion safety and sync history.