If you aren’t familiar with the plugin, it duplicates the image management dialogue to permit you to attach images to a post as metadata using a simple graphical interface — instead of having to locate, copy, and paste the URL into a custom field.

The new version allows fields to be accessed properly outside the Wordpress Loop as well as on archive and category pages. It fixes several bugs including broken template tags and some data loss bugs that were related to post revisions, autosaves, and scheduled / future posts. It’s been tested with Wordpress 2.8.6 and will likely still work with earlier versions going back to 2.7.

I’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone who submitted bug reports and fixes for the plugin — I hope you’ll contact me so that I can give you credit (name and URL) in the documentation.

UPDATE 2/9/09: This plugin has been updated to version 0.3.1 and is available for download from the Wordpress site.

Have you ever wanted to add a custom field to a Wordpress post or page that contained an image URL — for instance, to use in a template?

You’ve probably noticed that it’s a real pain in the rear: you have to find the URL for the image and then copy and paste it into a field. If you have non-technical users managing the site, chances are they have a lot of trouble with this process.

You’re not the only one who’s been frustrated.

Well, good news. I’ve just released a plugin that allows you to use the Wordpress 2.5 media gallery to build custom image fields with a friendly graphic interface. It’s now available for download, and should be hosted on the Wordpress site shortly.

Important Update 9/26/08: Versions prior to 0.2.3 have an installation bug that causes any attempt to create a new field to fail. Please download and install version 0.3.1 instead.