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Relationship Sync for ACF

Link any two ACF relationship fields from a settings page and keep them in sync bidirectionally. WordPress plugin.

by Praise Day-Michael · github.com/daymichaelpraise/relationship-sync-for-acf · website

★ 0stars

Install

Download source zip No release zip yet

This is the repository archive. It installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow.

Install straight from GitHub with WP-CLI:

wp plugin install https://github.com/daymichaelpraise/relationship-sync-for-acf/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
No built-in updater. New versions won't appear under Dashboard → Updates. Install new releases yourself, or let Git Updater track the repository.
Readme github.com/daymichaelpraise/relationship-sync-for-acf ↗

Link any two Advanced Custom Fields relationship fields from a settings page and keep them in sync bidirectionally. Editing either side updates the other automatically — no code required.

Unlike same-field-name approaches (and ACF's own built-in bidirectional option, which works on a single field), this plugin lets you map two different fields across different post types from an admin UI, and also supports symmetric (mutual) relationships.

Features

  • Settings page (Settings → Relationship Sync) to link any two ACF relationship fields.
  • Automatic two-way sync on save — add/remove a relationship on one side, the other updates itself.
  • Cross-field / cross-post-type mappings; fields don't need the same name.
  • Symmetric mappings — pick the same field on both sides for a mutual relationship (A→B implies B→A).
  • Per-mapping backfill to align pre-existing data in one click.
  • Enable/disable mappings without deleting them.
  • Writes the ACF field-key reference so synced values render correctly in the editor.

Requirements

  • WordPress 5.8+, PHP 7.4+
  • Advanced Custom Fields (free or Pro)
  • Works on top-level relationship fields (not fields nested inside Repeater / Flexible Content — their meta keys are dynamic).

Installation

  1. Copy this repository's plugin files into wp-content/plugins/relationship-sync-for-acf/ (the main file, relationship-sync-for-acf.php, plus includes/), or build a zip of those files and upload via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  2. Activate it.
  3. Go to Settings → Relationship Sync, add a mapping, and run Backfill once if you have existing data to align.

How it works

On acf/save_post, the engine runs every enabled mapping the saved post is part of. For each mapping it:

  1. Reads the post types each field applies to (from the field's ACF field group location rules).
  2. Reconciles the opposite field across those posts — adding the link where the source now points, removing it where it no longer does.

A recursion guard plus direct update_post_meta writes (which don't re-trigger acf/save_post) keep it from looping. Self-mapped fields use a symmetric reconcile.

Repository layout

relationship-sync-for-acf.php   # main plugin file (v2.1.0)
includes/
  class-rsfa-sync.php           # sync engine
  class-rsfa-admin.php          # settings page
uninstall.php                   # option cleanup on delete
languages/                      # translation template (.pot)
readme.txt                      # wordpress.org readme
history/                        # prior versions, preserved for reference
  1.1.0/  1.2.0/  2.0.0/

The history/ folder archives the plugin's evolution from the original site-specific build (NEC Relationship Sync) to the generic, configurable release.

wordpress.org submission readiness

  • Text domains are passed as string literals in every translation call (i18n-scanner compatible).
  • Translation template included at languages/relationship-sync-for-acf.pot; load_plugin_textdomain() is wired up on boot.
  • uninstall.php removes the rsfa_mappings / rsfa_migrated options (and legacy keys) on delete; synced relationship values are left intact as real post data.

Remaining nice-to-haves: add screenshots to the readme, and run the official Plugin Check (PCP) plugin before submitting.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later. See LICENSE.