Newspack MerlinOne DAM Integration

WordPress plugin that integrates MerlinOne digital asset management into the block editor. Built for the Bangor Daily News newsroom.

Features

• Keyword search — Search MerlinOne assets by keyword directly from the block editor sidebar
• Merlin ID lookup — Paste one or more Merlin IDs (space-separated, one per line, or even as a single string of 8-digit IDs) to pull up specific images
• Batch thumbnails — Preview thumbnails load in a single request with 24-hour caching
• Edit before insert — Review and edit caption and credit before placing the image
• Insert at cursor — Place the image block at your current cursor position in the post
• Set featured image — Set the image as the post's featured image with caption/credit
• Media library import — Images are sideloaded into WordPress at 1200px wide with full metadata (title, caption, byline, credit, keywords)
• Deduplication — Re-importing the same Merlin ID reuses the existing attachment
• Usage tracking — Records asset usage back to MerlinOne

Workflow

1. Open any post in the block editor
2. Click the wizard hat icon in the top-right toolbar to open the MerlinOne sidebar
3. Search by keyword or paste Merlin IDs to find images
4. Click "Insert Image" or "Featured" on any result
5. The image imports from MerlinOne and a review panel appears showing:
   • Full preview at imported resolution
   • Metadata (Merlin ID, title, byline)
   • Editable caption and editable credit fields
6. Edit the caption and credit as needed
7. Click "Insert Image" or "Set as Featured Image" to place it, or "Cancel" to go back to results

Captions are inserted in the format: Caption text (Credit). For featured images, the caption and credit are saved to the attachment metadata so the Newspack theme displays them automatically.

Requirements

• WordPress 6.0+
• PHP 7.4+
• MerlinOne mXchange API access

Configuration

Add these constants to wp-config.php:

define( 'MERLINONE_URL', 'https://your-instance.merlinone.net' );
define( 'MERLINONE_USERNAME', 'your-username' );
define( 'MERLINONE_PASSWORD', 'your-password' );

Or configure via the Settings > MerlinOne page in wp-admin.

File Structure

newspack-merlinone.php              — Plugin bootstrap, config helper, editor asset enqueue
includes/
  class-merlinone-api.php           — mXchange REST API client (auth, search, download, thumbnails)
  class-merlinone-rest.php          — WP REST endpoints (search, import, thumbnails, lookup, update-meta)
  class-merlinone-sideloader.php    — Downloads and sideloads images into the WP media library
  class-merlinone-settings.php      — Admin settings page
assets/
  js/merlinone-media-modal.js       — Block editor sidebar UI (React via wp.element)
  css/merlinone-admin.css           — Admin styles

Authors

Dan MacLeod with Claude Code