REM - External Gallery Images

REM External Gallery Images

Adds support for external image URLs in the Real Estate Manager (REM) property gallery.

This plugin extends the new rem_single_property_gallery_images filter and allows administrators to add image URLs directly to a property without uploading them to the WordPress Media Library.

Features

• Adds a metabox to rem_property
• Accepts one image per line
• Optional support for Alt text and Title using pipe separator
• Fully compatible with:
  • Slick gallery
  • Grid gallery
  • Fotorama
  • Flexgrid
• Does not modify REM core files
• Fully compatible with attachment-based galleries
• No database migration required

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0+
• Real Estate Manager Pro 10.8.2+

Installation

1. Download the plugin file.
2. Upload it to:

/wp-content/plugins/

1. Activate it from WordPress Admin → Plugins

Usage

1. Open a Property

Go to:

Properties → Edit Property

You will see a new metabox:

External Gallery Images

2. Add Images

Enter one image URL per line.

Basic format:

https://example.com/image.jpg

With Alt and Title:

https://example.com/image.jpg|Alt text|Title text

Example:

https://site.com/front.jpg|Front View|Beautiful Front Elevation

https://site.com/living.jpg|Living Room|

https://site.com/kitchen.jpg

Format Rules

Each line follows this structure:

URL | Alt Text | Title

• URL → Required
• Alt → Optional
• Title → Optional
• Pipe separator (|) is required only if adding alt/title

If Alt or Title is not provided, they will default to empty.

How It Works

The plugin:

1. Stores raw textarea data in post meta.

2. Parses lines into structured gallery objects.

3. Hooks into: rem_single_property_gallery_images

4. Appends external images to the existing normalized gallery array.

Example generated structure:

[

[

'type' => 'image',

'id' => 0,

'src' => 'https://example.com/image.jpg',

'full' => 'https://example.com/image.jpg',

'thumb' => 'https://example.com/image.jpg',

'alt' => 'Alt text',

'title' => 'Title text',

]

]

The REM gallery templates then render these images automatically.

Gallery Compatibility

Works with:

• Slick slider (including thumbnails)
• Grid layout
• Fotorama
• Flexgrid
• Lightbox popup

Videos are not supported via URL in this plugin version.

Performance Considerations

External images:

• Are not resized by WordPress
• Do not generate responsive srcset
• Are loaded directly from their source

For best performance:

• Use optimized images (WebP preferred)
• Keep file sizes small
• Use CDN-hosted URLs when possible

Security

• Nonce verification implemented
• User capability check on save
• Sanitizes URL, Alt, and Title fields
• No direct output without escaping

Limitations

• No automatic thumbnail generation
• No drag-and-drop ordering
• No validation if URL is reachable
• Does not convert external URLs into media attachments

Developer Notes

This plugin assumes your REM installation includes:

apply_filters('rem_single_property_gallery_images', $images, $property_id);

inside the gallery builder method.

If that filter does not exist, external images will not render.

Changelog

1.0

• Initial release
• External image URL support
• Alt and Title parsing support
• Compatible with new normalized gallery system

Future Enhancements (Planned)

• External video support
• Remote image validation
• Optional auto-import into Media Library
• Thumbnail proxy generation
• Image ordering UI

License

GPLv2 or later