QR Redirect Manager

A WordPress plugin that lets you create dynamic QR code redirects. Each QR code points to a fixed URL on your site, and you control where it actually sends visitors — updatable anytime without reprinting the QR image.

Features

• Dynamic redirects — QR codes point to yoursite.com/go/?code=ABC123; change the destination anytime from the admin
• 1-to-1 code mapping — each code maps to exactly one destination (WordPress page/post or any custom URL)
• QR image generation — generate and download QR code PNG images directly from the WordPress admin
• Scan tracking — logs every scan with date, time, IP address, and user agent
• Diagnostics page — built-in tool to verify database tables and test write/read operations
• Homepage fallback — unknown or unconfigured codes redirect to the homepage

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Requirements

• WordPress 6.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• MySQL 5.7 or higher

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Installation

1. Download the latest release zip from the Releases page
2. In your WordPress admin go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
3. Upload the zip file and click Install Now, then Activate
4. Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes — this flushes rewrite rules so /go/ URLs are recognized by WordPress (one-time step)

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Usage

Creating a QR Redirect

1. In the WordPress admin sidebar click QR Redirects → Add QR Code
2. Enter a Label (internal reference, not shown to visitors)
3. Enter a Code — lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only (e.g. summer-2025). This cannot be changed after saving as it gets encoded into the printed QR image
4. Choose a Destination:
   • WordPress Page / Post — select from a dropdown of all published pages and posts
   • Custom URL — any internal or external URL
5. Click Save Redirect
6. The QR panel on the right shows a live preview and a Download QR Image button

Your QR URL format

https://yoursite.com/go/?code=your-code-here

Use any QR code generator (or the built-in one) and encode this URL into your QR image. Print it. Done.

Updating the Destination

1. Go to QR Redirects in the admin sidebar
2. Find the redirect and click Edit
3. Change the destination page or URL
4. Click Save Redirect

The printed QR code continues to work — only the destination changes.

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Diagnostics

If saves aren't working or redirects aren't firing, use the built-in diagnostics tool:

1. Go to QR Redirects → ⚙ Diagnostics
2. The page checks:
   • Whether both database tables exist
   • Whether a test write/read to the database succeeds
   • Database connection details and last error
   • Whether the /go/ rewrite rule is active

If tables are missing, click Create Tables Now directly from the diagnostics page.

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How It Works

Redirect Flow

QR scan → yoursite.com/go/?code=ABC123
        → WordPress rewrite rule matches /go/
        → template_redirect hook fires
        → Plugin looks up code in database
        → Logs the scan (datetime, IP, user agent)
        → 302 redirect to configured destination

If the code is unknown or has no destination set, the visitor is redirected to the homepage.

Database Tables

The plugin creates two custom tables on activation:

{prefix}qrm_codes — stores code → destination mappings

Column	Type	Description
id	INT	Auto-increment primary key
code	VARCHAR(100)	Unique URL parameter value
label	VARCHAR(255)	Admin display name
dest_type	VARCHAR(10)	page or url
page_id	BIGINT	WordPress post/page ID (if dest_type = page)
custom_url	TEXT	Destination URL (if dest_type = url)
created_at	DATETIME	Record creation timestamp
updated_at	DATETIME	Last updated timestamp

{prefix}qrm_scan_logs — stores scan history

Column	Type	Description
id	INT	Auto-increment primary key
code_id	INT	Foreign key to qrm_codes
scanned_at	DATETIME	Scan timestamp
ip_address	VARCHAR(45)	Visitor IP (supports IPv6)
user_agent	VARCHAR(500)	Visitor browser/device string

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File Structure

qr-redirect-manager/
├── qr-redirect-manager.php   # Main plugin file, activation hooks
├── includes/
│   ├── database.php           # Table creation, all CRUD functions
│   ├── redirect.php           # Rewrite rule registration, redirect handler
│   └── admin.php              # All admin UI: list, add/edit, logs, diagnostics
└── assets/                    # Reserved for future static assets

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change a code after printing? No — the code is encoded into the QR image. Codes are locked after saving. You can always change the destination freely.

What happens if a visitor scans an old QR with a code that was deleted? They are redirected to the homepage.

Can I use external codes from a print vendor? Yes — create the code entry in the admin before the QR images go to print, using the exact code value the vendor will encode.

Does changing the destination affect the QR image? No — the QR image encodes the fixed /go/?code= URL. The destination is resolved server-side on every scan.

How many redirects can I create? Unlimited.

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Improvement Ideas

The following features are planned or worth considering for future versions:

Auto-update via GitHub Releases

Currently the plugin must be updated manually by deactivating, deleting, and re-uploading a new zip. A proper update mechanism can be added using the Plugin Update Checker library or a custom WordPress update hook that points to this GitHub repository. Once implemented, updates would appear directly in Plugins → Updates in the WordPress admin dashboard — just like any plugin from the official directory — with no manual file handling required. Data (redirects, scan logs) is never affected by plugin file updates.

Expiry Dates per Redirect

Allow each QR code to have an optional expiry date. After that date, the code redirects to the homepage (or a custom expiry URL) instead of the configured destination. Useful for time-limited campaigns.

Bulk Import via CSV

Accept a CSV file with columns code, label, destination to create many redirects at once. Useful when working with an external print vendor who supplies a list of codes in advance.

QR Code Customization

Allow color, logo/image overlay, and error correction level to be configured per code before downloading the QR image.

Scan Analytics Dashboard

A visual chart (bar or line) showing scan volume over time per code, built on the existing scan log data.

Role-Based Access Control

Currently only manage_options (Administrator) can manage redirects. A setting to allow Editor-level users to update destinations (without being able to create or delete codes) would be useful in delegated workflows.

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Changelog

2.1.0

• Fixed form saves using admin-post.php to avoid headers-already-sent errors
• Fixed redirect handler using proper WordPress rewrite rules and template_redirect hook
• Separated dbDelta() calls per table (fixes silent table creation failures)
• Added explicit format arrays to all $wpdb calls
• Added diagnostics page with live write/read test
• Added "Create Tables Now" button for environments where activation hook doesn't fire
• Added database error surfacing on failed saves
• Auto-recreates tables on init if missing (catches FTP uploads)

2.0.0

• Initial release with full admin UI, QR generation, scan logging

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License

GPL v2 or later — see LICENSE