Title: Square Orb
Author: Tim
Published: <strong>Nyakanga 6, 2026</strong>
Last modified: Nzeri 18, 2026

---

Search plugins

![](https://ps.w.org/square-orb/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3598190)

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# Square Orb

 By [Tim](https://profiles.wordpress.org/writetimothyjohnson/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/square-orb.1.1.2.zip)

[Live Preview](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/?preview=1)

 * [Details](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/#installation)
 * [Development](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/square-orb/)

## Description

Check out the [live demos](https://awesomediscoveryzone.com/squareorb/demo-galleries/)
and [full documentation](https://squareorb-docs.awesomediscoveryzone.com/) on the
official Square Orb site.

Square Orb is a gallery plugin for WordPress. Display images and videos in responsive
galleries with a full-screen lightbox experience, cloud import from Google Photos
and Adobe Lightroom, and an optional engagement analytics dashboard.

**Key Features:**

 * 5 layout options: Grid, Masonry, Justified Row, Carousel, and Interactive Map
 * Full-screen lightbox with 11 transition styles, slideshow, filmstrip, EXIF data,
   and social sharing
 * Dynamic Gutenberg block inspector — settings automatically show/hide based on
   the selected layout
 * Cloud media import from Google Photos and Adobe Lightroom
 * Smart search and category filter system
 * Drag-and-drop media reordering in the block editor
 * Watermarking engine with auto-stamp on upload
 * Optional engagement analytics dashboard (opt-in, off by default)
 * Gutenberg block and shortcode (`[square_orb ids="1,2,3"]`) support
 * Transient caching for high-performance page delivery

**External Services**

This plugin optionally connects to the following third-party services. These connections
are only established when you actively configure and use the corresponding features.

 * **Google Photos API** — Used to authenticate your Google account and import media
   items into your WordPress Media Library. Data transmitted: OAuth 2.0 authorization
   codes and access tokens issued by Google. [Google Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)
   | [Google Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms)
 * **Google Vision API** — Used optionally to auto-tag imported images via AI label
   detection. Data transmitted: Base64-encoded image content sent to Google’s Vision
   API. This feature requires a separate Google Cloud API key and is disabled by
   default. [Google Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)
 * **Adobe Lightroom API** — Used to authenticate your Adobe account and import 
   media from Adobe Lightroom into your WordPress Media Library. Data transmitted:
   OAuth 2.0 authorization codes and access tokens issued by Adobe. [Adobe Privacy Policy](https://www.adobe.com/privacy/policy.html)
   | [Adobe Terms of Service](https://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html)
 * **Leaflet.js (Bundled locally)** — Used to render the Interactive Map gallery
   layout. The JavaScript and CSS assets are bundled directly within the plugin’s
   assets directory; no third-party CDN or external service is contacted. [Leaflet](https://leafletjs.com/)
 * **Chart.js (Bundled locally)** — Used to render the analytics chart on the admin
   Analytics tab. The JavaScript asset is bundled directly within the plugin’s assets
   directory; no third-party CDN or external service is contacted. [Chart.js](https://www.chartjs.org/)
 * **Engagement Telemetry** — Off by default. When explicitly enabled by the site
   administrator in Square Orb  Global  Enable Engagement Telemetry, the plugin 
   records anonymous view counts and dwell times per gallery image. All data is 
   stored locally in your WordPress database only. No data is transmitted to any
   external server. No personally identifiable information (PII) is ever collected.

### Quick Start

A simple first gallery is usually just a few images from your Media Library. Start
with the default grid layout, choose a few images, and publish the page. If you 
want a more curated experience later, add filters, smart search, or cloud imports.

## Screenshots

[⌊Gallery Grid layout with smart search and category filters.⌉⌊Gallery Grid layout
with smart search and category filters.⌉[

Gallery Grid layout with smart search and category filters.

[⌊Full-screen Lightbox with filmstrip, EXIF data, and social sharing.⌉⌊Full-screen
Lightbox with filmstrip, EXIF data, and social sharing.⌉[

Full-screen Lightbox with filmstrip, EXIF data, and social sharing.

[⌊Global Defaults settings panel.⌉⌊Global Defaults settings panel.⌉[

Global Defaults settings panel.

[⌊Cloud import via Google Photos Picker.⌉⌊Cloud import via Google Photos Picker.⌉[

Cloud import via Google Photos Picker.

[⌊Analytics dashboard with engagement telemetry.⌉⌊Analytics dashboard with engagement
telemetry.⌉[

Analytics dashboard with engagement telemetry.

## Blocks

This plugin provides 1 block.

 *   Square Orb Canvas

## Installation

 1. Upload the `square-orb` folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory, or install
    directly through the WordPress Plugins screen.
 2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** menu in WordPress.
 3. Navigate to **Square Orb** in the admin sidebar to configure global display settings.
 4. To import from Google Photos or Adobe Lightroom, enter your API credentials on 
    the **Authentication** tab.
 5. Insert the Square Orb block in the Gutenberg editor, or use the shortcode: `[square_orb
    ids="1,2,3"]`.

## FAQ

### How do I set up Google Photos import?

Navigate to **Square Orb  Authentication**, enter your Google OAuth Client ID and
Secret, then click “Connect to Google Photos”. See the [full step-by-step Google Photos setup guide](https://squareorb-docs.awesomediscoveryzone.com/cloud-integration/create-a-google-oauth-client-id-and-secret/)
on our documentation portal.

### How do I set up Adobe Lightroom import?

Navigate to **Square Orb  Authentication**, enter your Adobe Client ID and Secret,
then click “Connect to Lightroom”.

### Does this plugin collect any user data?

No, by default. The engagement telemetry system is **off by default** and must be
explicitly enabled by the site administrator in Square Orb  Global  Enable Engagement
Telemetry. When enabled, it records anonymous view counts and dwell times per gallery
image, stored locally in your WordPress database only. No data is ever transmitted
to any external server, and no personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.

### Can I use the gallery on multiple pages?

Yes. Each Gutenberg block or shortcode instance is independently configured. You
can also enable the “Enforce Central Global Uniformity” switch on the Global Defaults
tab to apply the same styling across all gallery instances site-wide.

### How do I display the gallery on archive or shop pages?

Use the `square_orb_enqueue_assets` filter to force asset enqueuing on non-singular
pages:

    ```
    add_filter( 'square_orb_enqueue_assets', '__return_true' );
    ```

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Square Orb” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this
plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ Tim ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/writetimothyjohnson/)

[Translate “Square Orb” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/square-orb)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/square-orb/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/square-orb/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/square-orb/) by 
[RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/square-orb/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.1.2

 * Security: Added authenticated at-rest encryption (AES-256-CBC with HMAC-SHA256)
   for stored OAuth access tokens, refresh tokens, client secrets, and API keys.
 * Security: Disabled option autoloading for all sensitive credentials to eliminate
   memory exposure on frontend requests.
 * Security: Added strict host whitelist validation for Google Photos import URLs
   to prevent SSRF and token exfiltration.
 * Security: Added binary MIME type verification for cloud imported media prior 
   to file creation and media library sideloading.
 * Security: Masked client secrets and API keys in the admin authentication tab 
   to prevent shoulder surfing and DOM scraping.
 * Security: Scoped client-side access token passing exclusively to the Cloud Import
   tab for authorized users.
 * Security: Sanitized analytics CSV export against CSV formula injection (CWE-1236).
 * Security: Hardened lightbox video embeds and Leaflet map markers against DOM 
   XSS via safe DOM construction and protocol validation.
 * Performance: Optimized watermark image stamping to resolve local upload paths
   directly from the filesystem, avoiding redundant HTTP loopback requests.

#### 1.1.1

 * Updated links within the plugin to point to a newly launched support site with
   complete documentation.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.1.2**
 *  Last updated **2 days ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.1.1**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/)
 * Tags
 * [block](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/block/)[gallery](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/gallery/)
   [image gallery](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/image-gallery/)[lightbox](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/lightbox/)
   [photo gallery](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/photo-gallery/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://kin.wordpress.org/plugins/square-orb/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/square-orb/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/square-orb/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ Tim ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/writetimothyjohnson/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/square-orb/)

## Donate

Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?

 [ Donate to this plugin ](https://ko-fi.com/timothyjohnson618)