A full-featured short link management extra for MODX Revolution. Create branded short URLs, track clicks, append UTM parameters, manage link expiry, and generate branded QR codes — all from a clean Custom Manager Page.
Configure your shortcode, title, redirect target (MODX resource or external URL), and redirect type — all from a clean tabbed interface.
Built-in fields for all five Google Analytics UTM parameters. Values are automatically appended to the redirect URL.
Set a URL anchor, additional query parameters, and an optional expiry date/time for automatic link deactivation.
Generate branded QR codes with custom colours for data patterns, finder borders, and finder eyes. Embed a centre logo (SVG) and download as SVG (vector) or PNG.
All settings are organised by area — QR Code appearance, URL configuration, shortcode behaviour, and advanced options — each with detailed descriptions.
- Short URL Management — Create and manage short links like
yoursite.com/go/promo1 - Auto-Generated Shortcodes — Unique codes generated automatically, or enter your own
- Flexible Redirect Targets — Point to a MODX resource (by ID) or any external URL
- 301 & 302 Redirects — Choose permanent or temporary redirects per link
- UTM Campaign Tracking — Built-in fields for all five UTM parameters, plus custom query params and URL anchors
- Click Analytics — Every click is logged with timestamp, IP, referrer, and user agent
- Link Expiry — Set an optional expiry date/time; expired links auto-unpublish
- Publish/Unpublish — Toggle links on and off without deleting them
- Searchable Grid — Paginated, sortable, and searchable from the MODX manager
- QR Code Generation — Generate branded QR codes for any short link, with customisable colours, finder pattern styling, and optional centre logo
- MODX Revolution 2.8+
- PHP 8.1+
- MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
| Extension | Required? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| mbstring | Required | QR code data encoding |
| json | Required | Internal settings handling (standard on most servers) |
| gd | Recommended | PNG export. If missing, SVG generation still works — PNG is skipped gracefully |
| imagick | Optional | Rasterises the SVG logo into PNG output. If missing, place a .png version of your logo alongside the .svg as a fallback, or the logo is simply omitted from the PNG. SVG logo embedding always works regardless |
- Download the transport package (
shortlinkmgr-x.x.x-pl.transport.zip) - In the MODX manager, go to Extras → Installer
- Upload the package and install
- The ShortLink Manager menu item appears under Extras
No database setup required — tables are created automatically on install.
System settings are under Settings → System Settings → ShortLink Manager.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
shortlinkmgr.path_prefix |
go |
URL segment before the shortcode (e.g., /go/abc1) |
shortlinkmgr.redirect_method |
plugin |
How requests are intercepted: plugin or htaccess |
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
shortlinkmgr.shortcode_length |
4 |
Minimum length for auto-generated shortcodes |
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
shortlinkmgr.qr_prefix |
qrcode |
Filename prefix for generated files (e.g., qrcode-42.svg) |
shortlinkmgr.qr_size |
800 |
Width/height in pixels (QR codes are always square) |
shortlinkmgr.qr_bg_color |
#FFFFFF |
Background colour (hex). Leave empty for transparent |
shortlinkmgr.qr_pattern_color |
#000000 |
Colour of the data modules (small squares). Falls back to black if empty |
shortlinkmgr.qr_finder_border_color |
#000000 |
Colour of the outer border on the three finder squares |
shortlinkmgr.qr_finder_eye_color |
#000000 |
Colour of the centre eye inside the three finder squares |
shortlinkmgr.qr_logo_file |
(empty) | Relative path to a square SVG logo to embed in the QR code centre |
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
shortlinkmgr.remove_table_on_uninstall |
No |
Whether to drop data tables when uninstalling |
- Go to Extras → ShortLink Manager
- Click Add Short Link
- Fill in the form:
- Shortcode — Leave blank to auto-generate, or enter your own (lowercase alphanumeric)
- Title — Internal label for your reference
- Resource ID — Target MODX resource, OR
- External URL — Any URL (used as fallback if Resource ID is empty)
- Redirect Type — 301 (permanent) or 302 (temporary)
- Optionally fill in UTM parameters and set an expiry date
- Save
The QR Code tab appears when editing an existing short link. It is not shown when creating a new link (the shortcode must exist first so the full URL can be encoded).
Generating a QR code:
- Open an existing short link for editing
- Click the QR Code tab
- The QR code generates automatically on first visit, or click Generate QR Code
- Download the SVG (full vector, ideal for print) or PNG (raster) version
- Click Regenerate after changing QR settings to rebuild with the new colours/logo
Branded QR codes:
Customise the appearance via the QR Code system settings:
- Set different colours for the data pattern, finder pattern borders, and finder eye centres
- Add a centre logo by pointing
shortlinkmgr.qr_logo_fileto a square SVG file (e.g.,assets/images/logo-qr.svg) - When a logo is configured, the generator automatically uses the highest error correction level (H, 30% recovery) to ensure the code remains scannable
- The logo is centred at the maximum safe size and backed by the configured background colour
Generated files are saved to assets/components/shortlinkmgr/qr-codes/ as {prefix}-{id}.svg and {prefix}-{id}.png. Files are cached — they are only regenerated when you click Regenerate, and are automatically cleaned up when a short link is deleted.
Plugin mode (default) — Works out of the box. The MODX plugin intercepts OnPageNotFound events and handles the redirect. No server configuration needed.
htaccess mode — Add the following to your .htaccess file, before the MODX Friendly URLs rules:
# --- ShortLink Manager ---
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/go/([a-z0-9]+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ /index.php?q=go/%1 [QSA,L]
# --- End ShortLink Manager ---Replace go with your configured path prefix if you changed it.
Set an expiry date and time on any link. Once expired:
- Visitors receive a 404 and the link is automatically unpublished
- The CMP grid also bulk-unpublishes expired links on every load
- Re-publish a link at any time by toggling it back on (and clearing/extending the expiry)
By default, uninstalling preserves your data tables so links and click history survive a reinstall or upgrade. To remove all data, set shortlinkmgr.remove_table_on_uninstall to Yes before uninstalling.
This package bundles chillerlan/php-qrcode v4.x (MIT License) for QR code generation. See core/components/shortlinkmgr/lib/vendor/ for the bundled source and its own license.
MIT — see LICENSE for details.