WP.ME Shortlink Generator

[Jeffro]

Just noticed that the latest version of the WordPress.com stats plugin includes the WP.ME short URL generator as promised but I can't find the button which is supposed to be next to the edit post button.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/stats/other_notes/

Anyone else?

[itsonlybarney]

I found the button you are referring it.

It is actually next to the Edit Permalink button, and appears once you have entered a post title.

[Jeffro]

Are you running WordPress 2.9 or 2.8.6?

[mfields]

I found it as well - I am running 2.9 RC1

[Jeffro]

Thanks. I'm going to upgraded to 2.9 RC 1 on WPTavern.com later today. Hoping to see the button after I do that.

[Otto]

Few interesting bits I noticed:

- There's a nice new function in the wp.com stats plugin that you might find useful. function get_shortlink( $post_id, $force_numeric = false ). Could be handy for some theming action.

- The shortlink is part of the wp.com system, so you have the shortlinks even if you don't see the button there.

- BTW, if you leave post_id empty or zero, the generated shortlink links to your blog's home page.

- You'll also find that the plugin adds a <link rel="shortlink"> into the wp_head. The rel=shortlink is starting to be a highly supported microformat standard. Hopefully we'll start to see Twitter clients and the like take advantage of it soon.

- Another thing it does is a bit less obvious, the shortlink is added to the HTTP headers using the Link: method, for clients wishing to save bandwidth by only doing a HEAD request.

- The shortlink method uses an algorithmic generation method. That is, it doesn't have to have the server generate it every time. Your blog is assigned an internal ID number, and that, combined with your post id number, creates the link. Side benefits of this are that a) changing the permalink doesn't change the shortlink, and b) very fast redirection since there's only one lookup for your blog's id in the wp.com stats system, not a lookup table for each and every possible permalink.

- Every shortlink takes the form http://wp.me/stuff-more. Only the "more" changes for each post. The stuff part is your blog id, the more part is your post id. Both encoded, of course.

[mfields]

Otto, Thanks for the tips!!! I always wanted to include something like this in my site, but it was far from a priority for me. Now that it comes installed, I think I will.

Thanks too to Jeffro for bringing this to my attention - I had no idea

[chipbennett]

Few interesting bits I noticed:

- There's a nice new function in the wp.com stats plugin that you might find useful. function get_shortlink( $post_id, $force_numeric = false ). Could be handy for some theming action.

- The shortlink is part of the wp.com system, so you have the shortlinks even if you don't see the button there.

- BTW, if you leave post_id empty or zero, the generated shortlink links to your blog's home page.

- You'll also find that the plugin adds a <link rel="shortlink"> into the wp_head. The rel=shortlink is starting to be a highly supported microformat standard. Hopefully we'll start to see Twitter clients and the like take advantage of it soon.

- Another thing it does is a bit less obvious, the shortlink is added to the HTTP headers using the Link: method, for clients wishing to save bandwidth by only doing a HEAD request.

- The shortlink method uses an algorithmic generation method. That is, it doesn't have to have the server generate it every time. Your blog is assigned an internal ID number, and that, combined with your post id number, creates the link. Side benefits of this are that a) changing the permalink doesn't change the shortlink, and b) very fast redirection since there's only one lookup for your blog's id in the wp.com stats system, not a lookup table for each and every possible permalink.

- Every shortlink takes the form http://wp.me/stuff-more. Only the "more" changes for each post. The stuff part is your blog id, the more part is your post id. Both encoded, of course.

Wow, that's slick! And good to know that the shortlink doesn't change if the ("pretty") permalink changes.

[zamoose]

What happens if you have the YOURLs plugin (or similar) installed? I don't want wp.me links as canonical short links for my page -- that's what I have stwrt.org for...

[Viper007Bond]

What happens if you have the YOURLs plugin (or similar) installed? I don't want wp.me links as canonical short links for my page -- that's what I have stwrt.org for...

I've put in a request via back channels, but meanwhile:

 add_action( 'plugins_loaded', 'viper007bond_is_awesome' );

function viper007bond_is_awesome() {
    remove_action('wp_head', 'shortlink_wp_head');
    remove_action('wp', 'shortlink_header');
}