Inkwell — ACF Dynamic Sources
Bind ACF fields to live data instead of literal values.
Inkwell is a WordPress plugin that adds dynamic sources to Advanced Custom Fields. Bind any field to post, site, or meta data. Works standalone on any ACF site and pairs with Inks.
What it does
Inkwell in detail
Bindings, not copies
Point a field at the post title, a site option, or another field's meta and it resolves at render time. Change the source and every binding follows.
Works with plain ACF
Inkwell resolves bindings inside ACF's own value formatting, so any theme that calls get_field just works. No template changes required.
Template-friendly
Build one section, bind its fields to the current post, and reuse it across hundreds of pages without editing each one.
Extensible registry
Register your own sources with a small PHP API. Anything you can compute can become a bindable value.
Companion to Inks
Inside Inks, bound fields show their source and can be re-bound from the editor. Inkwell works without Inks too.
How it works
From install to live
Install and activate Inkwell on any site with ACF.
Open a field and choose a source instead of typing a value.
Render the page. The value resolves from the source you chose.
Inkwell separates what a template shows from where the value comes from. Bind a heading to the post title, an image to a site-wide option, or a price to another post’s meta, and the template stays correct as content changes.
Who it’s for
Built for
- Developers who maintain many similar pages and are tired of manual updates.
- Agencies who build ACF-based themes and want reusable templates.
FAQ
Inkwell FAQ
What does Inkwell require?
WordPress with Advanced Custom Fields (Pro recommended) and PHP 8.1 or newer. Without ACF the plugin stays inert.
Do I need Inks to use Inkwell?
No. Inkwell is a standalone plugin. Inks adds a visual way to manage bindings, but the resolver runs on any ACF site.
Does it slow down rendering?
Bindings resolve during ACF's normal format_value pass and are cached per request. In practice the overhead is negligible.