Title: Circular Arts Network
Author: circularartsnetwork
Published: <strong>July 22, 2026</strong>
Last modified: July 23, 2026

---

Search plugins

![](https://s.w.org/plugins/geopattern-icon/circular-arts-network.svg)

# Circular Arts Network

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

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/circular-arts-network.0.4.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/circular-arts-network/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/circular-arts-network/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/circular-arts-network/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/circular-arts-network/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/circular-arts-network/)

## Description

A recycling and reuse tool created specifically for WordPress.

### Overview

CAN is a recycling and reuse tool that helps the arts combat the climate emergency.
It gives you access to the materials you need for your creative projects by providing
a place where materials and resources can be exchanged. CAN stands for Circular 
Arts Network, it’s an online platform that supports a circular economy within the
arts.

CAN encourages reuse across all artforms, it works by connecting people and organisations
together. CAN partners with other industries such as construction and manufacturing,
helping creative communities access their surplus materials and supporting industry
to be more sustainable.

It’s basically a Gumtree but for the arts. Finding affordable (or FREE!) materials
and resources that are used by artists and makers in an easy and connected way. 
CAN also facilitates the sharing of resources such as transport, equipment, time,
and other essentials. We believe that by doing so, users will be able to make the
most of their time and resources.

The National Theatre of Scotland, National Galleries Scotland, Glasgow School of
Art and Edinburgh University are among 700+ users who have already benefited from
CAN.

CAN is not for profit, and is administrated by Sculpture Placement Group CIC.

We welcome feedback, which you can give by emailing info@canarts.org.uk

### Credits

Original site developed by Sculpture Placement Group (SPG), in collaboration with
developer Ralph Mackenzie.

CAN branding, logo and original website layout all designed by Ralph Mackenzie.

Category Icons were commissioned for CAN, and illustrated by Esme Macintyre.

This WordPress plugin was adapted for CAN by Considerate Digital. It is based on
the open source plugin Ultimate Classified Listings by “webcodingplace”.

### Shortcodes Documentation

### 1. Display Listings

**Shortcode**: `[circartsnet_listings]`

This shortcode displays listings in a structured format with various customisation
options.

#### Attributes

 * **columns**: (Default: 4) Number of columns per row.
 * **style**: (Default: 1) Style template of the listings.
 * **image_size**: (Default: large) Size of the featured images.
 * **pagination**: (Default: enable) Enables or disables bottom pagination.
 * **top_bar**: (Default: enable) Enables or disables the top bar.
 * **masonry**: (Default: enable) Enables or disables masonry layout.
 * **order**: (Default: ASC) Sorting order of listings.
 * **orderby**: (Default: date) Basis for sorting listings.
 * **orderby_custom**: Specify a custom field name for sorting.
 * **author**: Filter listings by a specific author’s ID (use `current` for the 
   logged-in user).
 * **tags**: Display listings tagged with specific tags.
 * **categories**: Display listings from specific categories.
 * **ids**: Display specific listings by their IDs.
 * **exclude**: Exclude certain listings by their IDs.
 * **total**: (Default: 9) Total number of listings to show.
 * **filter**: Filter listings by custom field key|value pairs, comma-separated (
   e.g. `condition|new,purpose|painting`).
 * **lang**: Filter listings by language.
 * **admin_status**: (Default: publish) Comma-separated post status(es) to include.

### 2. Display Categories

**Shortcode**: `[circartsnet_categories]`

This shortcode allows you to display categories.

#### Attributes

 * **columns**: (Default: auto) Number of columns per row.
 * **style**: (Default: 1) Style template for the categories display.
 * **image_size**: (Default: thumbnail) Size for category thumbnails.

### 3. Seller Dashboard

**Shortcode**: `[circartsnet_dashboard]`

This shortcode provides a dashboard for sellers to manage their listings and profile.
It shows a login form when the user is not logged in.

### 4. Search Form

**Shortcode**: `[circartsnet_search_form]`

Displays a customisable search form.

#### Attributes

 * **columns**: Number of columns for the form.
 * **style**: (Default: 1) Styling of the search form.
 * **fields**: (Default: search_field) Comma-separated list of fields to include
   in the form.
 * **results_selector**: HTML selector to append AJAX search results.
 * **results_url**: URL to redirect for search results, disabling AJAX.
 * **bg_color**: (Default: #f5f5f5) Background colour of the search form.

### 5. Search Results

**Shortcode**: `[circartsnet_search_results]`

This shortcode is used to display the search results.

#### Attributes

 * **order**: (Default: ASC) Sorting order of results.
 * **orderby**: (Default: date) Basis for sorting results.
 * **masonry**: (Default: enable) Enables or disables masonry layout.

### Why open source?

Open source software licensed under the **GPLv3** offers significant benefits by
ensuring user freedoms and promoting collaboration. The license guarantees that 
anyone can use, study, modify, and share the software, empowering users to adapt
it to their specific needs. This openness fosters a collaborative development environment
where improvements, bug fixes, and innovations are shared with the community, accelerating
progress and benefiting all users.

One of the key advantages of **GPLv3** is its protection against proprietary takeovers.
The copyleft requirement ensures that any modifications must also be distributed
under the same license, preventing companies from turning open-source software into
proprietary products. This safeguard keeps the software, along with any improvements,
freely accessible to everyone, preserving the community’s contributions. Additionally,**
GPLv3** includes strong patent protection, ensuring that users are safe from legal
threats related to software patents.

The license also combats digital restrictions by preventing the use of hardware 
or DRM to block users from modifying the software. This keeps users in control, 
even when the software is embedded in devices. Transparency is another significant
advantage, as the open nature of **GPLv3** software allows users to inspect the 
source code, building trust in its security and integrity.

Overall, **GPLv3** fosters ethical, sustainable software development. It ensures
that software remains free, adaptable, and accessible, reducing costs for individuals
and organisations. This model encourages long-term sustainability, as anyone can
continue the development of the software if the original creators stop supporting
it, making it a robust choice for both users and developers who value openness and
collaboration.

### Contributing

We welcome contributions from everyone, whether that’s fixing some of the core code
or a spelling mistake. If you’re interested in making contributions to CAN then 
please read our “Code of Conduct” before you make any suggestions or send a pull
request.

### Reporting bugs

Before submitting an issue, please take a few seconds to do a quick search to check
that your issue has not already been raised or fixed.
 You can report bugs by submitting
a new issue. The more detail you can provide in your issue, the better our team 
will be able to help you. Note that we expect anyone submitting a bug to adhere 
to our “Code of Conduct”.

### Future Development

Here, in no particular order, are a list of future developments we’d like to undertake:
–
Adapt the search to incoporate advanced search options – Add “create alert” functionality

### External services

This plugin connects to several external APIs to provide services such as Google
Captcha and maps to enhance the user experience and engage users in participating
in the circular arts network. Each service is detailed below.

### Google Maps

Google Maps can be configured as the maps provider in this plugin. It provides map
data to show the plugin users where items offered within the plugin are in the world.
This service is provided by Google.
 [Terms](https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/terms)
[Privacy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US)

### Google Captcha

Google Captcha can be configured to prevent unwanted user registrations and submissions
in the plugin. It provides a captcha which must be solved by a human to complete
the signup process. This is configured manually and must be provided with keys in
the admin settings to work.
 [Terms](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) [Privacy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US)

### Open Street Map

Open Street Map is the default maps provider in this plugin. It provides map data
to show the plugin users where items offered within the plugin are in the world.
This service is freely provided by the Open Street Map Foundation.
 [Terms](https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use)
[Privacy](https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy)

## Installation

### Step 1: Download the Plugin

Obtain the ZIP file for the Circular Arts Network plugin from the source provided.

### Step 2: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard

Access your WordPress site’s admin panel by navigating to `yourdomain.com/wp-admin`.

### Step 3: Navigate to Plugins

In your WordPress dashboard, go to the “Plugins” section on the left-hand menu and
click on “Add New”.

### Step 4: Upload the Plugin

At the top of the page, click on the “Upload Plugin” button. Then, choose the ZIP
file of the Circular Arts Network plugin that you downloaded earlier.

### Step 5: Install and Activate

After uploading the ZIP file, click on the “Install Now” button. Once installed,
you will need to activate the plugin by clicking on the “Activate Plugin” link.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Circular Arts Network” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

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

[Translate “Circular Arts Network” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/circular-arts-network)

### Interested in development?

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

## Changelog

#### 0.4

 * Fixed compare-listings panel and assets loading on every page instead of only
   listing/search pages.
 * Security: escaped listing titles and permalinks in the compare-table AJAX response.
 * Fixed broken gallery images and video links on listing pages.
 * Fixed sellers being unable to delete their own draft/pending listings.
 * Fixed incorrect post type in the listing-approval email link.
 * Fixed several `esc_html_e()` misuses that produced blank or misplaced text.

#### 0.3

 * Security: added capability check to the frontend listing create/update AJAX handler.
 * Security: fixed local file inclusion risk in the dashboard page router.
 * Security: added nonce and capability checks to the custom fields admin AJAX handlers.
 * Updated “Tested up to” to 7.0.

#### 0.2

 * WordPress plugin requirements adhered to.

## Meta

 *  Version **0.4**
 *  Last updated **3 days ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 4.7 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.0.2**
 *  PHP version ** 7.0 or higher **
 * Tags
 * [arts](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/arts/)[circular](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/circular/)
   [classifieds](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/classifieds/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/circular-arts-network/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/circular-arts-network/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/circular-arts-network/reviews/)

## Contributors

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

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/circular-arts-network/)

## Donate

Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?

 [ Donate to this plugin ](https://canarts.org.uk)