SleekView 1.2 is here, and it fundamentally expands what you can display in your views. Until now, SleekView worked exclusively with WordPress post types. With this release, you can connect custom database tables, REST endpoints, CSV files, JSON APIs, and SQLite databases as data sources and render them in the same Table, Kanban, and Feedback views.
Custom Sources
Every view now has a Data Source selector in the sidebar. The design separates transport (where the data comes from) from format (how the payload is structured), giving you 13 source types across four groups.
Transports
- WordPress: post types and custom database tables
- Remote: any URL serving CSV, JSON, JSONC, or a paginated REST API
- Filesystem: files on disk relative to the WordPress root
- Media Library: CSV, JSON, or JSONC files uploaded through WordPress
Formats
- CSV: flat row-and-column data. Delimiters are detected automatically (comma, semicolon, tab, pipe).
- JSON: a top-level array of objects, or an object with rows under
rows,data,posts, oritems. Pagination metadata liketotalPostsandtotalPagesis read automatically. - JSONC: JSON with comments and trailing commas, normalized server-side before decoding.
- SQLite: file-based relational databases queried directly via PDO.
Custom REST URLs
When the remote service should decide which rows to return, use a Custom REST URL. The URL field supports template tags that SleekView replaces with the current UI state before sending the request:
{pageNumber}: current page{perPage}: items per page{search}: search query{orderBy}: sort field{order}: sort direction
Pagination, search, and sorting all happen on the remote side. SleekView stays in sync with whatever the endpoint returns.
Custom WordPress Tables
Query any database table directly, including tables created by other plugins. Select a table from the dropdown and SleekView auto-discovers the columns.
Field Mapping
All custom sources support field mapping. Map columns from your data to the four fields SleekView expects: ID, Title, Content, and Date. Once mapped, the same dataset renders correctly in table rows, kanban cards, and feedback items without any extra configuration per view type.
Server-Side Querying
Every custom source gets the same query model as post types. Search, advanced filters with AND/OR logic, sorting, pagination, and CSV/XLS export are all handled on the server. The browser never needs the full dataset to render a page, so even large remote files behave like pageable data sources.
Interaction Limits
Custom sources are intentionally read-only. They render the same layouts as post type views, but write actions like inline editing, kanban drag and drop, feedback submissions, and upvotes remain post-type only. Every source shares the same rendering and querying layer, but only post types expose mutation features.
WooCommerce Presets
When WooCommerce is installed, three presets appear automatically in the Data Source selector under Integrations:
- Order Stats: revenue, taxes, shipping, net totals, and order counts
- Product Lookup: prices, stock levels, ratings, and sales data
- Customer Lookup: names, emails, order counts, and total spend
Each preset comes with pre-configured field mappings and human-readable column labels, so the view is ready to use the moment you select it.
Custom Source Presets
Developers can register their own presets with the sleekView/dataSourcePresets
PHP filter. A preset packages a source type, URL or table name, field mapping,
column labels, and optional server-side fetch settings into a single dropdown
option.
The fetch object stays on the server and is never exposed to the browser, so
private credentials remain in PHP while editors get a clean one-click source
option. This is useful for authenticated REST endpoints where authorization
headers should not reach the client.
See the full preset API documentation for examples and configuration details.
Column Labels
Source column names like date_created_gmt or meta_release_target_q3 are
rarely what editors want to see. The new Column Labels setting lets you
define human-friendly display names at the data source level. Labels apply
consistently across all view tabs that use the same source. Presets can ship
with fixed labels so the view is readable out of the box.
Looking Forward
Custom sources open up entirely new possibilities for SleekView. Your WordPress admin is no longer limited to WordPress data. It can become a unified dashboard for any structured data you work with.
Check out the full Data Sources documentation for setup guides and configuration details.