In a previous blog post I introduced the new TI-Raleigh SBDU forums which are part of a larger ‘Community’ project that I’m building. At the same time I mentioned another task that I was working on. That was to add the functionality for forum members to upload image galleries. Well I’ve been working hard and I’ve been testing with cloud storage and folder structures and permissions and now have something ready. Here are the “My TI-Raleigh Galleries for SBDU Forum Members”.
My TI-Raleigh Galleries work with forum registration. So to make the best of them you must have a registered forum account and be logged into that account.
There are two account types; REGISTERED and GUEST. Access to folders is restricted dependant on account type. If you haven’t registered an account, or if you are not currently logged into your own account, you will be browsing galleries as a GUEST meaning you only have minimum GUEST privileges. Therefore, guest accounts can browse through the public shared galleries but can only view small 1″ size small thumbnail images. This means that there is no access to larger image previews or any further functionality on the Guest account type.
Demo
Here’s a screen captured video of my test account using the galleries…
Setup
Galleries are hosted using a cloud based storage solution provided by Microsoft OneDrive. My blog is managed by me and is self financed. Simply put, that means I must keep costs to a minimum. Hosting galleries and adding functionality does not come for free. However, the package I’ve put together gives me the minimum functionality I need to get this project up and running and create the community access I want.
As a registered forum member you will have access to the My TI-Raleigh Galleries shared folders. This registered access provides…
- Browse – The ability to browse through all shared galleries
- Previews – Image previews in a large image window
- Downloads – Image downloads
- Sharing – Access to share images or folders
- Search – Gallery search – find images from the entire gallery based on search keywords such as ‘Track’, ‘753’, ‘1979’ etc
As a registered forum member, you will also have access to your own private folder area. This area has a specific purpose…
- It is a storage area to hold images before they are checked and optimised and moved to the shared galleries
- It can be used as a temporary folder if you want to show or get private advise on a bike or frame
Adding Files to the Shared Galleries
Adding folders to the shared galleries starts by adding images to your private folder…
- Upload a new folder or images to your private folder – probably better to create a folder and add images to the new folder
Anything in your private folder can only be viewed by either yourself or admin (me). No other registered forum members or guests have access
- Add a note – let me know what you’ve uploaded
Add/upload a text file along with your images, or a note with a short description. You can also message/email me separately. I just need to know a little about your images
- If the images are for the shared galleries…
I receive notifications of any uploads. The image file size will be optimised for storage and previews before being added to the galleries. I will also tag image names with keywords to allow search indexing
- Once images are shared, or following any advice, the images in the private folder will be removed
The private folder isn’t a permanent cloud storage area. I need to prioritise space for the shared galleries. With that in mind, I’ll keep the private folders monitored and periodically look to remove any processed files.
Within your own private folder you have comprehensive permissions…
- Add/Remove – Add or delete files and folders
- Move – Rearrange files and folders
- Edit – Edit descriptions and file names
- Preview – See large image previews
- Download – Image downloads
- Share – Access to share images or folders
- Search – Image search
The Galleries are ready to go…
The main focus behind my community approach and incorporating features into my blog rather than elsewhere is to remove any requirement to host a user community through social media platforms such as Facebook. Although Facebook groups are good, not everyone uses it or wants to use it. Other features of Facebook such as posts are hard to keep track of or find and search through. Albums on Facebook can’t be searched which is also a drawback to users searching for information.
So please have a look and please contribute your images to the wider community. A single image shared can help someone else learn something.
