Configuring the Gallery Module

The Gallery module displays albums of graphics and/or multimedia files.  This functionality requires a little more configuration than some of the simpler modules.

Use what you learned in Add Module to Page to add a new Gallery Module to your Page.

Step By Step: Configure Gallery Settings

Your Module is initially created with no content.  Only the empty Container is visible, with its Title and Action Buttons.  Before website visitors can make use of your new Gallery, there are a few Settings that must be configured.

1.   Select Configuration from the Module Actions Menu.

On the Configuration page you'll see that there are lots of things that can be configured in your Gallery but we'll accept the default settings for most of them.  We'll just touch on a couple of areas.

The Admin Settings group is open by default.

2.   (Optional Step) Select a forum Skin or "Theme".  You may elect to keep the default theme or use one of the others provided.  Accept the default values for the other options in the group.

3.   (Optional Step) Scroll down to the Display Settings group and click on the expand button.  The settings in this group will affect how your Gallery is seen by website visitors.

Place your cursor in the Gallery Title text box.  Then type a word or short phrase which will serve as the title for your gallery.  The other default settings will suffice for most purposes.

4.   (Optional Step) Scroll down to the Feature Settings group and click on the expand button.  The settings in this group will affect features that are available to your website visitors.

Set a Slideshow Speed.  This affects how long each image is displayed when a website visitor is viewing a slideshow of images in your Gallery.  The number represents milliseconds (1000ths of a second) so 5000 = 5 seconds.

Uncheck the Enable Watermark checkbox.  This feature is handy if you need to protect your files from being copied, but for our gallery we won't need this feature.

Likewise, uncheck the Enable Exif checkbox.  This is a feature that provides information about the image that is valuable to some users, but another feature we won't need for our gallery.

5.   When you have finished, be sure to click Update at the bottom of the page to save your changes.  This is how your updated module would look to a website visitor.

Notice that the Gallery Title has been updated and that the Skin is gray.

Step By Step: Add Files to the Gallery

Now its time to add some images for your website visitors to see.

1.   The Gallery module reveals additional functionality through its own menus.  Select Add File from the album menu.

2.   Place your cursor in the Title field and enter a word or short phrase to identify the file you will be adding.  Optionally, fill out the other fields for Author, Client, Location and Description (these fields are not required).

Use the Browse button to select the file you have described in the previous text fields.  Then click Add File.

3.   (Optional Step)  Repeat step 2 to include additional files.

4.   Click the Upload button to commit the files to the gallery.  Alternatively, you can click the Delete button to remove a file from the list first.

When the Gallery already has files in it, you'll notice them listed at the bottom of the Edit Album page like the ones below.  You can edit the information for these files by clicking on the pencil icon .

When you have added all of your images, click on the link at the top of the page to return to the Album.

Step By Step: Add Album to the Gallery

If your Gallery will have many files, you may wish to categorize them in separate Albums.  An album is much like a folder.

1.   Select Add File from the album menu.

2.   Place your cursor in the Name and Title fields and enter a word or short phrase to identify the album.  Optionally, fill out the other fields for Author, Client, Location and Description (these fields are not required).  Click Update to create your new album.

3.   Your new Album will be listed with the other items (Files and/or albums) in the current album.  You can create one album inside another just like folders on your computer.  An album can contain files and/or other albums.

Click on the link at the top of the page to navigate to the main album.  This is how your Gallery will look to your website visitors.