Some photos weirdness

[John]

Steve,

When I try to display my photos (Photos -> My photos), there are a couple of problems.

1) A cosmetic problem that the Forum tab is highlighted

2) I then try to sort by posted date with most recent first and what I get is some of the images from 2007 first and then the ones from 2010. Presumably a glitch in the database. The 2007 images are from the Namibia album.

John

[Steve]

John,

Thanks for the info.

I am aware of the way the system shows Forum highlighted for most photo pages, that is a limitation of the new Content Management System. Either they will improve it as it moves forward or we'll eventually make our own code so that all photo pages keep the photo tab switched on.

The database is fine I think. What isn't perhaps is some of the search logic. I just looked at the support site for that and only one site has reported that problem, and that was some months back with no further reports, and they were told to delete their cookies and try again. You can do that by logging out and back in.. but personally I suspect that won't do much but great if it does. If not, then I have noted the problem but it is one that will probably need their next update to resolve.

Steve

[Steve]

John,

Hmm! I solved that one re the tabs much more quickly than I expected!

So, now the photos area is called Gallery, it is completed and has search and upload up on the top menu, and all photo pages keep the Gallery button selected. Not bad for 10 minutes - thanks to the good folks at the software outfit.

Also added with that was a latest photo uploads box above the forums, and a random gallery photo box on the member profile page.

Things will keep changing and improving like this for a long time to come.. and I'll be adding back our obits section and items like that as soon as I can get it done too.

Steve

[John]

Steve,

... they were told to delete their cookies and try again. You can do that by logging out and back in.. but personally I suspect that won't do much but great if it does.

Logged out, quit the browser and relaunched -- it still knew who I was, even though it also asked me to log in

Manually deleted all ukexpert cookies, quit, relaunched and logged back in. As you guessed, no change to the gallery listing problem.

John

[Coops]

Hi Steve,

Love the new software, however, as I'm finding my way around something appears to be a little strange when viewing an individuals gallery........for example, if I click on the photo area Denmark, the next photo option and the slide show, give pictures of Denmark; same if I click on an album in an individuals gallery. That is logical enough.

But when I try to look at a slide show or next photo from the individuals gallery, it appears to first give a photo from that person followed by a random photo from anybody, followed by photos by anyone following the second images photo area.

For example: If I want to view Andy's Gallery starting with his AWACs picture, I get: Andy's AWACs, followed by Graham's Waterways, followed by more Waterway pictures from Graham, Mike, etc

Is that a glitch, or is there another way to look through an individuals gallery that I have missed?

Coops

[John]

Steve,

Another glitch. When I click through to the full size image on my robin picture you've featured on the front page, I get the 600x400 image stretched rather than the full sized image.

In fact this is true for most of my recently upload images.

John

[Steve]

John,

That explains why I thought a photo or two looked rough last night... I will go investigate.

Coops, and John to an extent.. re the 'members gallery'. I think some of the things being seen there may have always been there.

The system keeps every different category and album in its own directory, and that means you can search, sort, slideshow them all and it works great.

However, we also have switched on the ability to see every file a member has uploaded in those member galleries.. but.. those are not real. Those photos are not all together anywhere and the system is doing well to show them all in one place. That means some things can't be done in the same ways in that area, even though the menu choices are still around.

The reason for the menu options is that this system has vast configuration abilities, and one option is to make the members gallery real and be the place where the photos really are, with other areas just pretending to house a copy of the photo. We've never gone for that option as it brings a lot of downsides for all the other areas.

So, knowing that the member gallery isn't real and has limitations on what can be done there is probably the way we have to look at it when something seems different. Also understanding that the menus have to cater for dozens of different ways the system could be configured. They do add some good abilities in that members gallery area, and I am going to see if I can get more over time.

After saying that, I do expect to get both the reported things 'fixed' if I can find a way to report them as wrong in some way - it may just not be instant.

Steve

[Steve]

John,

OK.. I think I fixed the large photo thing, please check all looks well to you.

There was actually an instruction in the coding to do that, so I took it out. I will have to find out what they did that for.

Steve

[Steve]

For example: If I want to view Andy's Gallery starting with his AWACs picture, I get: Andy's AWACs, followed by Graham's Waterways, followed by more Waterway pictures from Graham, Mike, etc

I was trying to reproduce a problem so I could ask one of the software writers about it.

What I saw when I went to a member gallery was all that member's photos - so fine.

Then I clicked on one as you seem to have done - fine too - it showed the image and the area it was actually located in.

If I then used the next image and previous image buttons, as I was in a photo area then, it moved me on to the next or previous image in that area. Often by the same person but often not. That's also all as it is designed to do.

If I want to view a member's photos I go to their area, find one I want to view and click on it, then click the browser back button to see their list of images where I left it, and I move about in that again and find another image of theirs to view, or whatever.

That does seem to be how it was designed to work and because of where photos actually are and so on it seems to make some sense. I have to admit I'd never thought about it a lot as I often look at photos like all my own, and I am just used to going back and forth etc.

Hope the thoughts help in some way and that I am understanding what you meant etc.

Steve

[Coops]

Steve

I think I understand what you are saying about the images not really existing in an individuals gallery. However, what I can't follow is why the next or previous image jumps to a totally unrelated image then provides follow-on images from that new area.

For example, if I click on a castle from my gallery, the next image gives 'ships and boats' followed by a series of 'ships and boats'. Assuming that I had clicked the castle because I was intrested in that type of image, why would it not give me a series from the 'castles' area?

Of course, if I did not have the new buttons over the image and the new slide-show option, I would not have been playing with them :-) I have had no problems using the browser back button to return to a gallery and selecting the next image manually, as before.

There must be a thousand ways to configure all these things, I'm glad I am not trying to work out how it all works!

Coops

[John]

Steve,

OK.. I think I fixed the large photo thing, please check all looks well to you.

Yes, thanks, that fixes the problem. I tried out a few and they all came out at full resolution. Weird problem though.

John

[Coops]

Steve,

Something strange has happened when I attempted to upload to a new album - Copenhagen. I uploaded 2 batches of 6 images all into the new album, I thought. It seems that 16 images have appeared, 8 in the album and 8 in my gallery (with 4 of these images appearing in both)!

Is it possible to move the last 8 images in 'my gallery' back to the album 'Copenhagen' and delete the duplications please? I hope it's not something that I have done wrong!

Thanks

Coops

[Steve]

Coops,

Hmm.. I think I'll have to sit and study the photo areas soon and see if our newer software has added some things we may want to change.

With what you have seen I don't think there is actually a problem.. well probably not.

I just looked at the front page of the photo area and it shows 8 new Copenhagen images from you, all fine and good. After those other peoples images show etc.

I clicked on one, and it said it was in a new Album you've created of Coops > Copenhagen. Also as you wanted I think so all fine.

Then I looked at your gallery and could see what you meant I think.. I could see the Copenhagen Gallery at the top of the page.. but also the 8 images below in your normal set of images.

However, that effect is I think there because I played with search on your areas the other day and the system may have remembered what I did and showed me things sorted the same way again... in which case I would see what I saw with all your images sorted in together.

I then went to the Member Galleries area, and clicked on you to see your gallery.. and got the Albums at the top and your photos below, without the 8 photos showing there.

So, as mad as it may seem, I suspect all is as intended...

I will return to this and see if I can spot any problems, and if anything is duplicated it only takes a moment to remove a copy or two etc.

So for now I wouldn't worry about any of it.... and see how you get on looking at your area via the normal member gallery links, that seemed to turn off the memory of wanting a different type of search/sort.

I do have to review the photo areas and will be asking for feedback on this and that, things like the 'lightbox' that shows a mass of photo thumbs next to the medium photo displayed... that can be done away with in an instant if it isn't wanted etc... and so can most things.

Steve

[Coops]

Thanks for the last night's reply Steve .........don't you ever go to bed??????

Looking at this again today, it seems that the 8 images in the album are the same as the 8 in my gallery, so they show in both places. I uploaded 2 batches of 6, so 4 images have gone!! I will try uploading them again when I get home this evening and see what happens.

Coops

[Steve]

Coops,

Yes, all it seems to be is that some of your album images are showing in the gallery part of the page. They are really only in your album and it seems to be a fault with the way search is working, or possibly what the author intended. I've seen it too and I think John has mentioned it. I have asked the software authors about search and we are likely to get that effect removed soon one way or another. You can prove they are in your album by clicking on one and seeing where it shows as being, all I have tried say they are in the album.

The 4 photos that didn't complete uploading are all in your upload directory on here. So, if you choose upload and then hopefully you'll see one of the options is a tick box that says "Skip upload and process the files already in your upload directory" - choose that and set things going and you should find those 4 photos are sorted out.

Steve