Task at hand: Uploading multiple photos to your Photo Gallery.

Questions to consider:

• Where are your photos?
• Are you uploading a bunch of individual images, or a single image with a bunch of "sub" images?
• What the heck are "sub" images, and when would you use them?

Ah yes. All these, and more, will be answered below. Sit back and enjoy.

But first, you need to...

Log In To Your Website

Right. Because you can't do anything unless you're logged in. Don't remember your username or password? Click the "Forgot your password" link below the login form. Forgot how to log in? There's a link at the bottom of every page on your website.

Go to a Photo Gallery

Once you're logged in, you need to go to your Photo Gallery. If you don't have a readily available link (such as in your website's regular navigation) and you don't have any Gallery categories included on any pages (via the Modules button on a page) then you can always go to the Admin Menu using the little rocket icon at the very top left of your browser window and going to Manage Gallery. (Don't see that? Call Mik! 413-320-5336).

There are always multiple ways to get to any destination. Ultimately what you want to do is either be in a Photo Gallery category, or in Manage Gallery. Those are two good places to be for this task.

• If you are in a Photo Gallery category, or even viewing an individual photo in a Gallery category, all you need to do is find the Multiple Upload button near the top of the page. If you don't see it, you can mouse-over the white button with the three dots.
   
• If you are in Manage Files, you'll want to locate the Multiple button in the specific category you want to upload to.

In either case, you should now be on the Mulitple Upload page for this category.

The Multiple Photo Uploader

Notice that the category you chose is at the top.

But Wait... There Are Settings!

Yes, before you start uploading, you need to make a couple decisions. By default, all images uploaded are set to NOT display, and in this multiple uploader, all images are considered INDIVIDUAL images, and not a main image with a bunch of sub images.

What are sub images? Well, consider this example: CathyRobertsRealestate.com/gallery/2/36/55-Franklin-Street,-Buckland,-MA -- you can see the main photo has a bunch of tiny thumbnails underneith it. If you mouse-over those tiny thumbnail images they swap out the main image for the thumb. Slick huh? Those are sub images.

Here are the decisions you need to consider:

• If you are going to upload a bunch of individual images, and they're all already properly named (ie; they're called "My Smiling Face.jpg" and not "img7216537.jpg", etc) you're probably ok with them all uploading and automatically displaying. Click the button that says "Set all images to display".
  Of course, you may want to edit some other aspects of each photo, including the Thumb Description (the extra text that shows up under each thumbnail in the Gallery category view), or even the longer description for each image, but that comes after you upload them, anyway.
• If you are planning on uploading a set of photos that should all be gathered together, with one main image and a bunch of sub images, then click the button that says "Make all images one record w/ subs".

Each time you hit one of those two buttons the page will reload, and the text on the button will change to reflect the new setting.

Adding Files to Multiple Upload

Again, there are multple ways of doing things. The easiest is to click the [ (+) Add Files ] button at the bottom left edge of the uploader window. This will open a browse window where you can go look for your image files.

The other way is to have a file browser window already open, next to the window your website is in, and already have your folder open and ready to drag files over. Be a Power User and do it this way!

Here are some tricks for multiple-choosing files:

• Click with your mouse on the first file (if they're all in a row) and, holding down on the Shift key on your keyboard, use the right or left arrow key to expand the selection for upload. This also works with the up or down arrow, which will select all the files that appear between the two on the rows. Check it out!
   
• Ctrl-Click on each file you want, making sure you're always holding down on the Ctrl key when you click.
   
• If you want all the files in the current folder, you can hit Ctrl-A on your keyboard and it will select All the files.
   
• If your files are in a grouping, you can click just outside the grouping with your mouse and drag it over the group in a diagonal motion, drawing a box around the files as they get selected. Best way to do this is start in one corner of the "box" and drag diagonally to the opposing corner.

Ok, you have all the files you want to upload selected. Now what?

Ready to Upload?

Awesome. Read on before you do anything...

If you are uploading a bunch of images (with no sub-images):

• If you clicked the [ (+) Add Files ] button, you can now simply click the [ OK ] button, and the files will begin uploading.
   
• If you had a separate files window open and were multiple-selecting files, you now need to click on any of the images  -- without holding down on the Ctrl key -- and drag that image over into the multiple uploader window, where is says Drag Files Here. As you drag it you'll see that it shows the number of files you're actually dragging. Once over that window, let go, and the files will begin uploading.

If you are uploading one image with a bunch of Sub-Images:

• If you clicked the [ (+) Add Files ] button, the first image in the set will become the main image, and the rest will be the "sub images."
   
• If you had a separate files window open and were multiple-selecting files, you now need to click on the image you want to be your MAIN image (probably the first one you clicked) and drag that one image over into the multiple uploader window, where is says Drag Files Here. As you drag it you'll see that it shows the number of files you're actually dragging. Once over that window, let go, and the files will begin uploading.

And off you go!

Now what?

Adding More Information to your Images

When you see the percentage number go up to 100%, and then go away (including the little slider-gauge) you can click the link that says Manage Uploaded Files. At some point this will happen automatically.

If you uploaded multiple individual files...

• You'll now see them all listed, each with a thumbnail and their title matching what their filename was when they were on your hard drive. You can now retitle them, and add a Thumb Description.
   
• If you didn't click Set all images to display you'll see that they're all highlighted in yellow, and the Display setting is on No. You'll need to set them to Yes.
   
• If you want to delete any of the photos here, just check the Delete checkbox, and before you click Save Changes, make sure to check the "Confirm Deletes" checkbox at the top.

When you're done on this page, make sure to click the red Save Changes button at the top.

If you uploaded a single image with multiple sub images...

• Go find the main image and click Edit.
   
• In here you can edit the title, thumb description, longer description, and manage the sub-images.

Click Save Changes when you're done.