Gallery for Festool Owners Group

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
In my effort to keep improving the Festool Owners Group, I'm proud to announce a gallery feature for all forum members.

By signing into the Festool Owners Group, you are automatically signed into the gallery.  Likewise, you must be signed into the forum to view the gallery.  Just click the "GALLERY" link in the main menu:
[attachimg=1]

In the gallery, you'll notice that there are several "albums" where members can upload their multimedia files.  If you don't yet have an album, send me a quick message and I'll create one for you.  Use the "COMMON ALBUM" as a temporary holding space until you have your own album.

Here's what the gallery offers:
- True multimedia capabilities: photos, drawings, movies, sound clips, and files from URLs or URIs
- Members can "batch upload" several files at a time
- Members can create sub-categories in their albums
- Members can create "slideshows" of their multimedia files
- More intuitive and easy-to-use interface for adding of your files and controlling display information
- Several administrative controls to configure the look and operation of the gallery
- Several upgrades, themes, and additional functions can be implemented later, if needed
- Creates an independent database, which can be saved or ported for other uses, if necessary

The gallery allows us to have a full multimedia zone for the Festool Owners Group that is an impressive partner to the main forum area.  My long-term goal is to have the Festool Owners Group be a zone with several levels of information, images, and interactivity.  The gallery is a step in that direction.  Of course, to achieve that goal, we need members to contribute their multimedia materials!

When you add files to the gallery, they go into an "album."  To get your photos into an album, you simply follow a series of intuitive steps.  You can name your photos, add titles (captions), write a full description for each one, and more.

Consider this a launch announcement.  In the coming days, I'll make small tweaks to the look and feel of the gallery.  I'll use this thread as a place to discuss the gallery as it develops.  At some point, I will move this discussion into the "Tech Talk" area.

During the initial phase, I encourage all members to explore the gallery and share your feedback here.

Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
Some interesting details about the Gallery that should be of interest to members:

Search Function
When members upload files, they can type out a full description of each one, as well as a name and caption for the file.  All of this gets entered into a database.  The gallery has an effective search feature, which allows you to locate photos in the collection based on title, description, caption, key word(s), owner name, file name, or by the age of the file.  This will help make the multimedia area even more usable and easy to navigate.

Easy Browsing and "Slide Shows"
Using navigation buttons, it's easy to move back and forth through all the images contained in an album.  You can also start a "slide show," which runs through the images in that album one at a time.

e-card Feature
When viewing an image in the gallery, you can quickly send it to someone as an e-card, which makes it usable in other media.

Ratings and Comments
Members browsing an album can leave written comments about an image, or give it a rating.

There may be other features added as we go along.

Matthew

 

[minimal]

NICE!! This is the best solution I've seen on any forum for the "where do I put my pix" problems.

Very nice....

 

[Michael Kellough]

...type out a full description of each one, as well as a name and caption for the file.  All of this gets entered into a database.  The gallery has an effective search feature, which allows you to locate photos in the collection based on title, description, caption, key word(s), owner name, file name, or by the age of the file.

This sounds great! The other new features will be useful too. Thanks Matthew!

 

[Matthew Schenker]

One more potential benefit:

Tracking Photo Paths
There is a plug-in for the gallery that, if installed, would allow us to enter a member name and see all the photos posted by that member, no matter what album they are in.  Even more, we would be able to select a photo and track where it appears in the main forum.

Matthew

 

[John Langevin]

Great work as usual Matthew. That last idea about "Photo Tracking" is excellent. Several times I have remembered a useful photo but can't readily remember wha specific topic it was in so I can't find it. Oftentimes also a photo may have bee submitted under one topic but also have value associated with another topic. The Photo Tracking would help maximize the value and usefulness of ALL submitted photos.

 

[rustym]

Matt,
Thanks for putting in the album for me.  Just put a couple of pics of a table I made for my son & his wife. 

Rusty

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Rusty,
Great!  Feel free to add other shots of your projects, with descriptions of what you did.
Anyone else need an album?
Matthew

 

[John Langevin]

Yes, Matthew I could use one. My old computer died and unfortunately I lost a lot of project photos but I am now in the process of taking more photos.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Yes, Matthew I could use one. My old computer died and unfortunately I lost a lot of project photos but I am now in the process of taking more photos.

OK, John, it's there and ready for you to use.
Matthew

 

[ROb McGilp]

Hi Matthew,

I'd like one also.

Thanks,

Albert

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Albert,
OK, it's there.
Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

A note to members with photos in the "old" gallery:
If you have copied all your images to the new gallery, please let me know.

Even better, if you no longer need your images to be stored in the old gallery, please let me know.  I understand you may have posts in the forum with references to the old gallery URLs, so we may need to leave the old gallery up.  But if you are ambitious and want to replace your old-gallery references with references to the new gallery, that would be amazing.  For those of you with several old-gallery references, I understand this might take a while, but if possible, I'd like to close out the old gallery completely.

Matthew

 

[Dan Clark]

Matthew,

Two suggestions... 

First, I have something like 13,000 images on my harddrives (plural).  Although they are somewhat categorized, it would be very difficult to hunt down all of the images that I've posted.   

Please post a link to the old gallery or add an "Old Gallery" button to the toolbar.  That way, we can see what's in the old gallery and what needs to be moved.   Maybe the best way would be to add a link to your original post in this thread.

Second, although individual user galleries are nice, I think the real need is for more product and functional galleries.   Although I'm happy with my minor jig and technique contributions, I don't think loading them into my gallery is particularly useful.   Like most people, I'd like some credit for my work.  Since the Gallery identifies who took the pics, that's good enough for me.   IMO, it's the work that is most important, not having them in my gallery. 

The Photo Tutorial pics are for the Forum; it's better to have them in a functional gallery.  All Jigs and tool enhancements should be in a "Jigs, Inventions, & Tool Enhancements" gallery.   My uploaded pics of the Kapex should be in the Saws gallery.     The MFT and DC's should have their own gallery.   Products like the MFS, clamps and rail guides cross multiple boundaries; they should be in a combined gallery.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Just a quick announcement: I'll be trying out various themes (aka skins) for the gallery over the next couple of days.  The current one is fine, but I'd like to see if there is one that might be a little better for our needs.  So if you go into the gallery and it looks a little different, don't worry.  The functions will all be the same.
Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Matthew,
First, I have something like 13,000 images on my harddrives (plural).  Although they are somewhat categorized, it would be very difficult to hunt down all of the images that I've posted.

I will leave the old gallery up as long as it needs to be up.  My hope is that, over time, people with images there can move them out into the new gallery.  But if it takes a while, that's fine.

Please post a link to the old gallery or add an "Old Gallery" button to the toolbar.  That way, we can see what's in the old gallery and what needs to be moved.  Maybe the best way would be to add a link to your original post in this thread.

I'd rather not post a link in the main menu to the old gallery.  At this point, and as we go forward, the old gallery will only useful to those of you with images in it.  I sent an IM to everyone who had an album in the old gallery, with the URL.

Second, although individual user galleries are nice, I think the real need is for more product and functional galleries.  Although I'm happy with my minor jig and technique contributions, I don't think loading them into my gallery is particularly useful.  Like most people, I'd like some credit for my work.  Since the Gallery identifies who took the pics, that's good enough for me.  IMO, it's the work that is most important, not having them in my gallery. 

The Photo Tutorial pics are for the Forum; it's better to have them in a functional gallery.  All Jigs and tool enhancements should be in a "Jigs, Inventions, & Tool Enhancements" gallery.  My uploaded pics of the Kapex should be in the Saws gallery.    The MFT and DC's should have their own gallery.  Products like the MFS, clamps and rail guides cross multiple boundaries; they should be in a combined gallery.

I'm fine creating more product and functional albums.  Everyone should feel free to suggest ideas for the names of these albums.

What do other people think about individual member albums?

Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Another quick note...
I just upgraded the search function in the gallery to reflect the discussions we've been having here.

You can now search the gallery using the following criteria:
Title
Caption
Keyword(s)
Owner name
File name
Album title
Album description
IP Address

So see this, go to the Gallery and click on "Search."

Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
I check the gallery regularly, so if you place images in the "TEMPORARY" folder or the "COMMON ALBUM" I will see it and create a personal album for you.

I encourage members to check the gallery and offer feedback on it.

Stay in touch,
Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Improvement on the way...

Later today, I will be installing a Java-based upload feature for the gallery.  I'm testing it right now, and it looks really good.  This feature will make batch uploading even easier and faster.

Stay tuned,
Matthew

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
I have installed the Java-based upload feature in the gallery.

To access this feature, just click the "Upload file (using Java)" from the gallery main menu.  The screen shot below shows how to access the Java-based upload feature:
[attachimg=1]

Please report back on how this works for you.

If you prefer a non-Java-based approach, that option will continue to be available in the gallery.  The screen shot below shows how to access the non-Java-based upload feature:
[attachimg=2]

Stay in touch,
Matthew