WordPress Image Control: Difference between revisions

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Leaving WordPress on its own for image management on a ~~website~~ with a ~~lot~~ of images is ~~stupid~~.

Leaving WordPress website on its own for image (AKA media) management is a receipt for disaster that will come back to haunt you. It's best to get it right from the start. That will take a bit of extra work, but in the end it is worth it. So let's start with the basics and how WordPress handles images.

In this article Plugins are denoted with '''Bold Typeface'''. Those that have been tested and have been found to be useful are in '''''Bold Italic Typeface'''''.

== Built in Functionality ==

Media is considered an Attachment to a Post or a Page (from the database perspective both Posts and Pages are given Post IDs). The odd thing is that it doesn't have to be "attached" to a Post or Page. It can be "unattached". Its "attached" or "unattached" status is determined by how the image is uploaded to WordPress. If the image is uploaded to a WordPress site via the Media Tab, it is considered "unattached". If an image is uploaded to a WordPress site from within a Post or Page (IE, it's added into what is being written or set as a featured image) it is then "attached" to that Post or Page. If the view of media within the Media Tab is set to list, the "attachment status" can be changed by associating it with a Post or Page or detaching it. Plugins like Timeline Express have Posts that are referred to as "Announcements" (again, from the database perspective, they're considered Posts) and are handled in a similar manner to Posts and Pages.

=== An Image as Viewed from a User's Perspective ===

Media is also a bit of an oddity from the view's perspective as it is by default (but can be changed via Plugins like '''Attachment Pages Redirect''') available in a myriad of ways;

Images can be viewed on a Post or Page.*

They can also be viewed via a Permalink. The permalink page is the image as it appears on its "Attachment Page", which includes additional information like the Title, Caption, and Description (only used in this capacity and no other location).*

And they can also be viewed via a direct URL (IE, the actual physical path to the image file). The direct URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is just the image, nothing else.

<nowiki>*</nowiki> The ALT / Alternative information is included in the HTML, but is not displayed in a web page.

On an obscure note, the permalink page also displays additional information such as "previous image" and "next image" (and a Post Comment section too). The image also has the "previous / next image" functionality if the image itself is clicked. This allows a viewer to "scroll" through all the images of a Post or Page.

=== An Image from the Administrator's Perspective ===

When editing an Attachment Page, there are a myriad of items to configure

Title (seen in the permalink page and in the Head section of HTML in the <TITLE> Element, but nowhere in the actual Post or Page or its HTML)

Permalink*

File URL (which is a set path and file name unless using a Plugin like '''''Phoenix Media Rename''''' that allows a physical file name to be changed (and updated in the WordPress database))

<nowiki>*</nowiki> If using an advanced Permalink Manager, several Permalinks might be present (Current URI, Native Slug, etc.)

Each attachment

This is an important consideration

==Items to Consider==

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**'''''Phoenix Media Rename''''': A simple Plugin that adds a File Name Field to an Image (in administration) that allows changing the File Name. It even automatically replaces spaces with dashes ( - ). It also allows for "bulk renaming", but only for manual modifications to the name (IE, it can't add "My Web Site" to the beginning of every file name).

**Media File Renamer: Similar to Phoenix, but Phoenix is better.

**'''''WP Media Folder''''': Creates a folder and file structure for media, so very handy for organizing a lot of media. Unfortunately it breaks some features of other Media Plugins like '''Enhanced Media Library''' (and vice versa), but the fix is easy: Temporarily disable when other Plugin features are needed. Some other alternatives are listed here: https://colorlib.com/wp/wordpress-media-library-management-plugins/ '''File Bird Light''', among others is an alternative.

**'''''WP Media Folder''''': Creates a folder and file structure for media, so very handy for organizing a lot of media. Unfortunately it breaks some features of other Media Plugins like '''Enhanced Media Library''' (and vice versa), but the fix is easy: Temporarily disable when other Plugin features are needed. Some other alternatives are listed here: https://colorlib.com/wp/wordpress-media-library-management-plugins/ '''File Bird Light''', among others is an alternative. It adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), both of these fields have no effect on builtin WP functionality, only with the plugin. The _wpmf_gallery_custom_image_link is the field it adds to the PostMeta Table.

**'''Unite Gallery''' (from JoomUnited): A lightbox plugin ~~that~~ adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), ~~both of~~ these ~~fields have no effect on builtin~~ WP ~~functionality, only with the plugin.~~

**'''Unite Gallery''' (from JoomUnited): Oddly, this lightbox plugin, according to a Google search adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), but these are from '''''WP Media Folder'''''

**Plugins that manipulate the built in WordPress behavior related to Media and Images (IE, Attachment Pages, which are created for each image that is uploaded)

**<u>???Keep in mind this might have a detrimental affect on SEO, since it redirects the base / large image to a smaller image on a page. It might be worth while to go to a Page with a Lightbox that has the FULL sized image and a link at the top that goes to the timeline and additional links if there are other image sizes, maybe a popup too that makes it painfully aware to the end user what is going on, and there is the WordPress SRCSR attribute thing for multiple image sizes too???</u>

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-Leaving WordPress on its own for image management on a website with a lot of images is stupid.
+Leaving WordPress website on its own for image (AKA media) management is a receipt for disaster that will come back to haunt you.  It's best to get it right from the start.  That will take a bit of extra work, but in the end it is worth it.  So let's start with the basics and how WordPress handles images.
+In this article Plugins are denoted with '''Bold Typeface'''.  Those that have been tested and have been found to be useful are in '''''Bold Italic Typeface'''''.
+== Built in Functionality ==
+Media is considered an Attachment to a Post or a Page (from the database perspective both Posts and Pages are given Post IDs).  The odd thing is that it doesn't have to be "attached" to a Post or Page.  It can be "unattached".  Its "attached" or "unattached" status is determined by how the image is uploaded to WordPress.  If the image is uploaded to a WordPress site via the Media Tab, it is considered "unattached".  If an image is uploaded to a WordPress site from within a Post or Page (IE, it's added into what is being written or set as a featured image) it is then "attached" to that Post or Page.  If the view of media within the Media Tab is set to list, the "attachment status" can be changed by associating it with a Post or Page or detaching it.  Plugins like Timeline Express have Posts that are referred to as "Announcements" (again, from the database perspective, they're considered Posts) and are handled in a similar manner to Posts and Pages.
+=== An Image as Viewed from a User's Perspective ===
+Media is also a bit of an oddity from the view's perspective as it is by default (but can be changed via Plugins like '''Attachment Pages Redirect''') available in a myriad of ways;
+Images can be viewed on a Post or Page.*
+They can also be viewed via a Permalink.  The permalink page is the image as it appears on its "Attachment Page", which includes additional information like the Title, Caption, and Description (only used in this capacity and no other location).*
+And they can also be viewed via a direct URL (IE, the actual physical path to the image file).  The direct URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is just the image, nothing else.
+<nowiki>*</nowiki> The ALT / Alternative information is included in the HTML, but is not displayed in a web page.
+On an obscure note, the permalink page also displays additional information such as "previous image" and "next image" (and a Post Comment section too).  The image also has the "previous / next image" functionality if the image itself is clicked.  This allows a viewer to "scroll" through all the images of a Post or Page.
+=== An Image from the Administrator's Perspective ===
+When editing an Attachment Page, there are a myriad of items to configure
+Title (seen in the permalink page and in the Head section of HTML in the <TITLE> Element, but nowhere in the actual Post or Page or its HTML)
+Permalink*
+File URL (which is a set path and file name unless using a Plugin like '''''Phoenix Media Rename''''' that allows a physical file name to be changed (and updated in the WordPress database))
+<nowiki>*</nowiki> If using an advanced Permalink Manager, several Permalinks might be present (Current URI, Native Slug, etc.)
+Each attachment
+This is an important consideration
 ==Items to Consider==
@@ Line 63: / Line 96: @@
 **'''''Phoenix Media Rename''''': A simple Plugin that adds a File Name Field to an Image (in administration) that allows changing the File Name.  It even automatically replaces spaces with dashes ( - ).  It also allows for "bulk renaming", but only for manual modifications to the name (IE, it can't add "My Web Site" to the beginning of every file name).
 **Media File Renamer: Similar to Phoenix, but Phoenix is better.
-**'''''WP Media Folder''''': Creates a folder and file structure for media, so very handy for organizing a lot of media.  Unfortunately it breaks some features of other Media Plugins like '''Enhanced Media Library''' (and vice versa), but the fix is easy: Temporarily disable when other Plugin features are needed.  Some other alternatives are listed here: https://colorlib.com/wp/wordpress-media-library-management-plugins/  '''File Bird Light''', among others is an alternative.
+**'''''WP Media Folder''''': Creates a folder and file structure for media, so very handy for organizing a lot of media.  Unfortunately it breaks some features of other Media Plugins like '''Enhanced Media Library''' (and vice versa), but the fix is easy: Temporarily disable when other Plugin features are needed.  Some other alternatives are listed here: https://colorlib.com/wp/wordpress-media-library-management-plugins/  '''File Bird Light''', among others is an alternative.  It adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), both of these fields have no effect on builtin WP functionality, only with the plugin.  The _wpmf_gallery_custom_image_link is the field it adds to the PostMeta Table.
-**'''Unite Gallery''' (from JoomUnited): A lightbox plugin that adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), both of these fields have no effect on builtin WP functionality, only with the plugin.
+**'''Unite Gallery''' (from JoomUnited): Oddly, this lightbox plugin, according to a Google search adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), but these are from '''''WP Media Folder'''''
 **Plugins that manipulate the built in WordPress behavior related to Media and Images (IE, Attachment Pages, which are created for each image that is uploaded)
 **<u>???Keep in mind this might have a detrimental affect on SEO, since it redirects the base / large image to a smaller image on a page.  It might be worth while to go to a Page with a Lightbox that has the FULL sized image and a link at the top that goes to the timeline and additional links if there are other image sizes, maybe a popup too that makes it painfully aware to the end user what is going on, and there is the WordPress SRCSR attribute thing for multiple image sizes too???</u>