Use Variables to define folder names in Photoshelter Upload

[Joel Goodman]

I've configured PM's Photoshelter upload tool using variables to more efficiently upload batches of images from several different sets to Photoshelter in a single action, rather than having to do so one set at a time. It's a great time saver and it prompted me to want to take it further and define the gallery names in the same way, rather than having them all land in one folder and then having to create & name new galleries before separating them out on the site.
In the Photoshelter uploader you can select an existing gallery or manually create a new gallery, in to which you then upload work, but I don't think there's a way to generate gallery names based on variable, either in to a specified folder or just in to the top of the default folder heirachy.
Has anyone any ideas on a way to do this?

[Jerry H]

Hi Joel,

While what you're asking for isn't possible in the current build, it can be implemented
.

After giving it a brief thought, there were some potential problems that came to mind.

When the field that evaluates the variables is used, does the template ignore the path chosen in the column browser? If it prepends the path set in the column browser, what happens when a gallery is selected?

Should said field create only galleries, or the full path, beginning at root, and honor path separators?

What should the template do when a variable returns an empty string, path separator, carriage return, file extension, or too many characters?

Will each gallery that's created using this field inherit the visibility and access permissions of the parent collection, or does it have its own permissions controls?

-Jerry

[Joel Goodman]

Hi Jerry

Thanks for getting back on this.

The way I'd love it to work, based on the existing Photoshelter uploader, is:

(1) Add "Inherity visibility" and "Inherit permissions" switches (this would benefit existing features anyway, assuming Photoshelter's API enables you to do so).
(2) A switch to the effect of "Define new galleries using upload variables".
(3) If API permits, as well as the existing visibility switch, I'd also love to be able to select from my Photoshelter created pricing profiles at the upload stage.
(4) When switch (2) is active, the column browser would work as present and prepend new galleries as you suggest, allowing users to select up to the lowest level of Photoshelter *collection* on their site, but will not show or make visible any *galleries*, thus preventing users from trying to do the impossible in uploading a gallery in to a gallery.
(5) A new "Destination path" field, that works in the same way as that in the FTP dialogue, would be available when switch (2) is enabled, which I could then populate with something like "{day0}/{month0}/{year4} {headline:0,80}" to generate gallery names based on the images I'm uploading.

This would sweep up a ton of the post-upload faff currently required when using the Photoshelter uploader and make it a really useful tool, far beyond just FTPing to selected folders. It's easy to drag and drop galleries in to different collections in Photoshelter, after, if that's still required.

For me, images from the same sets share the same headline. So, with this in place, I'd assume that images uploaded to the same destination path would end up in the same Photoshelter gallery. For the sake of argument, I could then upload 500 images from 10 different sets opened in a single contact sheet, using a single action, knowing that they'd all be correctly placed in to 10 correctly named galleries in Photoshelter, using a single, pre-defined action.

I could dump and run without having to wait for the upload to complete in order to open Photoshelter to carry out additional steps.

Regarding your other points, I think your existing rules for variables in filenames enable users to define "/" as either a character (as I'd want) or as a definer of path. If not then could this be done? I'd be happy to disregard the ability to create such new collections/paths as part of this process, if it weren't possible. I'd also be happy to set visibility and access permissions for the overall upload action, rather than per gallery. Of course, if some of these features could be incorporated in to the variables that I could enter in to the "Destination path" field in the Photoshelter uploader (and presumably in the FTP dialogue too?!) that'd be even more useful.

Thanks for taking the time to read this - is it a realistic feature request?

Best

Joel.

[Jerry H]

Joel,

We plan to update the PhotoShelter upload template to use their v4 API beginning early next year. Your requests will be taken into consideration.

-Jerry

[Joel Goodman]

Thanks. Sounds promising!
FWIW I'd prob change a bit of what I wrote above, if it were my choice. Rather than hiding all galleries if uploading with variables, have the gallery names visible but greyed to make it clear they can't be selected. I can see it being helpful to see the context of a collection in to which users are adding galleries and there being no benefit in hiding those gallery names, if they couldn't be selected anyway.
If the API enabled gallery order sorting, so users could both display the order based on the sorting option selected (rather than just alphabetical) and also so that we could resort those galleries from the PhotoMechanic interface, that'd be pretty cool, too.
Thx
Joel.

[Joel Goodman]

Any news on this?
Also, if still in development, a really useful extra function would be a reverse sort order for the columns in the uploader. I have folders sorted by year date - 2008, 2009 etc. Mostly I'm uploading to 2022 and this always appears off the bottom of the list.
Ta

[Jerry H]

Hi Joel,

Any news on this?

It is still in development. I don't have a release date for you at this time.

a really useful extra function would be a reverse sort order for the columns in the uploader. I have folders sorted by year date - 2008, 2009 etc. Mostly I'm uploading to 2022 and this always appears off the bottom of the list.

I don't foresee any problems with adding a global sort direction option in addition to the sort by filter that will be included in the new template.

Regards,
Jerry

[Joel Goodman]

Thanks Jerry.