Enhance the Plain skin via include files

 

Introduction

In version 2 of the Plain skin, most of the modifications discussed in my previous note have been added, except the points 4 and 5

In version 2 of the Plain skin Laza did implement on my request include files, which makes it possible to insert extra code in the skin, so there is no need to change the original skin code.

In this note I will show how you can enhance the Plain skin with new features, starting with making the lightbox background color equal to the index page background color.

Include files in Plain version 2.7

page-header.inc:

With an include file user-head.inc in the project directory, you can insert extra code just before the </head> tag. You could use that to add extra css-files of add css-code via <style> blocks. Code added via this file will be used in the root-album and in the folder albums.

user-style.css:

I used include file user-stylele.css to add extra css-code at the end of the common.css file. Code added via this file will also be used in the root-album and in the folder albums.

To see the code I used, download this file and all other files made in this note here. The extra code in the user-style.css file adds the following features:

• It makes the text and background color of the lightbox equal to the text and background color of the thumbnails page.

• The caption text color is also made equal to the text color of the thumbnails page.

• The caption background color is also made equal to the background color of the thumbnails page, but it is made more transparent (Opaque of 60%). It is of course more flexible to change the Page background color control on the design tab in a color control which allows also the define the transparency or even better to add a new color control with transparency for a caption, but this time I did not want to change the UI.

• copied the css-code used in my PhotoSwipe skin to make the the audio clip control smaller and more transparent.

• Finally I added css-code for the extra buttons discussed below.

To see the result of these changes open this sample album.

user-code.js:

With file user-code.js you can add extra javascript code to be used in the root album and in the folder albums. I use that for maps made with my MakeMap program. To make it possible to open the lightbox directory from a route map for the corresponding image number, via an URL like this: ''https://andrewolff.jalbum.net/Sample_Project_Plain_inc/index.html?M18”, which opens the light-box for the 19th image in the album.

This is also used in this album. You can find the used code in the zip-file and in this note.

With Plain version 3 and MakeMap version 2.8, the light-box can be opened by clicking on a marker or thumbnail in the map, without the use of this include file.

user-options.inc:

The contents in this file is used to add and/or change options of the lightbox. You can find these options in the PhotoSwipe gallerydocumentation.

Code added via this file will be used in the root-album and in the folder albums.

In this sample album it is used to set the bgOpacity to 1, otherwise you see part of the thumbnails page and clicking in the image will start or stop the slideshow.

user-top.inc:

You can use this include file to insert extra html-code after the title of the index page. You have to save such a file in each image directory where you like to show the extra code.

user-top-all.inc:

You can use this include file to insert extra html-code after the title of the index page. You have to save such a file in the root image directory if you like to show the extra code in the root output directory and all other output folders.

In this https://andrewolff.jalbum.net/Sample_Project_Plain_inc/ it is used to add a theme image,

user-code.inc:

You can use this include file to insert extra html-code after the  description of the index page. You have to save such a file in each image directory where you like to show the extra code.

user-code-all.inc:

You can use this include file to insert extra html-code after the description of the index page. You have to save such a file in the root image directory if you like to show the extra codein the root output directory and all other output folders.

In this https://andrewolff.jalbum.net/Sample_Project_Plain_inc/ it is used to add buttons to open the route maps and to download the corresponding gpx-file as described in this note.

The buttons are only added if the corresponding file 'track.gpx', 'GoogleMap.html' or 'OSM_Map.html' is found in the album output directory..

user-footer.inc:

You can use this include file to insert extra html-code at the end of the index page. Code added via this file will be used in the root-album and in the folder albums.

I used this in the sample album to insert a copyright statement under the thumbnails. But because the statement is automatically inserted in all folder albums, you see in the sample album that 3 folder albums show the wrong copyright statement.

Desired changes

Use user-footer.inc for footer code for the current folder and use user-footer-all.inc for footer code for the root folder and all other folders,

Demo albums

All described include files can be downloaded here and you see the effect of the unmodified Plain skin in this sample album, in this Audio-clip demo album.

New versions of program MakeMap

 

In version 2.3.0 the next items are added or changed:

• The close buttons on both map types are now made with embedded buttons.

• The download kml-file has been removed from the Google Earth web page.

• All jAlbum skins do use now the same template file, the skin res directory is no longer used.

• The MakeMap program can now also be used for the jAlbum Plain skin, see this Plain sample album, more info in this note.

• If the new check-box Enable links has been cleared, no light-box with the corresponding slide page will be opened if you click on a way-point in the map and next in the thumbnail.

In version 2.4.0 the next feature has been added

It is now possible to display up to 8 tracks in an OpenStreetMap in different colors:

The following 8 file-names can be used to display tracks in OpenStreetMaps:

• track.js, the default value in program ConvertTrack, wil show a red track.
• trackGreen.js which will display a green track.
• trackMagenta.js which will display a magenta track.
• trackBlue.js which will display a blue track.
• trackBlack.js which will display a black track.
• trackBrown.js which will display a brown track.
• trackYellow.js which will display a yellow track.
• trackOrange.js which will display a orange track.

Example of of multi-track OpenStreetMap:

To see this on-line, open this album and click on the third button from the left (OSM kaart) or open the map directly.

In version 2.5.0 the next features have been added

1. The new Plain and Lizard skins are now supported, see this Plain album and this Lizard album.
2. It is now possible to use thumbnail images instead of fixed marker icons:
   
   
   see also the maps of this album.
3. An OpenStreetView map is now centered around a selectable waypoint
4. The zoom level of an OpenStreetView map is lowered for smaller devices.

In version 2.8.0 the next item is changed:

With version 3 of the Plain skin, the lightbox can be opened by clicking the thumbnail, without the use of an include file, see  this sample album.

How to show Route Maps in Albums made with the Plain, Lizard or Tiger skin

 

Introduction

With my Windows program MakeMap, you can make a map of all photo locations in an album made with most current jAlbum skins.

First you should download and install this program from my website.

I did not buy a Microsoft security certification, so during the installation you will see messages like 'Setup.exe is not downloaded frequently and can be dangerous' and 'Your PC is protected'. Ignore these messages and choose actions like 'More information' and/or 'Nevertheless, do the installation'.

You can make two types of maps: a Google Earth Map and an OpenStreeMap as has been described in the help-file.

The most simple way is to use an OpenStreetMap, because this does not require an API-key.

If the album shows pictures of a walking or cycle tour and you made a gpx-track of the tour with a GPS-device or a navigation app like Wikiloc, you can also add this track to the map. The easiest way to do that is to use my Windows program ConvertTrack, You can download and install this program from my website.

This note describes how you can make such a map for an album made with the skins made by Laza.

A simple OpenStreet Map

You can only make a map if your images contain a GPS location.

First make and upload the album and don't forget to select the settings to show a location button in the in the Lightbox.

Next open program MakeMap  and select the following settings:

The setting of 'Back button closes window' determines what happens if you click the close button in the upper right corner of a map. If you open the map in a new tab, you should check this check-mark. In most cases I open a map in a new tab, in which case  I check that checkmark.

Use the button 'Select Root directory' to select the root directory of your websile and enter the corresponding URL of your web-site in the text-box after 'External URL:'. The structure of the output folders on the PC must match the folder structure on the server.

If you follow the Album recommendation to use as output folder a sub-folder 'album' of the project folder (which I never do), you have to fill in these fields for each album you make: Put the absolute address of the album folder in field 'Local root folder' and the corresponding URL of that album in the 'External URL' field.

Note: You should not use ' or " characters in folder names or in URLs.

If you open the first combo-box in the MakeMap program you see the skins which are supported by program MakeMap. Select here 'Plain' for the Plain skin and 'Tiger' for the Tiger and Lizard skin.

Next browse with the 'Select a slide image' button to the slides output folder and select an image in that folder.

Next click on the button 'Make Map'. This will create two files in the output folder: a web-page OSM_Map.html and a file waypoints.js which contains the photo locations.

To see the result, click on the 'Show Waypoints in Map web-page'.

If you do not see all locations on the map, lower the 'Zoom level' and click again on the 'Make Map' button. If you like to see more details, raise the zoom level.

Next you should make a link to the generated map. The simplest way is to do that with a link in the album description via the HTML editor:

See here an example of such a link.

Another way is to make a weblocation of the map. To do that open the uploaded album and replace the text 'index .html' in the browser address field by 'OSM_Map.html' and click on the return button. The map page opens and you see now the URL of the map page. Drag and drop that URL to your album or make a weblocation by clicking with the right mouse button in the explorer window and select weblocation, where you can also enter that URL.

Finally make and upload the album again. You will see an album like this example album.

Add a track to the OpenStreetMap

Open my program ConvertTrack and browse to the gpx-file via the 'Open' button:

Next click on the 'Save as...' (on the Dutch screen shot above showed as 'Sla op als...') button and save the file as trackl.js in the output folder of the album.

Finally upload the album again.

A simple Google Map

Follow the same procedure as has been described above for the OpenStreetMap, but select next settings after you opened Program MakeMap:

Notice that you have to enter your Google maps API key in the 'Google API key' field, this is the same key as you use in the skin Ligthbox 'API key' text-box.

After you selected an image in the slides folder and next clicked the 'Make Map' button, two files are created in the output folder: the web-page 'GoogleMap.html' and the file 'map.kml' which contains the photo locations.

After you made the map you can see the result by clicking on the button 'Show Waypoints in Google-Earth' if you installed the Google Earth program on your PC.

To use the other button 'Show waypoints in a web-page', you have first to upload the album with the new files.

Finally make the link to the GoogleMap.html' web-page and make and upload the album.

Add a track to the Google Map

You can do this only if you installed the Google Earth program on your PC.

Open my program ConvertTrack and browse to the gpx-file via the 'Open' button.

Next click on the 'Save as...' (on the Dutch screen shot above showed as 'Sla op als...') button and save the file as track.kml on your PC, for example in the output folder of the album. Open first your file map.kml and next file track.kml with program Google Earth:

Click with the right mouse button on 'Temporarily places' and next on

'Save location as...' and select file map.kml in the output directory. Overwrite file 'map.kml'.

Next upload the album again.

Open the Lightbox via the thumbnail in the Map

If you click on a waypoint in a generated map, a thumbnail will be showed like this:

If you click on the thumbnail, the lightbox with the correponding slide will be opened in most supported skins, see for example this PhotoSwipe skin album, this Tiger sample album and this Lizard sample album.

With the Plain skin version 3 and MakeMap version 2.8 you can set check-box 'Enable links' without the use of include files.