Getting Started with PowerGallery

Tutorial created by Ray Borduin, WebAssist

Categories: PowerGallery

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What you need to start

- PowerGallery 2
- Hosting Provider and MySQL database
You will need to have already signed up for a hosting service from a hosting provider, and have access to a MySQL server to store your database. Click here for instructions on how you can set hosting up.

If you are upgrading from PowerGallery 1, first follow these instructions.

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Extract the files

The Solution Pack files are stored within a compress (.zip) file. You will need to unzip the contents before you can upload the solution pack.

Windows: Right-click the .zip file and choose Extract All...

OSX: Double-click the .zip file to automatically extract the contents to the same location where the .zip is located.

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Rename the folder

Your next step is to rename the rename_and_upload_this_folder directory that was extracted from the .zip file.
We suggest to rename this folder 'powergallery' to help prevent conflicts with other solution packs. Most users will call the folder 'powergallery' and upload the entire folder to the root of their remote site.

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Upload the files

Upload the folder and all of its contents to your remote server within your existing website's files. If you have another WebAssist solution pack installed, be sure to PowerGallery is uploaded to a different directory than the extisting solution pack. This will prevent conflicts between the solution packs.
In order for your galleries to display on any PHP page of your site, this folder needs to be within the root folder of your website.

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Run the Wizard

Once all the files are uploaded, open your web browser and navigate to the index.php file within the directory you just uploaded. For example: http://mysite.com/powergallery/index.php.

When loading this page for the first time, you will be directed to the PowerGallery Installation Wizard.

The PowerGallery Installation Wizard is designed to help you get this Solution Pack up and running as quickly as possible. The Installation Wizard will perform various checks on your server to ensure that it is running all the necessary scripts for PowerGallery to function properly.

Server Settings

The Server Settings step displays the result of the Server Diagnostic Check. This check analyzes your server and will alert you if necessary features are not enabled.

If anything fails, resolve the issue and click Run Test Again to see if it is fixed.

Database Info

The database info step allows you to enter the details for the database you intend to use for PowerGallery, so that the Installation Wizard can automatically add all the database tables to your database for you.

Watch a video on obtaining your database credentials or creating a new database.

Admin Info

The Admin Login step allows you to specify the username and password that will be required in order to enter PowerGallery to manage your galleries or add images.

The Watermark feature allows you to specify a watermark that would be added to the images in your gallery. You can always make changes to your watermark from within the Administrative area after completing the Installation Wizard.

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Using the PowerGallery Admin

Once you have completed the Installation Wizard, you will be provided a summary of what was accomplished and directed to the PowerGallery Administrative Area. You will no longer be able to access the Installation Wizard, and can do everything from within this area.

To access the PowerGallery Administrative Area, open your browser and enter the same URL that you used to launch the Installation Wizard earlier. You should now be redirected to the admin log-in screen.

Choose Gallery

There is no limit to the number of galleries you can create with your PowerGallery installation. Each gallery can be inserted to as many webpages as you would like, in any design of your choosing. The Choose Gallery page is the first step to perform each time you wish to add/modify a gallery.

1. Start by adding your first gallery by clicking the "Add Gallery" button.
   
2. Enter a name for your gallery and click "Add Gallery".
   
3. Now that you have created your gallery, and that gallery is selected, you will want to proceed to the "Add Images" page to add images to your gallery.

Adding Images

The "Add Images" page allows you to upload images to your gallery two different ways.

1. Single Image Upload: Allows you to upload a single image to the currently selected gallery.
   
2. Server Upload: Allows you to import all images within a directory on your server.
   In order to use this feature, you will first need to upload the directory of images to be imported.

In addition to the options on this page, you can also upload images to PowerGallery automatically using the auto-generate feature. For more information on this feature, read the Auto-generating Galleries section below.

Once you have added all your images, click "Manage Images" to make modifications to your images and how they appear in your gallery.

Manage Images

The "Manage Images" page allows you to reorder your images, rotate images, delete images, and update the image titles and descriptions.

1. To reorder images, drag-n-drop each to where you would like to be displayed.
   
2. To rotate an image, hover over the image thumbnail and click the rotate icon. From the dialog, choose how you would like to rotate and click "Close" when complete.
   
3. To delete an image, hover over the image thumbnail and click the Delete icon.
   
4. To update image titles and descriptions, select the image thumbnail and enter the new title and description. Click "Save Changes" when complete.

Once you have finished managing your images, click the "Choose Design" option to select the design you would like to use for this gallery.

Choose Design

The "Choose Design" page allows you to select from the included design, as well as launch the Design Editor for modifying the colors, images, and text of a selected to design to create a completely custom looking design.

To customize the appearance of a design, choose the "settings" link under the gallery you would like to customize.

Once you have customized your design, apply your design by selecting it from the dropdown provided below the design thumbnail. Then, select the thumbnail graphic to apply that design.

Once you have completed this step, proceed to the "Add to Site" page to see how you can add this page to your website.

Add to Site

The "Add to Site" page provides you with two methods for adding your gallery to your site.

1. Direct Link: Allows you to provide a direct link that launches your gallery in its own webpage. This can be added to any page type and does not require the page to be PHP.
   
2. Embed in PHP page: If you have PHP pages to add your galleries to, you can apply your gallery to your page by copying and pasting the provided code chunk into your pages HTML.

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Auto-generating Galleries

PowerGallery 2 includes a new feature that allows you to automatically create galleries by just uploading a set of files.

1. Using your preferred FTP application, upload a directory of images within the /images directory of your PowerGallery 2 files.
   
   The exact path to this directory is provided for you on the "Choose Gallery" page.
   
   
2. Log into your PowerGallery admin and access the "Choose Gallery" page.
   Your new gallery will automatically be added based on the images in the directory you uploaded

For more...

For more information and tutorials, see the PowerGallery support page.

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