nextcloud-docs/user_manual/files/gallery_app.rst

===========
Gallery app
===========

The Pictures app has been rewritten and improved, and is now called the Gallery
app. It supports more image formats, sorting, zoom, and scrolling. It also
supports advanced customizations via a simple text file.

On your main Nextcloud Files page, click the little icon at the top right,
underneath your username, to open your Gallery. The Gallery app automatically
finds all images in your Nextcloud folders, and overlays the thumbnails with the
folder names. Click on the folder thumbnails to open the folders. At the top
left you have two sorting options, alphabetical and by date.

.. figure:: ../images/gallery-1.png
   :alt: Gallery folder thumbnails.

After entering any folder, click on any image to open it in slideshow mode.
This has the following features: a download button at the top center, forward
and back buttons at the right and left sides, an automatic slideshow button at
the bottom right, and a close button at the top right.

.. figure:: ../images/gallery-2.png
   :alt: Gallery in slideshow mode.

Custom configuration
--------------------

You may customize a Gallery album with a simple text file named
**gallery.cnf**, which contains parameters structured using the
`Yaml <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YAML>`_ markup language. You may have
multiple **gallery.cnf** files; you need one in your own root Nextcloud folder
(your Home folder) that defines global features, and then you may have
individual per-album **gallery.cnf** files if you want to define different
behaviors in different albums.

Features
^^^^^^^^

The following general features are currently implemented:

* Native SVG support.
* Access to external shares.

The following album features are currently implemented:

* Adding a link to a file containing a description.
* Typing a simple copyright statement directly in the configuration file.
* Adding a link to a file containing a copyright statement.
* Defining a sort type and order.
* Defining the colour of the background.
* Defining if sub-albums will inherit the configuration.

The following slideshow features are currently implemented:

* Showing a button which lets you pick which background, either black or
  white, to use for the picture you are currently viewing (for images with
  transparent backgrounds).

Setup
^^^^^

The configuration file has to be named **gallery.cnf**. You may have multiple
per-album **gallery.cnf** files. To enable global features, place one in your
top-level folder, which is symbolised in the Web GUI by the home icon. (This
puts it in ``data/<user>/files/``.) See :ref:`an example below
<supported_variables_label>` in the **Global features** section.

.. note:: You need to refresh your browser after changing your configuration to
   see your changes.

Format
^^^^^^

UTF-8, **without BOM**. A file created from within the Nextcloud Web GUI works.

Structure
^^^^^^^^^

You should include a comment in the file, so that people stumbling upon
the file know what it's for. Comments start with #.

Spacing is created using 2 spaces. **Do not use tabs.**

Take a look at the `YAML Format documentation
<https://symfony.com/doc/current/components/yaml/yaml_format.html>`_ if you are
getting error messages.

Here is an example `gallery.cnf`::

  # Gallery configuration file
  # Created on 31 Jan 2016 by Nextcloud User
 features:
   external_shares: yes
   native_svg: yes
   background_colour_toggle: yes
 design:
   background: "#ff9f00"
   inherit: yes
 information:
   description: This is an **album description** which is only shown if there
   is no `description_link`
   description_link: readme.md
   copyright: Copyright 2003-2016 [interfaSys sàrl](https://www.interfasys.ch),
   Switzerland
   copyright_link: copyright.md
   inherit: yes
 sorting:
   type: date
   order: des
   inherit: yes

.. _supported_variables_label:

Supported variables
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

**Global Features**

Place this in your root Nextcloud folder, which is your Home folder.

* **external_shares**: Set to **yes** in your root configuration file if you
  want to load images stored on external locations, when using the
  **files_external** app.
* **native_svg**: Set to **yes** in your root configuration file to enable
  rendering SVG images in your browser. This may represent a security risk if
  you can't fully trust your SVG files.
* **background_colour_toggle**: Set to **yes** in your root configuration file
  to enable a button that toggles between black and white backgrounds on
  transparent images.

.. note:: External shares are 20-50 times slower than local shares. Be prepared
   to wait a long time before being able to see all the images contained in a
   shared album.

**Album Configuration**

Each album can be individually configured using the following configuration
sections. Use the **inherit** parameter to pass configurations on to
sub-albums.

**Design**

* **background**: Defines the colour of the background of the photowall
  using the RGB hexadecimal representation of that colour. For example:
  **"#ffa033"**. You must use quotes around the value or it will
  be ignored. It is strongly recommended to use a custom theme, with a CSS
  loading spinner if you intend to use this feature. You can use `this colour
  wheel <http://paletton.com/>`_ to find a colour you like.
* **inherit**: Set to **yes** if you want sub-folders to inherit this part of
  the configuration.

**Album Presentation**

* **description**: A markdown-formatted string which will be displayed in the
  info box. It can spread over multiple lines using the Yaml markers.
* **description_link**: A markdown file located within the album which will
  be parsed and displayed in the info box instead of the description.
* **copyright**: A markdown-formatted string. This supports links to external
  resources.
* **copyright_link**: Any file (e.g. copyright.html), in the album itself,
  which will be downloaded when the user clicks on the link
* **inherit**: Set to **yes** if you want sub-folders to inherit this part of
  the configuration.

See `<http://www.markitdown.net/markdown>`_ for the markdown syntax.

.. note:: Do not add links to your `copyright` string if you use the
   **copyright_link** variable.

**Sorting**

* **sorting**: **date** or **name**. **date** only works for files.
* **sort_order**: **asc** or **des** (Ascending or descending).
* **inherit**: Set to **yes** if you want sub-folders to inherit this part of
  the configuration.

Notes
-----

* When only the sort **type** variable has been set, the default sort order
  will be used.
* When only the sort **order** variable has been found, the sort configuration
  will be ignored and the script will keep looking for a valid configuration in
  upper folders.
* To enable a feature such as native SVG in a public share, you need to create
  in that folder a configuration file containing that feature.
* If you share a folder publicly, don't forget to add all the files you link to
  (e.g. ``description.md`` or ``copyright.md``) inside the shared folder as
  the user won't have access to files stored in the parent folder.
* Since people can download a whole folder as an archive, it's usually best to
  include all files within a shared folder, rather than adding text directly
  in the configuration file.

Examples
--------

**Sorting Only**

Applies to the current folder only::

 # Gallery configuration file
   sorting:
   type: date
   order: asc

Short description and link to copyright document, applies to the current folder
and all of its sub-folders. This also shows you the syntax you can use to
spread a description over multiple lines::

 # Gallery configuration file
   information:
   description: | # La Maison Bleue, Winter '16
     This is our Winter 2016 collection shot in **Kyoto**
     Visit our [website](http://www.secretdesigner.ninja) for more information
   copyright: Copyright 2015 La Maison Bleue, France
   copyright_link: copyright_2015_lmb.html
   inherit: yes

**Load Images From External Clouds**

.. note:: Features can only be defined in the root folder.

You can add standard configuration items to the same configuration file::

 # Gallery configuration file
   features:
   external_shares: yes

**Enabling native SVG**

.. note:: Special features can only be defined in the root folder.

You can add standard configuration items to the same configuration file::

 # Gallery configuration file
  features:
  native_svg: yes

Possible future extensions
--------------------------

Different sorting parameters for albums.