Folder Previews & File-Type Icons

beatyou

Great script & I love the simplicity but some functionality I think would be good is a preview of the folders. Example: Instead of just having the folder names in a row, how about it takes a random thumbnail out of that folder and uses it as a preview above the folder name. Another idea is to associate special icons for file-types such as .mp3 .avi etc. Shoot them down as needed. Thanks

nathan

I don't think they need shooting down. I think they are good ideas. I think the point about special icons for specific file types is a GREAT idea. I also agree that the folders need to be displayed differently, not just a row of links. I think a folder icon, instead of a random slection of the file contents. For example, I use the filebrowser, and have a folder for movies. How is it going to grab a thumb of a movie? It can't. But I would like to see folder icons. Keep the ideas coming :-P

Mark

Good ideas. Another idea that one of our members had which I thought was awesome was for the thumbnailer: instead of having to browse from folder to folder selecting images to thumbnail, it should just list all images through all subdirectories and let you select which ones you want to thumbnail from one simple page. No more navigation required. Neat idea!

Bloozman

I hope that trying to add a question or comment to an existing thread does not get ignored. On many forums, moderators get annoyed when people start a new thread on a topic that already exists. At the same time I have found that posting a question to an older thread often gets ignored. Let's try good etiquette. It seems a small enough forum here. I like the ideas described above on this thread. For my purposes, I think it would be extremely helpful to have a unique and attention getting icon associated with each different file type. I was hoping to ask if someone out there had written the code to produce such that I could simply splice in. It seems that has not yet happened. Am I right? Can someone point me in the direction of how one would get started doing such? Any links, books, papers on PHP programming techniques that might provide an approach? I am happy to contribute, but could use some guidance getting started.

lech

Without looking at the script, I can simply suggest constructing a function or class to rewrite the output html loop that's created by the script. Simply examine the extension for the given file, if it matches in your array, assign in the proper icon, if not, give it a generic one. A good example of this usage would be found in celeron dudes directory indexer v1. It's fairly simple to duplicate if you feel confident in modifying your script to mimic his methods.

Minisweeper

Personally it doesnt really bother me whether you post in an old thread (in which case i'll read it, refresh myself, and help out if i can..i wont know its old till i get here anyway) or start a new one, *presuming* that the other thread is actually old. What does bug me is when there are 2 or 3 threads about the same thing on the front pages (i.e. active discussions). Eitherway aslong as you're polite most people round here will give you the time of day. In answer to your question...it depends how many files you're using. As far as i'm aware noones really done much work on/for the filebrowser atall over recent months. If you have the ability and wished to take on re-writing the thumbnailer with your ideas (and the others that have been thrown around this board over time) i'm sure a lot of people would appreciate you for it. If you just wanted to go simple(ish) i'd tackle it as such: make a directory browser (or hack the thumbnailer apart) which allowed you to select files and assign [premade] thubnail images to them (as opposed to generating them from the file). I suspect it's probably easiest to just make some default icons and then copy those files into files of the correct name for the file you wish it to become a thumbnail of (i.e. _thumb.FILENAME.EXT) otherwise you're left hacking the filebrowser code to make it think 'hold on, i should probably get this file for this extension' (warning: that might actually be easier, if you have the know-how, check it out (sorry, lech's post wasnt there before i started this rant)). Alternatively you could make a script to run through dir's just copy-creating the thumbnail file for all files of a set extension. I really hope you can gain some sensible coherent thought from that. There are a worrying number of brackets and randomely spewn ideas in there but with any luck it might spark some thoughts for you. If its completely incomprehensible or you want me to try and explain anything a bit further feel free to ask.

Bloozman

Hmmmm... No one has YET done anything on this issue. I think I would like to dig into this. I wonder where I might find some appropriate and appropriate-sized icons. Any thoughts ? I don't know how to draw my own and while doing such might be possible, it may also be really slow, huh? Probably unnecessary in any case. Organizing the same file types into specific folders, with a unique folder icon for each unique folder containing same file types would also help a whole lot. I think I saw someone else mention that point or one like it when I was messing with this the first time a year ago and looking through some of the longstanding comments. I suspect that is even more difficult, though. One shortcoming seems to be how bulky and somewhat inelegant this will look if there were 100 or more files piled up on a site to look through using Filebrowser. With some of the innovations described above, however, this tool would be magnificent. If you guys point me in the right direction and can offer me help. I will make an attempt.

plonsdale

I have something working on Folder images.... its very basic though so don't get too excited.

I only wanted an image associated with the folders, just to make them stand out a little more.... this is only a CSS change as well.... basically create a folder image to your liking and assign it as a background to the '.Folders li' class.

Then all you need to do is add some padding to the top of the li to position the text underneath your folder image.

eg

.Folders li {
float: left;
width: 195px;
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 6px;
font-size: 11px;
background: transparent url(_folderimg.jpg) top center no-repeat;
padding: 85px 0 0 0;
}

gives me this



Like I said, its very crude, but it gives me the effect I was after, plus its entirely up to you how large or small you make your folders

ithcy

very nice.