I’m interested in GX2 but I’ve got a question or two.  We have multiple staff that enters articles (aka weblog) via the control panel and through some custom fields and mods they can upload a single image with each article.  Can GX2 allow them to upload multiple images from the control panel while entering a new article?  Understand that these guys aren’t tech savvy in the slightest so the slightest bump in process makes them very nervous.

This is a great request. I think we’ll add this in the next version. But I’m sorry to say that the next version will take a bit of time. In the mean time you can create an SAEF that submits to a succes page where you can include the GX2 form. We do this at greatnonprofits.org.

mk

So it’s not possible to use Gallery Extended to post pictures from the Control Panel’s “publish” page? I guess I read that into the description on the product page. I wasn’t aware there was another way to post entries, but perhaps there is a method that makes more sense than the Control Panel’s “publish” and “edit” pages?

I’m trying to build an art gallery website with EE, but the way EE associates images with entries seems a little clumsy for this purpose (or maybe I just haven’t figured out the proper way to do it). I’ve set up a weblog for “Works” where each entry contains the fields that describe a particular piece of art, and I was hoping Gallery Extended would add fields to this publish page that would allow a series of images of the work to be posted along with the rest of the entry.

The less appealing alternatives seem to be:
1. creating a series of custom fields that will hold the filenames of uploaded files, and then going through the multi-step upload process for each file
2. creating galleries that relate to posts somehow and then uploading images through the gallery module interface

But Gallery Extended really seems to get image handling right! I want to find a way to make it work. Perhaps there is a behind-the-scenes way to hack the Gallery Extended entry form into EE’s “publish” page? This is the first project I’ve used EE for, so I’m not very familiar with its architecture.

I feel you here. We’ve written several modules lately that allow you to attach stuff to EE entries. Which is nice and useful, but the entry has to exist first and the attaching has to take place in a front-end form. I myself am even wanting to do what you describe and handle everything through the EE CP.

But, untiil we do get that type of functionality in place, you can do what we do for our clients. That is, create an SAEF on a front-end template. Then have the very next page users go to after submitting be a page with the GX2 form in it. I find this works very well because the interface can be very simply or very complex and AJAXy depending on the client.

mk

Thanks for the quick reply! Creating a stand-alone entry form might be the best solution. It seems like it would make creating an entry with associated images a clear two-step linear procedure, and has the additional benefit of hiding any unnecessary control panel complexity.

That’s always been my approach.

One thing that you will definitely need for this job (I feel like that old grandpa in the hardware store selling you the extra gasket) is the SAEF redirect extension. What it does is allows you to return users to a template on your site, once they have posted a new entry, where that URL contains the newly created entry id. This is essential for making the flow nice and clean. And you need that entry id in order to call up the correct entry for adding images.

mk

dperkins - 06 August 2007 10:15 PM

Thanks for the quick reply! Creating a stand-alone entry form might be the best solution. It seems like it would make creating an entry with associated images a clear two-step linear procedure, and has the additional benefit of hiding any unnecessary control panel complexity.

Wouldn’t this create a lot of extra work? I mean wouldn’t you have to setup your own “customer” control panel? Also if the client needs to use other functionality such as Communicate the client would have to log into two different sections?

When I implemented GX2 on a client’s site recently we had to do the same thing and, indeed, the client didn’t seem overjoyed to learn that they didn’t have a super easy way of managing their image galleries from the back-end.

For now that’s life.

Also note that when the user is at the second step in the process, the entry created on the first page is in a “pending” status, in case they abandon the process at that point. This is my own work around but I’d be curious to hear others’ solutions.

Man this troubles me. Not having an easy way to associate gallery images with content items in the CP is a real bummer. I thought that GX2 could help, but that’s only from the front end and I really don’t want to spend ages designing a control panel for my client. Also having to explain to the client why such a flexible CMS package (EE) cannot achieve such a simple task is grinding me.

How do people do this without an inevitably flawed workaround?

Thoughts?

We’re working on that upgrade. Not particcularly easy though. Does the GX2 control panel help at all?

mk

@Mitchell

What will the upgrade do? I haven’t purchased GX2 yet, so I’m not sure what capabilities the the control panel has. I need to associate / relate gallery images to content entries in the EE CP. Can GX2 do this?

R_S

At a future date we’ll add gallery image edit capability to the weblog edit CP. But for now, GX2 has it’s own module control panel which allows you to manage images and their relationships to blog entries.

mk

Thanks for that info Mitchell. I think I’ll give it a go. As long as it can be done from the EE CP then I’m happy…

R_S

Purchased GX2 and installed, but there isn’t an easy way to associate images with entries. To do this I would have to enter in a related id. So this isn’t really a help. How soon until the cp functionality is added?

R_S

If I could select from a list of entries to assign images to that would make things easier for now but would be ideal in the publish / edit section of the cp… Hmmm…

R_S

Random Seed,

We’re working on that functionality, the Edit CP, for an upcoming module. We’ll be able to use it for GX2. For now though, the feature won’t be added to GX2 for a couple of months. Let me know if you need a refund.

mk