link to gallery for folders

[tessus]

When you share a folder, the link that is shown is always in the format:
//example.com/public.php?service=files&t=49e186e1cfe7afd7f0bfe638aa5ff16d

If you share a folder that holds pictures, you might want to share the link to the gallery instead.

What do you think of an additional checkbox (only for folders) that allows you to share the link as:
//example.com/public.php?service=gallery&t=49e186e1cfe7afd7f0bfe638aa5ff16d

[PVince81]

Please raise this issue in the gallery repo: https://github.com/owncloud/gallery
This is a known issue but not sure how to solve it as it might involve knowing the contents of the folder/subfolder to decide what service to use.

[tessus]

Opened a new issue, although I'm not sure, if I understand the problem here. I'm not talking about changing the link automatically, just giving a user the option to use a checkmark when sharing a folder. I opened it in core, because I thought that sharing is part of core.
e.g. above the Password protect option.

[DeepDiver1975]

We should not overload the sharing popup with much more options. 

We have been thinking about to add some logic to detect whether there are only/a lot of pictures in the shared folder and default to the pictures view.

@jancborchardt

Von Samsung Mobile gesendet

-------- Ursprüngliche Nachricht --------
Von: Helmut Tessarek notifications@github.com
Datum:01.05.2014 23:45 (GMT+01:00)
An: owncloud/core core@noreply.github.com
Betreff: Re: [core] link to gallery for folders (#8268)

Opened a new issue, although I'm not sure, if I understand the problem here. I'm not talking about changing the link automatically, just giving a user the option to use a checkmark when sharing a folder. I opened it in core, because I thought that sharing is part of core.
e.g. above the Password protect option.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

[tessus]

Sharing a directory as a list or as a gallery is rather an essential option or do you want to send someone a link to a folder that contains only pictures and the receipient is presented with a directory listing?
In any case the user should have a choice how the directory is displayed, don't you think?
There is no overloading, iff an option is important.

[DeepDiver1975]

Sharing a directory as a list or as a gallery is rather an essential option or do you want to send someone a link to a folder that contains only pictures and the receipient is presented with a directory listing?

Well this is exactly what I was trying to explain - we want to autodetect if the folder contains pictures and then default to the pictures view.

Regarding user should have a choice: I'd prefer the paradigm: 'Convention of configuration'.
There is no need to put to many decisions on the users shoulders if there is decent default behavior.

There is no overloading, iff an option is important.

From my point of view the pop up is already overloaded as of today 😉
We soon need to switch to a different representation which gives us more space on that pop up but that's a different topic.

[tessus]

Well this is exactly what I was trying to explain - we want to autodetect if the folder contains pictures and then default to the pictures view.

Sure, I understand, but what should users do, if they don't want the default behavior?
Right now they have to copy the link, change it manually and send it manually.
This process renders the popup pretty much useless, generating the hash value for the link aside.
Changing the default to a sane value is a good start, but you shouldn't stop there. A UI should give a user a way to automate things and make the workflow easier.

Regarding user should have a choice: I'd prefer the paradigm: 'Convention of configuration'.
There is no need to put to many decisions on the users shoulders if there is decent default behavior.

I agree, but in this case you actually take something away from the user by not giving him the choice.
The share popup allows the user to send a link via email. By not giving an option, you only allow the user to send what you think is right.
Don't you see, there is a difference between default behavior and giving an option. With your paradigma you choose for the user and he has to either accept your choice or jump through hoops to get what he actually wants.

[DeepDiver1975]

There is also another view point to this topic:
If you share a folder from the files app - it will be shared as a folder/file list.
If you share a folder (album) from the gallery - it will be shared as a gallery.

In order to allow the view to switch between the modes there is a button to change the view on the upper right corner.

[tessus]

Yes, this is possible, but it is tedious. Imagine you are traversed in a deep dir structure. Now you have to start over in the gallery to share the folder as an album. Am I the only one who finds this strange?

[jancborchardt]

@DeepDiver1975 I agree with your points. If a folder is shared from the files app and:

• there are only pictures (or subfolders with pictures) in it
• and the Pictures app is enabled

… the default generated share link should be that of Pictures.

[tessus]

@DeepDiver1975 @jancborchardt are you talking about the default behavior or the only available bahavior?

What is the procedure for a user to send you a shared link that doesn't match the default?
(I'm trying to figure out what your approach to that situation is.)

[jancborchardt]

If the default generated by ownCloud doesn’t match the expectation of the sender or the recipient, both sender and recipient can just use the toggle in the top right to switch between files list and pictures view. The link in the address bar changes accordingly and can be copied then.

@DeepDiver1975 @PVince81 I’m reopening this as a reminder we should implement the behavior mentioned by @DeepDiver1975 and in my previous comment: #8268 (comment)

[tessus]

@jancborchardt I know that this ispossible, but it is tedious. You have to:

• follow the link
• change it by clicking on the top right icon
• copy the link
• go to your mail program
• send the link manually.

Wouldn't it be more convenient just to set or unset a check mark?

[jancborchardt]

@tessus your original request was:

If you share a folder that holds pictures, you might want to share the link to the gallery instead.

And we answered above:

If a folder is shared from the files app and there are only pictures (or subfolders with pictures) in it and the Pictures app is enabled – the default generated share link should be that of Pictures.

So everything is automatic, no need for extra setting of a checkmark – which would be inconvenient and useless in most cases.

Now someone just needs to implement it. @tessus any help on that front is appreciated.

[tessus]

I'm quite busy with other stuff at the moment, but I can have a look at it later this week. I have to admit though that I'm neither a .css nor a javascript person, so if this change has anything to do with either, I'm the wrong guy.

[acesabe]

ownCloud 7.0.0+dfsg-2 (Debian) (stable)

+1 to make sharing a gallery of photos/images easier for the end users to navigate. After sharing a folder of images and getting lots of feedback from people (less tech/computer savvy than us) ending up downloading each image rather than viewing as gallery (also due in part to it not being obvious how to preview a file rather than d/l it), I myself, only discovered the thumbnail/list view button when testing the share link myself. Surely that button should also be visible to the sharer in standard view so that the resulting share link represents this condition rather than relying on the share viewer choosing this for themselves, if they even notice the button at all!

Not only but also, if you share a folder of folders all containing photos, if you select thumbnail view inside one of these folders, then navigate back to the root folder of these folders, you get nice image previews (as in the gallery/thumbnail view) instead of the folders, which is a great enhancement, but hidden away as there is no file list/thumbnail button shown when there are only folders in view!

I see this milestones for oc8 but not sure exactly what has been submitted?

[oparoz]

I agree with the OP. 2 things are missing

• A way to share a public gallery, straight from the files app. It doesn't matter how many pictures there are in that folder. Having OC make an automatic decision is sure to bring pain. The sharing popup overloading is a non-issue. There is plenty of space next to "password" and "editing" to allow for something like "Start with Gallery view". I might even hack something together for the Gallery app since we're already hacking the share dialogue to substitute the default link with our own.
• A button to switch to the gallery view, just like the one available in the public view. Again, this might be doable from the Gallery app until this is sorted out in core.

[oparoz]

A possible implementation of the Gallery button
owncloud/gallery@9ffac93

[jancborchardt]

Automatically using the pictures view when there are more than 80% pictures in the folder would be good, wouldn’t it? The other files could be shown below as well. Kind of similar to the thumbnail view in the Android app owncloud/android#239 (comment)

[oparoz]

@jancborchardt I could see such an automatic behaviour alienating some users. Imagine you need to edit the readme in that folder. You specifically pick the Files app to be able to work on files and you're always taken to the gallery app.
Having said that, if the gallery view, from within the Files app, included a mix of files and pictures, then yes, the view should definitely switch to a thumbnail arrangement, as shown on the screenshot.

[jancborchardt]

@oparoz I was just referring to how the public view is shown. That is, when you share a link to a folder which mainly contains images, it should show the image thumbnail view by default. Instead of requiring people to manually switch to that.

[oparoz]

Well, the app let's you magically change the link, so it's very easy for users, but it's true that it's not done automatically.

Try it with the dev branch of Gallery and master of sharelinks. (When sharing a link you get a choice between the standard link and a direct download link.)

The app could pick a sane default, but the main problem is that there is no magic method which automatically selects media files, so an extra call would have to be made to the Gallery app to get a list of media type and then we'd use that to filter the files list. Not worth the extra waiting time imho.

[tessus]

@oparoz Thanks, this is great. Unfortunately I haven't installed 8.x yet, but I will as soon as 8.1 is out.
The GUI of ownCloud seems a bit sluggish at times and lacks certain functionality (even if the functionality is there, it's not very intuitive and can be cumbersome). Most of the time I use the sync client only, but I have to use the web interface for sharing, because I use PathFinder, thus no sharing context menu. :-(

[tessus]

@jancborchardt

Options on options might be interesting for the 1% of power users, but the majority of regular people just prefer good defauts to work. :)

I don't agree. Most people want an easy way to share links. What can be easier than choosing between 2 options: share as gallery / share as list? All the defaults and the resulting code around it makes the code more complex and slower.

[tessus]

What I find strange is the following: owncloud should be about sharing files, yet a separate app has to be written to get the functionilty that should have been included from the start. I'm grateful to @oparoz to provide the much needed (and in my opinion basic) functionality.

This is not a hate post or anything, it's just that I don't get it. Maybe I misunderstood the main reason and application for owncloud. Please let me know and correct me, if owncloud's main focus is not sharing files.

[jancborchardt]

What can be easier than choosing between 2 options: share as gallery / share as list

Simple: the software deciding on a reasonable default automatically based on the content of what is being shared.

Yes, ownCloud’s main focus is syncing and sharing files. In an easy fashion though, which is on par with and surpassing proprietary alternatives. Not something which is riddled with settings where every little thing has to be decided by every single person using the software.

[tessus]

What, if the SW picks the wrong default? I'm sorry, but I don't like something choosing for me. I make the decision. You don't give the user a choice. IMO that's not reasonable, but cumbersome.
Anyway, now there's an app that solves the problem.

Also, this is not a little thing. There's nothing easy - as you call it - about it, if you are in a deep folder structure and have to switch to a different app and start all over again, just to get the link you want.
We have obviously different opinions on what is easy.

[jancborchardt]

There's nothing easy - as you call it - about it, if you are in a deep folder structure and have to switch to a different app and start all over again

The Gallery+ app easily solves that by introducing a switcher between Files and Gallery.

[oparoz]

I think the automatic choice works well if you have access to exactly the same content, but just presented differently.
If I share a folder containing designs, mockups and some specs documents, then I don't mind if the view shows thumbnails like in the Android app, because all the documents are there and if the recipient prefers to see a list view, the change would happen very quickly.
The Gallery photowall is something different and if that was automatically chosen for me for that folder content, then I wouldn't be happy about it and would be looking for a way to get the link I want.
Granted, it's a pretty specific use case and most users will probably organise their content differently (documents, photos, movies, etc.), but for web agencies, the default wouldn't work very well.

Luckily, we can add functionalities through apps and I hope @jancborchardt will help improve its design :)

[jospoortvliet]

@oparoz I kind'a like the current behavior - if you share from the gallery, you get a gallery link. If you share from the Files app, you get a Files view. And recipients can switch, of course. Isn't that good enough?

[oparoz]

@jospoortvliet - I'm not the one who made the request and based on downloads of ShareLinks, there either is a small percentage of ownCloud users who need that functionality or users don't know about the app.

I don't think it would require such a large effort to introduce and maintain an API so that apps can offer users a way to pick the kind of link they want to share and it really makes sense in a sharing solution, but I don't have the roadmap or the resources allocation table, so it's up to the core team to define the priority of this feature.

In the meantime I'll try to keep ShareLinks alive.

[tessus]

@jospoortvliet this requires you to use the gallery app to browse through folders and then share a link. This can be slow, if you have a lot of folders and files in each of the directories.
Or you could switch to the gallery view right before sharing, which might also be slow and is not a good UI design.
Thus I like to use the file sharing app to walk the directory tree and have just a button to switch between the 2 links. ShareLinks has been the best design add-on so far and hope it will be around for a long time.

[jospoortvliet]

@tessus I'm not saying it is ideal, but neither is adding options to the share dialog. The question is what is more cumbersome - crowding the share dialog more, increasing the barrier to ownCloud usage (yes, it's one button, but they add up) to save an occasional click to the 'other' view? Not sure if it is worth it. This of course gets us to the area where things become subjective, but on a whole, I think it is good that we are being conservative (if there is no great, clear need for a button, let's not add it). That is what has kept the ownCloud ui clean and usable.

I don't see a huge, pressing need if it is easy for both sender and recipient to switch and get the result they want.

[tessus]

@jospoortvliet I agree to disagree.

That is what has kept the ownCloud ui clean and usable.

I'm sorry, but there are parts in the GUI that are everything but clean and usable. e.g. moving files, deleting users (after 10 seconds all data is lost, if you don't click undo). But that may be off topic here.

About which other things are you talking about when you say 'they add up'? What else is there? Also, there's space for at least 10 additional things in that dialog w/o getting cramped.
And if that crowded look is really a concern, how about introducing a section in the admin or user panel, where someone can decide what to show in the share dialog? Wouldn't that make sense?

[tessus]

After 6 years we can close this. Brilliant.