Introduction

After writing a MT and WP plugin for Picasa, I realized that a lot of people don't use a CMS, so I wrote this Php script to simplify the task of putting a Photo Gallery online.

Not only is the installation simple (you just upload a couple of files and create a gallery directory), but adding new Albums to the Gallery is done by simply uploading them to your gallery directory. Absolutely no updating or editing of config files needed! Everything is automatic.

This script automatically scans your gallery directory, and creates an index page for all your galleries. When clicking on a specific gallery, it will open a index page with all the thumbnails from that Album. Individual photos can then be viewed and there is easy navigation between photos, and back to the different index pages.

New Online Example:
I'm currently using this script for my main photo album, which you can find here: http://photos.leibold.cc/ - usually running the latest version of PicaViewer (you can verify by looking at version number when you view source on any page. I use this for testing before releasing a new version, so sometimes this might be slightly newer than what is available below)
Older Example:
View online example of script in action. This is just a basic example with 2 albums.

Download and Installation

Note:This script requires PHP 5 to work
Download PicaView .ZIP

Installation:
  1. Extract Zip file and Upload to your server
  2. Make a "galleries" directory in the same directory as the uploaded files
  3. Make the "galleries" directory readable by the public
  4. All done!

Adding Albums:
  • Export Album from Picasa 2 using Export to Web and then the XML small thumbnail template (read Picasa Settings below for more info).
  • Upload the Album to the Gallery directory (keeping the directory stucture of the exported Gallery), so it should have something like this:
    http://domain.com/galleries/mytrip/index.xml
  • All done, the script will automatically add the new Album to the list of Albums!

Picasa Settings:
  • For best results, use my Picasa XML Small Thumbs Template for exporting albums from Picasa.
  • Export images at 640 resolution
  • Add Captions and a Description to Albums in Picasa before exporting
  • Thumbnails will automatically be set at 40x40 pixels using XML small thumbs export option.

Version and Comments

Current Version:
0.95 - August 15, 2005 - Bug Fixes: IE Spacing Bug, IIS param issues, some rare thumbnail issues.
0.91 - August 9, 2005 - Minor Bug Fixes.
0.9 - August 5, 2005 - Major Update:
  • Random Image from all albums is now displayed if no album is requested.
  • Script is customizable by editing variables at the top of script (open with text editor).
  • 10 Thumbnails are displayed on new Thumbnail Navigation Bar.
  • List of 10 most recent Albums is displayed on sub pages for quick access.
  • Additional Photo Information is displayed, including Date and Location.
  • Script can now be renamed without causing issues.
  • Fixed various issues with thumbnail display.
0.6 - July 15, 2005 - Minor Bug Fixes
0.5 - July 4, 2005 - First Public Release

Planned Features:
- Check directories to make sure they are galleries (check for index.xml)
- Allow for recursive Album Directory Structures?

Comments:
For feedback, comments and questions, please use the comments link on this post.

Feedback, Comments and Questions (16)