How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

novice newbie · 2016-01-16 13:14:45

Hi,
I am a semi-retired surgeon with an abiding interest in photography. Some years age one of my sons created a website for me, but the gallery function was via a flash-based outfit (Slideshow Pro) They have folded and I am taking the opportunity to revamp my site. Or, at least, I was.

For many reasons, none of them good, my source of support and advice has disappeared and I am out on a limb, trying to figure out a web design essentially from scratch. Avada, Headway and Jupiter have all been proposed as good engines for me. Avada has poor documentation. Headway was what my existing site was built with (wwwcoppinger.co.uk) and Jupiter looks good, mainly because the documentation seems sensible.

I have looked at The Turning Gate in the past, never really understanding what it was about but it is enthused about by luminaries such as Victoria Bampton, so I bought what I thought I needed from your site, rather impulsively.

But, I have no idea how to integrate or link between LR and my new website. I want a gallery page and I want - like Slideshow Pro Direct Pro did for me - to just upload pictures and for them to appear on the page. I'm sure that somewhere in your documentation is the answer but not at a level that starts me off.

Over my career I have noted that when one starts a new discipline one simply does not know what are the correct questions to ask and I am clearly at this stage. Maybe I am too (CSS) illiterate to be contemplating this - if so, tell me. But I suspect there needs to be a clear and easily findable link in your documentation to answer the question: I have now installed TTG into LR. Great documentation and looks really good. But how to I get the shiny new gallery onto a page in Wordpress? And which plugins does it work with (or does it even need a plugin)?

I know these are simple and basic questions but I need simple and basic answers? There are pages that probably do explain this but they assume a level of knowledge that is slightly too high and immediately dive into detail. The quality of the documentation and support seems to be a major factor in the success or failure of many web applications these days, so I do not think my comments are unreasonable (and offered in a spirit of constructive criticism). Otherwise, what is the use of a great LR plugin that doesn't seem to complete. The quarterback has thrown the touchdown pass. Where is the receiver?

Yours plaintively and in deep confusion,
Steve

PS I'm also going to post this on your forums. Again, the forms are deep with no sticky posts for common questions and asking simple questions does not seem to get me anywhere.

rod barbee · 2016-01-16 13:35:54

But, I have no idea how to integrate or link between LR and my new website. I want a gallery page and I want - like Slideshow Pro Direct Pro did for me - to just upload pictures and for them to appear on the page. I'm sure that somewhere in your documentation is the answer but not at a level that starts me off.

First thing to realize is that all TTG galleries are managed by Lightroom. So even if you integrate TTG galleries into a WordPress based site, you'll still be managing them from Lightroom, which I think it much easier, at least for managing images

That also means that you cannot create a gallery page using WordPress.
You can, however, link to your galleries from a WordPress page. But the best solution is to use Autoindex to serve as a "home" for your galleries and then add a menu item in WordPress that will go to this index page.
And this also means that your galleries won't match the design of your WordPress site. You can probably come close to your site design. And you'll have to manage the navigation menu for your galleries separately from the WordPress navigation. (there is a work-around for that though)

You don't say which plug-ins you've purchased. I'm assuming at least TTG CE4 Gallery. I would also suggest getting TTG CE4 Autoindex as well.
With Autoindex you can create index pages where your visitors can click through to galleries contained in the index.

The simplest set up would be to first export Autoindex. Name the export "galleries".
Upload the entire exported "galleries" folder to the root of your website.
In WordPress, create a menu item named "Galleries" and give it the URL: /galleries/
Now when you click on the Galleries item in your menu, you'll be taken to the Galleries page you uploaded earlier. There won't be any links to your galleries yet. You need to export and upload those.

Back in Lightroom, select some images and create a CE4 Gallery. Export and upload the entire exported folder to the /galleries/ folder you exported earlier. Now go visit that Galleries page again and you'll see a link to your gallery.

That's the basics in a nutshell. I've not mentioned TTG CE4 Publisher, but that is a tool that will streamline the creation of galleries.

This might also help. It's written with the assumption of using TTG Pages for the basis of a site, but the concepts apply.
http://ttg-tips-and-tricks.barbeephoto. … -plug-ins/

If you want a WordPress site that has a continuity of design with your galleries, TTG has the Theme for WordPress plug-in too. Using that you can create a WordPress theme that will exactly match the design of your galleries. If you decide to go that route, Matt's got a tutorial that will integrate your WordPress site navigation with the TTG generated pages (indexes and galleries):
http://ce4.theturninggate.net/docs/doku.php?id=ce4_102

Matthew · 2016-01-16 14:52:09

novice newbie wrote:

Hi,
But, I have no idea how to integrate or link between LR and my new website. I want a gallery page and I want - like Slideshow Pro Direct Pro did for me - to just upload pictures and for them to appear on the page. I'm sure that somewhere in your documentation is the answer but not at a level that starts me off.

Given this, you want to use CE4 Publisher. It runs within Lightroom, and could be loosely defined as our equivalent to SSP Director. There's some setup involved, but our documentation takes you through it; beyond that, maintaining your galleries is quick and easy.

To get that setup, you'll want as a bare minimum CE4 Publisher + CE4 Gallery; I would also recommend CE4 Auto Index, which allows you to create album sets within which to organize your galleries.

All of this is included in our CE4 Blog & Galleries Bundle, along with our WordPress theme (as you seem to be leaning toward WordPress). I haven't looked up your purchase history, so not sure what you already have.

novice newbie · 2016-02-01 08:40:38

Dear Matthew and Rod,

Thank you for replying. Rob, your overview is excellent and clarified a lot of things on my mind. Matthew, I think you live in a different planet to me.

I bought TTG on the basis of recommendations from luminaries such as Victoria Bampton. I have a son who designs – amongst other things – websites but who is up to his eyeballs in various projects, lives away, and really does not have the time to sort me out, although bless him, he tries.

He and I had long and animated discussions about how I would like my galleries, with me advocating (from a very theoretical standpoint) how advantageous it would be to be able to manage my galleries directly from Lightroom using your program. He was, I am sorry to say, very dismissive. I have had to subsequently ring him up, apologise and agree with his professional assessment.

Why? well. after a few days away working I cleared my desk and sat down to get to grips with TTG, having previously bought publisher, galleries and auto index.

At this stage, I should probably step back and explain my provenance. This may make my subsequent comments more or less palatable. In my career as a surgeon I have invented devices, patented them and acted as an adviser to several multinational companies that produce medical devices. From the earliest days, one of my main themes has been ergonomics.

Sadly, your product not very easy to use. For instance, I spent a couple of hours trying to fathom setting up a gallery, dipping to and fro between the programs and the documentation. Nowhere did it clearly tell me that I'd then had to create a template and save that. Nowhere was there an obvious button. I did 'some tinkering ' but of course lost all the stuff I had done.

Do not console yourself with the thought that I am an idiot and simply did not see it. I am an idiot. The fact that i am spending the time to try and communicate proves it. But the process is deeply flawed and this is but one of many criticisms that I could make, having spent a day trying to get somewhere. Your advice that all you need to make the program work is time, some tinkering about and reading the instructions is inappropriate in this day and age, ignoring the fact that the need for 'tinkering' simply shows it does not work out of the box and that the program is probably the preserve of those who can write code. To make light of the amount of effort needed to make this program work has probably produced a lot of dissatisfied customers over the years.

Some years ago, while working in a very dysfunctional organisation, I coined the term kludges. Often there is a simple and effective solution to a problem but it is either too expensive, requires reorganisation or seems just too difficult. So, instead of implementing the obvious solution a workaround is implemented. At later stages a couple of more workarounds are introduced on the back of the first kludge, such that getting from A to B now involves going to C D and E, and so on. Kind of what happened with Photoshop, such that they went back to the drawing board to produce Lightroom (now getting bigger and more complex every day).

An example of a TTG Kludge: In my search for information I read the section explaining what was new and came across your workaround for previewing a gallery on different devices. Boy, I have seldom seen less elegant workaround. What the end user wants is to be able to click a button that shows the display in the different formats. With dozens of workarounds like this, the documentation becomes so complex as to be unusable.

Can I suggest that you find somebody who uses Lightroom, sit them down in a room and ask them to use your programs. Don't teach them, just let them start using the program and see how far they get. Then let them try the documentation to answer their questions. Watch them get lost or become trapped in redundant hyperlinks (or even navigate to pages that don't exist). Absolutely resist the temptation to show them how it is done. Instead, take notes and work out what you need to tell them, when you need to tell them and then write it down. Repeat until cooked. Expect pain.

Rod Barbee's site does a much clearer job of explaining things but is outdated and not an instruction manual.

In summary, I am in two minds. I can put in the hours needed to set up TTG or I can establish a workflow that exports my images from LR in a format that suits whichever gallery I use. I offer these comments constructively. I think that you need to start by re-doing the documentation. With so many apps out there these days, the defining factor is often the documentation.

Steve

rod barbee · 2016-02-01 09:11:48

.....the program is probably the preserve of those who can write code.

Not at all. You don't need to know any code to upload an exported gallery or autoindex. And unless you want to customize things beyond the wealth of options Matt provides, you don't need any code. And what code you would need for common customizations (for drop-down menus, as an example) is provided.

An example of a TTG Kludge: In my search for information I read the section explaining what was new and came across your workaround for previewing a gallery on different devices.

One thing that any user needs to keep in mind, but often doesn't, is that the TTG plug-ins have to work within Lightroom and are therefore subject to its limitations.

Matt and Ben have done some pretty impressive coding gymnastics to satisfy user requests. And in the process this has, admittedly, made the TTG products more complex.

Just an example: the Client Response Gallery. For years, users wanted a way for clients to be able to make selections and then come back later and continue. This requires a database, something that Lightroom cannot provide for the web module.

Being able to use Lightroom's Publish Services was another longtime user request. The Publish Service was, I believe, originally intended to work with existing platforms like Facebook and others. But Matt and Ben made it work.

Seeing as how this was only your 2nd post to the forum, and only one of them asked a question, I feel your criticism are a bit unfair.

And yes, my site does have a lot of CE3 specific posts (several have been updated) but the concepts all still apply.

And we're always happy to answer questions. They just have to be asked first.

novice newbie · 2016-02-01 13:21:29

Rob,

I stand corrected. The main thrust of my long-winded post was about the user experience and documentation. Try the experiment with someone who knows lightroon but not TTG. I've done it in other settings and it is transformational. Sorry if I have come across as anything other than slightly frustrated.

rod barbee · 2016-02-01 14:10:03

I've done it with a couple of people. Some take to it with a little bit of experimentation. Some just have a real tough time with it.
But I take your meaning. It's one reason I created my ttg-tips site: to try to give using the plug-ins the perspective of a user and not the developer (and from someone who came into TTG with very little html knowledge and absolutely no css, php, or javascript knowledge).

I even thought of writing a Photographer's Guide to TTG except for the fact that improvements and added features come along too quickly to make a book feasible, at least from the perspective of needing to keep making and pushing revisions.

seafizzer · 2016-02-04 05:59:40

Reading thru this exchange:
novice newbie: I, too am new to TTG and could not find a basic explanation or chart or guide to match my needs /software to TTG products. I was pretty confused and didn't purchased software. And am still trying to figure out if my current software will work with TTG!

A question: I am using CS3 and Lightroom 3. I want to install client portrait proof galleries in a sub-domain on my website.
Which TTG software to use? Do I need to pre-setup the Gallery's? Can I make each client session it's own Gallery?
All the best,

rod barbee · 2016-02-04 06:13:37

TTG CE4 products will work with Lightroom 3
Here are the system requirements (from any product page)

System Requirements
System
Mac or Windows PC, running Lightroom 3/4/5/6/CC2015.
Hosting
Linux OS
Apache server
PHP 5.2.6 or newer; PHP 7 not yet supported
SQLite and PDO modules enabled
CE4 plugins are not standalone software, and require Lightroom to run. Content should be published to the Web via FTP, requiring a domain name and standard web hosting. Hosted website services such as those provided by LiveBooks, Squarespace, etc. do not qualify as standard web hosting and are incompatible with output from TTG plugins. For quality, affordable, TTG certified hosting, we fervently recommend Bluehost.

I want to install client portrait proof galleries in a sub-domain on my website.
Which TTG software to use?

At the minimum, CE4 Client Response Gallery. But to unlock certain features, you should also get CE4 Publisher. The best option would be the Client Proofing Bundle: http://theturninggate.net/products/the- … ng-bundle/

Do I need to pre-setup the Gallery's?

You can create stand-alone galleries. If you use Publisher to create the albums(galleries) this first requires uploading a gallery to a certain folder on the server. This gallery serves as a template to create subsequent albums through Publisher.

Can I make each client session it's own Gallery?

Not sure I understand your use of "session". But yes, you can create individual galleries for clients. And by also using Publisher you can enable a feature whereby clients can go into their gallery, make some selections and log off. Then come back later and continue making selections and give feedback.
this post explains more about the CRG deployment options:
http://ce4.theturninggate.net/2015/02/0 … e-gallery/

rod barbee · 2016-02-04 06:57:12

I, too am new to TTG and could not find a basic explanation or chart or guide to match my needs

The Products page explains what each plug-in does, in case you haven't seen it:
http://theturninggate.net/our-products/

I get a little more in depth (carried away?) here:
http://ttg-tips-and-tricks.barbeephoto. … -plug-ins/

the idea of a chart or matrix is a good one. I'll see if I can come up with something that makes sense (always a challenge )

seafizzer · 2016-02-04 07:17:37

Appreciate your response. thanks

rod barbee · 2016-02-04 08:45:05

Here's a start to a plug-in choosing matrix: http://ttg-tips-and-tricks.barbeephoto. … in-matrix/

Community @ The Turning Gate

#1 2016-01-16 13:14:45

How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#2 2016-01-16 13:35:54

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#3 2016-01-16 14:52:09

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#4 2016-02-01 08:40:38

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#5 2016-02-01 09:11:48

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#6 2016-02-01 13:21:29

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#7 2016-02-01 14:10:03

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#8 2016-02-04 05:59:40

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#9 2016-02-04 06:13:37

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#10 2016-02-04 06:57:12

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#11 2016-02-04 07:17:37

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

#12 2016-02-04 08:45:05

Re: How to I get my shiny TTG galleries into a hosted wordpress site?

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