Navigating Photos in Files - Back & Forward?

easemail · 23 Mar 2021, 10:12 AM

I would like to navigate photos in the files view back & forward, but you can seemingly only view each file individually and hit the back button and then select another one. The j & k shortcuts only work in the file name view, not when the image is shown. Is there any way to do this I'm not seeing?

I share the account with someone and I would like to share comments with them on a bunch of photos. Navigating between those photos just takes a lot of extra clicking it seems.

n5bb · 23 Mar 2021, 12:37 PM

I agree. But you can easily get much better navigation by creating a link to the files, then sharing that link with the other person(s).

In Files, navigate inside the folder so you see the file listing.
At the top, use Share>Create Website.
Create a URL using any subdomain address at an email alias you control at Fastmail. You will need to click the middle part (subdomain created from the alias) and optionally add an additional subdomain to the left or path to the right.
If you are using a custom domain you own, you may be able to use the HTTPS secure feature.
Select Publish as > Photo gallery
Publish folder: The folder which will be viewed from the URL is shown. If you click it you can change the folder.
Password: This is optional. If you do not set a password, then anyone who discovers the URL can view your photos.
Gallery theme: The Dark theme looks more modern.
Gallery title: The label is shown at the top of the photo gallery.
Save when complete.

Depending on whether you picked a Light or Dark theme, the Grid / Filmstrip / Single / Slideshow and Download/Zoom tools will be at the top of the bottom of the gallery

Grid: The photos (and their names) are shown in a grid. The j/k shortcuts do nothing. The Zoom tool at the right controls the size of the small images. Click on an image to see it in Single mode.
Filmstrip: Small versions of each image are shown in a horizontal line and the selected image is shown in a large view. Use j/k or Next/Previous or the slider control to navigate between images, or click an image to select it. If you click Single, the selected image will be shown in Single view.
Single: One large view of a single image is shown at a time. Use j/k to navigate. The filename of that image is shown at the top.
Slideshow: The images are shown sequentially at a rate of one every 5 seconds. You can use j/k to navigate, but after 5 seconds the slideshow will continue from that point. Click on any image to switch to Single view.
Download: In Filmstrip or Single mode, this button lets you download the currently selected image. You can choose to reduce the image resolution (and size) using several choices.

Use the Files>Websites menu to edit or delete the URL link you created to the folder. Fastmail is automatically creating a photo gallery website for you when you follow my instructions above.

So you can see that the Files menu is really just for uploading and moving the image files around. You can open two browser windows, one showing the Files folder and the other showing the photo gallery as I have shown above. In Filmstrip viewing mode they will always be sorted by name ^ (normal sorting order). If the Files folder is sorted in the same default manner, the images will be sorted identically in the two browser tabs or windows.

Bill

easemail · 23 Mar 2021, 11:45 PM

Thank you for the explanation. I should have specified that I'm aware of the photo gallery function, but you can't assign comments through that interface. I see that you can add comments to the files and have it show up on the photo gallery, so I guess that's something.

It seems that having comments would be more useful for collaboration if you could click through them like a gallery instead of having to click into each one and back.

23 Mar 2021, 10:12 AM	#1
easemail Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 75	Navigating Photos in Files - Back & Forward? I would like to navigate photos in the files view back & forward, but you can seemingly only view each file individually and hit the back button and then select another one. The j & k shortcuts only work in the file name view, not when the image is shown. Is there any way to do this I'm not seeing? I share the account with someone and I would like to share comments with them on a bunch of photos. Navigating between those photos just takes a lot of extra clicking it seems.

23 Mar 2021, 12:37 PM	#2
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,929	Create URL at subdomain to see photo gallery I agree. But you can easily get much better navigation by creating a link to the files, then sharing that link with the other person(s). In Files, navigate inside the folder so you see the file listing. At the top, use Share>Create Website. Create a URL using any subdomain address at an email alias you control at Fastmail. You will need to click the middle part (subdomain created from the alias) and optionally add an additional subdomain to the left or path to the right. If you are using a custom domain you own, you may be able to use the HTTPS secure feature. Select Publish as > Photo gallery Publish folder: The folder which will be viewed from the URL is shown. If you click it you can change the folder. Password: This is optional. If you do not set a password, then anyone who discovers the URL can view your photos. Gallery theme: The Dark theme looks more modern. Gallery title: The label is shown at the top of the photo gallery. Save when complete. Depending on whether you picked a Light or Dark theme, the Grid / Filmstrip / Single / Slideshow and Download/Zoom tools will be at the top of the bottom of the gallery Grid: The photos (and their names) are shown in a grid. The j/k shortcuts do nothing. The Zoom tool at the right controls the size of the small images. Click on an image to see it in Single mode. Filmstrip: Small versions of each image are shown in a horizontal line and the selected image is shown in a large view. Use j/k or Next/Previous or the slider control to navigate between images, or click an image to select it. If you click Single, the selected image will be shown in Single view. Single: One large view of a single image is shown at a time. Use j/k to navigate. The filename of that image is shown at the top. Slideshow: The images are shown sequentially at a rate of one every 5 seconds. You can use j/k to navigate, but after 5 seconds the slideshow will continue from that point. Click on any image to switch to Single view. Download: In Filmstrip or Single mode, this button lets you download the currently selected image. You can choose to reduce the image resolution (and size) using several choices. Use the Files>Websites menu to edit or delete the URL link you created to the folder. Fastmail is automatically creating a photo gallery website for you when you follow my instructions above. So you can see that the Files menu is really just for uploading and moving the image files around. You can open two browser windows, one showing the Files folder and the other showing the photo gallery as I have shown above. In Filmstrip viewing mode they will always be sorted by name ^ (normal sorting order). If the Files folder is sorted in the same default manner, the images will be sorted identically in the two browser tabs or windows. Bill

23 Mar 2021, 11:45 PM	#3
easemail Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 75	Thank you for the explanation. I should have specified that I'm aware of the photo gallery function, but you can't assign comments through that interface. I see that you can add comments to the files and have it show up on the photo gallery, so I guess that's something. It seems that having comments would be more useful for collaboration if you could click through them like a gallery instead of having to click into each one and back.