Managing Libraries

Creating a New Library

To create a library, choose File|New|Library. You'll see the Select Albums dialog which shows you the albums you can add to the library. See the topic Selecting Albums for details.

Once you've selected the albums (you can always add or remove albums later), you'll get the New Library dialog (see below for details). You then enter the name for the library. This is just a file on your local computer. It's never uploaded to your Web site, and the name never appears on your albums, so just use whatever name is convenient.

When you click OK, the albums have their HTML modified to include links to other albums (see About Libraries for details). Nothing appears on your Web site, however, until you publish the albums (see About Libraries).

Modifying an Existing Library

To modify an existing library, publish it, etc., choose File|Open|Library and select the library file with the resulting Open File dialog. Library files always have a suffix of "alg". Then you'll get the same dialog as for a new library, except the library name is disabled, as it can't be changed once the library is created. See below for details on this dialog.

Deleting a Library

To delete a library, first open it and remove all the albums. Then just delete the library file using, for example, the Windows Explorer. Or, choose File|Open|Library to open the File Open dialog, right click on the library file, choose Delete, and then cancel the File Open dialog.

New/Manage Library Dialog

The New/Manage Library Dialog contains these controls:

Library Name

The name of the library (absent the "alg" suffix). You enter it here when creating a new library; it's disabled for existing libraries that you open.

Library Location

The directory containing the library file and also the album directories for the albums you can add to that library. Always disabled; you effectively choose it from the Select Albums dialog when you create a new library.

Publish to Web

Similar to the Publish to Web button on the main Albumatic window, but it publishes all the albums in the library. It automatically brings up the FTP Connection dialog if you're not currently connected. Prior to publishing, it saves the library and updates the albums as if the OK button were clicked.

Albums in Library

Lists the albums and their titles in the order in which links to them will appear on each album. You can change the order with the Sort, Up, or Down buttons.

Add

Adds one or more albums to the library by bringing up the Select Albums dialog.

Remove

Removes the selected album from the library. Automatically removes the links (if any) from its HTML. Does not delete the album itself, however, so this operation is fairly nondestructive. (To get the links back, just re-add the album and click OK or Publish to Web.)

Sort

Sorts the albums by title.

Up

Moves the selected album up in the list.

Down

Moves the selected album down in the list.

Show Links on Web Pages

If checked, each album will contain links to the other albums. The links normally appear on the Index View, below the thumbnails. It's still useful to create a library with this unchecked, if you just want to use the Publish to Web feature.

OK

Saves the library and modifies the HTML of all the albums to reflect the current links and album titles.

Cancel

Undoes all changes since the Publish to Web button was clicked, with the exception that if an album was removed, it's links will have been removed from its HTML even though it will still be in the library. If this happens, just open the library again and click OK.