JetPhoto Server - User's Guide

Installation

You can install JetPhoto Server software on most of web servers which support PHP, it can run on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Solaris and other operating systems.

1. Check the web server on your system. PHP4 or PHP5 must be supported by your web server. The recommended version is 4.2.0 or higher.

- PHP option short_open_tag must be enabled in PHP configuration (php.ini) file.
- XML library is required (PHP configure command includes '--with-xml').

2. Unzip JetPhoto Server package, and copy all contents in folder jpserver to the http documents path of your web server.

3. With your web browser, go to the root path of the JetPhoto Server that you just installed, for example: http://127.0.0.1/jpserver/ . Then, you should see a home page of the JetPhoto Server if your server environment has no problem to support JetPhoto Server running, otherwise a report of server diagnostics will appear.

4. The FTP service must be enabled in your system, and assigns a FTP account for uploading photo album files to your JetPhoto Server with WebSync later.

The uploaded files need to be saved in some special folders on JetPhoto Server.
jpserver/data/ is for storing uploaded album file packages;
jpserver/site/ is for storing site information files;
jpserver/site/images/ is for storing site banner and image files.
So, you need confirm the FTP account can access these directories and have permissions to read and write files there.

Publishing Web Albums

After installing JetPhoto Server, users also need use a desktop software named JetPhoto Studio to organize their photo albums, and upload albums to the website using WebSync. You could go to www.jetphotosoft.com to download a free JetPhoto Studio and run it on your Mac or Windows PC.

You could create albums on your desktop computer with JetPhoto Studio, and:

Add photos - drag and drop photo files into Thumbnail view in the album main window.
Sort photos - choose menu item 'Edit' -> 'Arrange Photos' to sort photos by capture time automatically, or use mouse to move photo thumbnails to rearrange photos manually.
Set photo descriptions and keywords - Edit them in 'Notes' side panel.
Set album title and description - Edit them in 'Album' tabbed panel in the album main window.
Set album cover photo - Select a photo in the album, and enable option 'Cover Photo' with clicking the check box in 'Notes' side panel.

Once your photo album is organized in JetPhoto Studio, you could use WebSync to synchronously publish the album to a web server installed with JetPhoto Server software.

1. Click 'Web Sync' button, or choose menu item 'Web Album'->'Web Sync' to show WebSync dialog box. In 'Server' tabbed panel, please select option 'Publish web album to JetPhoto Server v1.5'.

2. You need set up a FTP connection to upload albums to the server. Then you must enter the FTP server address, user name, password and the directory where installed your JetPhoto Server files.

3. Now please click button 'Synchronize Now!', the WebSync program will upload the album files to the server immediately.

4. After used WebSync, you could still continue to organize photos in the album with your JetPhoto Studio. Adds or removes photos, sorts photos and modifies descriptions or keywords. Now, uses WebSync again to update all changes to your server. In the meantime, the changed metadata and photo files will be uploaded one by one as needed.

Manual Uploading Albums
If your server doesn't support FTP or you need upload album data files to the server manually, you should first use WebReady to export the album photos and metadata into a .data file package. And then, copy the .data file package to path jpserver/data/ on your server manually.

Album Short Name
Each album managed by JetPhoto has a Short Name that is an unique indentifier of the album. You can edit the Short Name in Album tabbed panel in your JetPhoto Studio. If two albums with a same Short Name, JetPhoto will regard them as two different versions of one album when run WebSync. So all albums hosted in JetPhoto Server must have a Short Name different from others.

For more options while using WebSync and WebReady, please also refer to JetPhoto Studio User's Guide.

Managing Website

After uploading your photo album files to the server by WebSync, you could continue to use Website Manager to set web album templates, categories and listing order etc. Also can edit the website title, description, copyright fields and change website banner.

1. Click 'Website Manager' button, or choose menu item 'Web Album'->'Website Manager' to show Website Manager dialog box, in which please select option 'JetPhoto Server v1.5'.

2. You need set up a FTP connection to access the configuration files on the server. Then you must enter the FTP server address, user name, password and the directory where installed your JetPhoto Server files. Then please click button 'Connect'.

3. After connecting the server, the Website Manager will open the configuration files on the server and show all information in two tabbed panels 'Site Info' and 'Album List'.

4. In 'Site Info' panel, you can edit:

Site Title - the website title
Site Description - the text appears in About page, that can include HTML tags
Contact Info - the text appears at the bottom of the home page
Copyright - the text of the copyright information
Website URL - the official address of this website
License Type - Non-commercial or Commercial license this website uses
Site Banner - the website banner that can be changed as a specific JPEG file.
Default Web Album Template - the default template used for new uploaded albums
Access Control - set a password for users visiting the website

5. In 'Album List' panel, in which all albums on the server are listed.

Listing Order
Normally, the new web album that was just published with WebSync is always listed at the top of album list. But you can drag-and-drop list items to change the albums listing order with your mouse. Once saved the change, the albums listed in the home page of the JetPhoto Server website will be affected.

Template and Category
You can set Appearance Template and Category for each album on the server.

Hide or Delete Albums
If selected checkbox 'Hides this album on website', the album will not be listed in the homepage of the website.
Website Manager can hide albums, but unable to delete album files on the server physically. Instead, you should use other FTP client software to login the server and delete the album files manually. Please go to path jpserver/data/ on the server, all album data file packages are stored there. One album corresponds to one .data folder in which saves all photo files and the metadata file of the album. You can remove .data folders to delete the albums on the server.

6. Click button 'Update' to save all changes on the server.

Server File Directories

If you are a web designer or developer, to understand the server file system structure will be useful to help you to build and customize your website using JetPhoto Server. There are five folders in JetPhoto Server file directory, stores all photo album data, web album templates, website configurations and other necessary web pages.

Folder 'system' contains two sub-folders. 'frameworks' stores the website required functions, class and model to be called in web page. 'components' stores some reusable components to be embedded in web page, such as the Flash controls for slideshow. The 'system' folder is the core foundation of JetPhoto Server, so never attempt to change its content when you customize your website.

Folder 'data' stores all album data packages (.data packages). Each album data package is a special folder including pictures and the additional information. Every album data package is named as the album's unique name with a .data suffix.

Folder 'view' stores all album appearance templates (.view packages). Some different preinstalled templates are provided for user to choose. Web designer can also make other new ones for his own website. Each template is a folder including some appropriate page files to represent the album in a specific web gallery. The folder name of every template is with a .view suffix.

Folder 'site' stores web site information and image files. There are some specific .plist XML files used to configure the customized website. For example:

site-info.plist --- stores the website profile, such as Website Title, Copyright etc;
list.plist --- stores all albums listing information;
users.plist --- stores user accounts to access the web site.

Usually we use Website Manager in JetPhoto Studio to open and modify these XML file. But you can also try to change the settings in them with a XML file editor.

Folder 'web' stores the album browsing pages shown to users who visit your website. JetPhoto server provides a suit of the default web pages for album listing, categorizing and photo searching, which are saved in sub-folder 'default'. User can personalize his/her web pages by changing the default page template. Normally, the file 'index.php' in this folder can be the main entrance of your website.


jpserver ------- system ------- frameworks   1 
            |              |--- components   2
            |              \--- gmap         3
            |
            |--- data --------{ *.data       4
            | 
            |--- view --------{ *.view       5
            | 
            |--- site ---------              6
            |              \--- images       7
            | 
            |--- web ---------- default      8
                        |------ reviewer     9
                        \------ init_server  10

1. PHP files that contains required functions and classes
2. Reusable web page components, such as Flash controls
3. Google map gallery files
4. Album data file packages
5. Web album templates
6. Site information files
7. Site banner and image files
8. Default home pages
9. A tool to preview albums in different templates
10. Server diagnostic tools

As a web designer or webmaster, you can establish a customized interface with your own special design, only to do is following the JetPhoto Server's structure. For more information to customize your JetPhoto Server, please refer to our Developer's website.