Using a folder other than Userpics for pictures, deleting duplicates of pictures

[sammyd28]

I have my pictures in another directory and I don't want to move them to userpics because all the search engines know where the pictures are.  
Can i direct coppermine to look in that directory?
Or do i have to put the pictures into the userpics directory directly?

When pictures are uploaded directly into the userpics directly, coppermine recognizes them, but then creates a copy of them with "normal_" as a prefix.  
Can I delete the original file I uploaded so that there are not two copies of the same picture on the server?

[Joachim Müller]

one question per thread, please...
You mustn't put pics into the userpics folder, but any other sub-folder you create within the albums directory, read the docs: http://coppermine.sourceforge.net/manual.php#batch_add_pics

In your case I recommend creation a symlink within the albums folder to the place that already holds your pics, or redirect the search engines from the place your pics currently are to the new location (your choice, in both cases some advanced knowledge about webserver mechanisms is necessary).

You can make coppermine use a folder outside of the coppermine folder, using a relative path (something with ../..//yourfolder) in coppermine config, but remember that this can only be set up if you don't have any pics in the coppermine database yet. Having the pics stored outside of the coppermine folder is only recommended for advanced users.

You can delete the full-size pics using the resize pictures utility from coppermine's admin menu, but it's recommended to upload the pics in the correct dimensions in the first place. You mustn't delete them manually once they're in coppermine's database, or you'll get broken links that point to the full-size pics.

GauGau

[sammyd28]

So, for coppermine to use a folder outside the coppermine folder, what would I type in "album directory" if my situation is that:

My pictures are in: domain.com/www/pictures/

and the userpics folder is at: domain.com/www/album/albums/userpics/

Thanks for spelling it out... (I don't have any pictures in the coppermine database anymore).

Thanks.

[sammyd28]

How do you create a symlink?

[Joachim Müller]

if the server is not yours to adminsiter (i.e. you're webhosted) you'll probably have to ask your webhost to create a symlink for you. A symlink is a thing on Linux/Unix operating systems Windows users know as a "shortcut", that's all (well, it's actually better than a shortcut )

GauGau

[sammyd28]

I have figured out how to get to the "pictures" folder from the Batch Add, (I typed "../" in the "The album directory" under "Config") however on "Batch Add Pictures," "Select Directory" it says "not writable."  It does not say that next to all the folders, only some of them. 

When clicking on the "pictures" folder it says "the script can't write in this directory, you need to change its mode to 755 or 777 before trying to add the pictures !"  However, when I type "0777" or "0755" under "Default mode for directories," it does not work.

Any suggestions?  Thank you for your help.

[Casper]

Coppermine cannot change the chmod of existing folders.  You will have to use your ftp program, or your site control program, to do this.
Most ftp programs, just Right click on the folder, and look for properties or permissions etc, and change it there.