Index page - Main settings
1 Template 
Since version 4.2 you may select your prefered template for index pages. Today there exist 4 different templates:
- standard template shows a static map on index pages (see example).
- dynamic map template allows to the visitor to switch on/off the map (see example). The map overlays the thumbnails when switched on. The advantage is that you can put more rows of thumbnails on index page because you have more space due of absence of the static map.
Moreover, when the visitor hovers over a thumb which has a position point on the map then the map pops up automatically and shows the position by a flashing point.
- N E W : google maps template shows an interactive map which allows the album visitor to zoom and to pan the map (see example).
While you don't need to put a map image in your folder(s) as it was the case for standard and dynamic map templates, your photos have to be associated to longitude/latitude though.
This template is not suited for offline presentations since the album needs to be connected to the google maps server when being visited. Moreover, in order to deploy such album you'll need a personal google maps key for the domain where your album is hosted.
- no map template is useful if photos have all the same position or if they don't matter geographic positions as i.e. party fotos (see example).
Changing templates while album generation
JAlbum/PositionMap allows to change dynamically the template while album generation! This means that your album is generally based on the template you have chosen in this tab (see 1 ) but some subfolders may be built upon other templates (standard, dynamic-map, google maps, no-map) which may have different number of rows and columns of thumbnails as defined in the JAlbumGUI.
You may mark such subfolders by putting a file called "index.properties" in it. This easist way to do this is to use JCapPM where you may create "index.properties" with a few mouse clicks.
Hint when using standard or dynamic map template:
If you don't want to show a map on index page, you nevertheless need a map file in the case of the parent page shows a map! Why? Because the map of the parent page has to show a thumbnail when the visitor hovers with the mouse over the position point representing the subfolder where you don't want to show a map.
However, since version 4.13 PositionMap has an option to show the first found image as tooltip in such cases (see below for more details)! If you don't like this option please read on:
Take an example where a map is needed though: The index page of subfolder "Mont St.Michel" doesn't show a map. Nevertheless when you hover over the position point representing the subfolder "Mont St.Michel" of the parent index page you see a thumbnail. This thumbnail is just a photo having the same name as maps (_map.jpg) which I have put in the image directory.
The following screenshot shows my image directory, where you see that a map image is inside even if it's not shown on index page of this folder.
2 smart no-map
Select this checkbox in order to use automatically the no-map template in case of no map has been found in the folder when using either the standard or dynamic map template.
The same applies if you have chosen the google maps template and none of your photos carry longitude/latitude datas.
If you unselect the checkbox and PositionMap doesn't find a map while using the standard or dynamic map template then PositionMap will print a warning in your html pages.
If you use the google maps template and none of your photos carry longitude/latitude datas and you unselect the checkbox then either the previous map will be shown (if exists) or an interactive map centered over Paris/France is shown.
3 smart map tooltip
For albums built with the standard or dynamic map template: When the visitor hovers with the mouse over a position point or an area which corresponds to a directory then the map of that folder pops up as tooltip. But if no map exist in that folder nothing would pop up.
So, if you select the checkbox, you can make pop up the first found photo as tooltip in cases where no map has been found in the folder.
4 Columns/Rows
If you have selected "smart no-map" then you can redefine the number of columns and rows for html pages where the no-map template has been applied. This is useful since html pages without map have more place in order to show more thumbnails than pages showing a map.
5 Title bar
Since version 4.2 you may choose where the title bar has to be shown: either top of page or at the bottom of page or you may have both.
6 Navigation up
You may add an up-navigation button on root pages (= pages not having parent pages). This is useful when building sub-albums (branches) because then the visitor can navigate from the sub-album to the parent-album. I used this feature in order to integrate the example albums in this home page: the root index page have such button in order to link back to the example main page.
This can be a relative link as i.e. "../index.html" (without double quotes) or a fix link as i.e. "http://agahd.free.fr/JAlbum/PositionMap" (without double quotes).
7 Statcounter code
Here you may add some code (typically javascript) which will be included after the <body> tag of each index page. This is especially useful for stat counters (see i.e. www.statcounter.com) or other stuff as i.e. menus which have to be included on each page.
Be aware to add only w3c valid HTML (or javascript), else your generated album wont be more w3c valid HTML!
You may choose how the counter should be aligned which is only useful if you have a visible counter.
8 New folders
Check the checkbox "Mark" if you want that folders not older than a certain number of days have to be overlayed with a "NEW" icon.
"Folder based" means that the timestamp of the folder itself is decisive whether a folder is new or not.
"File based" means that the timestamp of the files are decisive whether their parent folder is new or not.
If the folder itself or its content is new then the folder icon is overlayed with the icon you've defined in field "Folder mark". Per default this is "fMark.gif":
If a subfolder is new then the folder icon is overlayed with the icon you've defined in field "Child mark". Per default this is "cMark.gif":
9 Folder info
Since version 3.11 PositionMap can show on index pages folder info, which you may create with JCapPM.
If you use the standard or google maps template then you may choose where to show folder info.
If folder info exist then PositionMap may show aside the map either an info button or a textbox having the same size as the map. The former is used in the third example album. The latter is used in the first and second example album and looks like:
As you can see, you even may add position points! When the visitor hovers with the mouse over such point, the corresponding point on the map is emphasised. If the position point is not on this but on another index page then the point is not shown as  but as .
As I said, you may create such folder info easily with JCapPM.
Since version 4.3 folder info may have references to images in the res folder of PositionMap skin. This is useful when folder info have often to show the same image or have to show an image which has not to be shown among the photos as e.g. a company logo.
You may put such references to your folder info by using "$resPath" (without quotes). This means that all occurences of "$resPath" will be transformed to the path of the res folder while album generation. E.g. you could write:
Our new company logo <img src="$resPath/ourLogo.jpg" /> looks good. and JAlbum/PositionMap will transform it depending on the depth of the current page to e.g.:
Our new company logo <img src="../../res/ourLogo.jpg" /> looks good.
Since version 4.11 you have multiple options for setting the height of the folder info box:
- no height limit
- always page height
- max page height
These 3 options only apply to the dynamic-map and no-map templates because the standard and google maps templates render the infobox always as height as the map (unless you define another size via JCapPM, see below please).
no height limit means that the box is as much as height as needed in order to show the content without scrollbars.
always page height means that the box has always the same height as the height taken by thumbnails. So, even if your box has few content, the box will always expand to the bottom of thumbnails.
max page height means that the box never exceeds the height taken by thumbnails but if your box has few content then it doesn't necessarily expand to the bottom of thumbnails.
No matter which option is selected, there is a minimum height which is the height of a thumbnail, choosen in the JAlbum GUI.
The following screen shots demonstrate the effects:
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| long text
| short text
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| no limit |
all content is shown without scrollbars |
as there is only few content, the box has been automatically enlarged to the minimum height
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| always page height |
box ends at the bottom of thumb, even if the box has more content to show |
box ends at the bottom of thumb, even if the box has less content to show |
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| max page height |
box ends at the bottom of thumb, even if the box has more content to show |
as there is only few content, the box has been automatically enlarged to the minimum height |
Advanced users may use JCapPM in order to define width and height of folder info box for specific folders, even recursive for subfolders. These settings will overwrite settings made in the JAlbum GUI. Moreover they may be used with ALL PositionMap templates (standard, dynamic-map, google maps, no-map).
The above mentioned minimum size of the box is also no more in effect.
width and height of box has been defined by JCapPM and owerwrites JAlbum settings (even the minimum height) |
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settings apply even to the standard and google maps template, so your info box can have a different size than your map |
The checkbox "Realign footer" may be used for the dynamic or no-map template when folder info are always visible: As the folder info for these templates are displayed left of the thumbnails, it may look better to center the footer relative to thumbnails instead to center it in regard of the whole page.
Compatibility issue
Folder info of older versions of PositionMap v4.0 were supposed to be stored in meta files called "_folderInfo.txt". This has changed since PositionMap v4.0 where folder info are supposed to be stored in the description meta file of the folder. I.e. the folder "Goelo" would have a file "Goelo_description.txt" which contains its folder info.
Using JCapPM you are able to convert easily your old files "_folderInfo.txt" to files of the new format.
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