thumbnail.dev 3.14 (Independent Pi)

thumbnail.dev is a Perl script that will produce a nice looking and hopefully easy to use interface to any given directory that contains image files. The output is formatted as HTML 3.2 to automate publishing big and small image collections in the World Wide Web.

1. Main page

All images are alphabetically grouped into sets. Each set contains small thumbnail size versions of the images that link to the actual image. Each set is on a page of its own. Since there can be several hundred (or even thousands of) images, there can also be several sets to choose from.

All the sets can be reached through the main page. You can also try searching for a specific image (or images) based on file names. The main page can also be reached from any set following the link all.

Finally, you can preview all the set indices as a slide show. (See also "Slide shows" in chapter 4).

2. Image sets

From any image set you can view any of the images in their original size by clicking the thumbnail version. On top of the image map, there are links to

• main page containing all sets (all)
• slide show of the images in the set (slide)
• go 10 sets back (<<<)
• go to previous set (prev)
• go to any numbered image set (001)
• go to next set (next)
• go 10 sets forward (>>>)
• show this help page (?)

3. Image view

• view the previous image (previous)
• go to the main page (all)
• view the images from the same set as a slide show (slide)
• view the set that contains this image (set)
• view the next image (next)
• show this help page (?)

Below the image you can find the counter, which shows how many images have been served from this image collection. After the counter you'll find the image name, followed by navigation info. The navigation data includes the number of the image, total number of the images in this collection, and the location of this image in the set. Finally, linked into the word "Enjoy!" is the current image view. This can be used to give a direct link/pointer/URL to others (eg. with MSIE right-click the link and "Copy Shortcut").

For example: "1/10, set 1-2-3" can be interpreted as: "Image 1 out of a total of 10, in set #1, row 2, column 3".

4. Slide shows

The slide shows require that cookies are enabled on your browser. The cookie contains just the information about the slide show: the number of the image to be shown next. Also, certain parameters can be adjusted by hand, if needed:

• range=lower-upper (eg. range=1-10)
• refresh=interval (eg. refresh=5)

Note that the refresh interval has a minimum value (1), and it is automatically rounded to be a multiple of 1. This may, or may not, work with your browser.

5. Credits

This piece of software could not exist without the help of several people. They have all suggested improvements and done extensive testing. Many thanks to all of them.

thumbnail.dev is a Perl script. It uses ImageMagick tools for image handling.

Copyright Arto Selonen, 1997-2005.

Enjoy!