Author Workflow¶

This guide describes the recommended workflow for managing your photo galleries with Goldplated Photos. The approach keeps your photos safe on local storage while making them easy to publish online.

Overview¶

┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│  1. Organize │───▶│ 2. Generate │───▶│  3. Refine  │───▶│  4. Deploy  │
│    Albums    │    │   Metadata  │    │   Settings  │    │   Online    │
└─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘
     Local              npm run           npm run           npm run
    Storage             update            admin             deploy

Step 1: Organize Albums Locally¶

Keep all your photos on local storage (external drive recommended) as your master copy. This ensures:

• Backup safety - Your photos are never only on a server
• Easy organization - Use your file manager to arrange albums
• Version control - Git tracks your album structure, not the photos

Create Album Structure¶

Organize photos into folders under src/content/albums/:

src/content/albums/
├── 2024/
│   ├── summer-vacation/
│   │   ├── beach-day/
│   │   │   └── *.jpg
│   │   └── hiking/
│   │       └── *.jpg
│   └── wedding-smith/
│       └── *.jpg
└── portraits/
    └── family/
        └── *.jpg

Step 2: Generate Metadata¶

Run the update command to auto-generate index.md files for new albums:

npm run update

This command:

• Scans for folders without index.md
• Creates default metadata files
• Sets album titles from folder names
• Preserves existing index.md files

Generated index.md¶

---
title: "Summer Vacation"
description: ""
thumbnail: ""
password: ""
order: 0
hidden: false
isCollection: false
---

Step 3: Refine with Admin Panel¶

Start the admin panel to fine-tune your albums:

npm run admin

Open http://localhost:4444 in your browser.

Admin Panel Features¶

Common Tasks¶

Password Protection¶

---
title: "Client Wedding"
password: "clientsecret123"
---

Set Custom Thumbnail¶

---
title: "Beach Photos"
thumbnail: "sunset-best.jpg"
---

Create a Collection¶

Set isCollection: true to make a folder display sub-albums instead of photos:

---
title: "2024"
isCollection: true
---

Hide from Listings¶

---
title: "Private Album"
hidden: true
---

Album is still accessible via direct URL but won't appear in listings.

Step 4: Deploy Online¶

When you're satisfied with your changes, deploy to your server:

npm run deploy

This command:

1. Builds the production site
2. Syncs files to your server via rsync
3. Restarts the server process
4. Albums with --delete flag removes old files

Verify Deployment¶

After deploying, check your live site to ensure:

• [ ] New albums appear correctly
• [ ] Thumbnails load properly
• [ ] Password protection works
• [ ] All photos are accessible

Complete Workflow Example¶

Here's a typical workflow for adding a new album:

# 1. Copy photos to the albums folder
cp -r ~/Photos/Wedding-2024 src/content/albums/2024/wedding-johnson/

# 2. Generate initial metadata
npm run update

# 3. Start admin panel to configure
npm run admin
# → Set title: "Johnson Wedding"
# → Add password: "johnson2024"
# → Choose thumbnail
# → Save changes

# 4. Preview locally (optional)
npm run dev
# → Check http://localhost:4321/photos/2024/wedding-johnson

# 5. Deploy to production
npm run deploy

Tips & Best Practices¶

Storage Strategy¶

Regular Maintenance¶

• Weekly: Back up your external drive
• Monthly: Review and clean up old albums
• After changes: Always deploy to keep server in sync

Working with Large Collections¶

For very large photo libraries:

1. Keep only active albums in the project folder
2. Archive completed albums to cold storage
3. Use collections to organize by year/category

Troubleshooting¶

Album not appearing after deploy¶

1. Check hidden: false in index.md
2. Verify folder structure is correct
3. Run npm run update to regenerate metadata
4. Clear browser cache

Thumbnails not generating¶

1. Delete .meta/thumbnails folder
2. Redeploy - thumbnails regenerate on demand

Password not working¶

1. Check password in index.md (no quotes needed for simple passwords)
2. Clear browser cookies
3. Wait 15 minutes if rate-limited

Related Guides¶

• Adding Albums - Detailed album creation
• Admin Panel - Full admin panel reference
• Deployment - Server configuration