Path and image storage strategy

[yosemite]

Path and image storage strategy

What type of strategy do most folks use in the paths setup? Does everyone set up different paths for each exhibition?

Or do most folks just put all their images in one folder? Like all normal sizes in
/normal/ and then thumbs and microthumbs in their folders.

[MMCM]

One path for normal photos, one for thumbs and one for microthumbs.
Because I have a lot of galleries and only one size per photo. I'd like to have a separate folder for each gallery automatically, creating one manually is to much effort for me. I hope this will change in the final release ;-)

[DeadKenny]

If you had all exhibitions in one folder what happens if you upload with duplicate names?

e.g. I may have an image file named DSC1234.jpg and then some time later I have a different image but it's come out of the camera as DSC1234.jpg.

Also wouldn't there be an impact on the server if you have thousands of images in the same folder or maybe run into a limit (depending on the OS of course)?

edit: Just realised my FTP server is set up wrong. Must have been the upgrade to Fedora 5 :D, so ignore this...
As for separate paths per exhibition, I've just tried setting up different paths for a new exhibition but some-thing's not right as when uploading nothing actually ends up in the new path. Strange thing is the FTP log looks okay and it's telling me it's done the resizing.

[Pekka]

If you had all exhibitions in one folder what happens if you upload with duplicate names?

e.g. I may have an image file named DSC1234.jpg and then some time later I have a different image but it's come out of the camera as DSC1234.jpg.

EE keeps all filenames different by renaming them on upload if neccessary.

Also wouldn't there be an impact on the server if you have thousands of images in the same folder or maybe run into a limit (depending on the OS of course)?

Operating system limits apply of course, but then we talk about tens or hundreds of thousands of files in same folder.

As for separate paths per exhibition, I've just tried setting up different paths for a new exhibition but some-thing's not right as when uploading nothing actually ends up in the new path. Strange thing is the FTP log looks okay and it's telling me it's done the resizing.

I'm not sure what the correct way is to add paths for another exhibition. Am I right in thinking the path editor is site-wide, i.e. the settings there aren't specific to just the exhibition selected? So if I have normal, small, big paths for one exhibition I then need to add three more for another plus thumb and microthumb?

For exhibition you select a thumb path and microthumb path in exhibition editor. Many exhibitions can use same paths.
For large size images you can use any size paths available, and you select them on upload page. If you use always the same paths for exhibition X then you can use photodata defaults editor to preset them to it.

What is the best path strategy depends on number of exhibitions, if you want to distribute bandwith, if you are in hurry, if you have a set file hierarchy, how you back up things etc. EE does not really care - it's merely a human thing! )

[Pekka]

One path for normal photos, one for thumbs and one for microthumbs.
Because I have a lot of galleries and only one size per photo. I'd like to have a separate folder for each gallery automatically, creating one manually is to much effort for me. I hope this will change in the final release ;-)

Not in final, but there is a short term plan about helping it. :)

[NetButch]

I create a separate path for each galley if I know the pictures with be unique to that gallery (such as a customer w/ password). If I know I will use a picture across galleries, then I will place the picuture in the "shared" photo path.(such as "for sale" or portfolio pictures)

I find this helpful to remove exhibitions when I am done with them, keeping my EE interface less cluttered with old exhibitions I am not using any more.