Why Configure Every Product Separately When Used with NextGen Gallery

[amin007]

The simple answer is security. If you are planning to deliver a digital copy of the same image (the same file) that you are displaying in NextGen gallery then ask yourself the following question?

“Why would anyone buy the digital image when they can simply copy it from the browser?”

The image you display in NextGen gallery can easily be copied which is why you want to display a lower resolution and watermarked version of the actual image in NextGen gallery and configure eStore to deliver the proper image (stored somewhere else on your server or on an external server) after the purchase.

This is what I do…

1) Resize the images I display using the NextGen Gallery to a smaller size.

2) Apply watermark to the image using the NextGen Gallery “Effect” option.

This prevents stealing of images from the preview you display in the NextGen Gallery.

I store the real high res and watermark free version on a separate location and use them as my deliverable. Once the purchase is complete the encrypted download link for the original image (1920×1200 resolution and no watermark) is emailed to the buyer.

Now, this means more work for you as you have to configure every product but it’s more secure. Most of the time your digital images will have similar details and variation so you can just create one product then use the “Copy Product Details” feature to copy and create a new product in one click then change the name and the URL of the image/photo to be delivered.

You can still apply some additional security to the second method of integration. More details in the following topic:

https://support.tipsandtricks-hq.com/forums/topic/nextgen-gallery-integration-security-of-the-digital-photos

[darkmatter]

Thanks amin007.

Just echoing what I posted in the support forums, it would be very useful to be able to apply a particular product with variations/prices to an image based on Gallery or Album name for example. When the Add-To-Cart button is pressed for the variation in question, to have the name of the picture file or perhaps the ALT name to be incorporated into the cart results.

This way the products section is kept more tidy. In my case I’ve got hundreds of pictures to upload into galleries from a photo shoot of a sporting event. Parents will be logging on to purchase their child’s team picture, wallet sizes, action shots, etc. and thinking of creating hundreds of products doesn’t sound fun haha!

Hopefully you can incorporate this type of functionality. I believe it would be fairly unique.

[jkudish]

Any update on this Amin? I am currently working on a client site that would need this functionality. I am trying to hack something together which might work as an alternative but if you are willing to come up with solution, even better!

I’ve got both the simple paypal plugin and I’ve purchased the WP E-Store plugin, so I’d be willing to make it work with either.

Thanks!

[amin007]

Yep, I did some more investigation and found out that if a product is not configured separately for an image then the only option to offer a downloadable image file is to use the same file that is being displayed in the gallery. Now my question is why would anybody pay for an image file that they can just right click on the image and save it to their computer?

[jkudish]

In my case it wouldn’t be a downloadable image but rather actual prints of the photos. The image would be displayed by nextgen. What we would ultimately need:

– Photographer uploads images through nextgen

– Only one product is configured in the store (with size and shipping variations)

– The filename of the picture is taken from nextgen and parsed through the store when the sale is processed.

Thanks for your quick reply amin and let me know if you can think of a way to implement this. I have yet to do so…

[Ivy]

Hi, Here is a possible solution for you. You can use the “Collect Customer Input Field”

“When checked, it will display a text box next to the Add to Cart button where the customer can enter special instruction for that product (eg. a Name if selling Engraving).”

This way you can make a generic product like 8×10 or 5×7 and the customer can put the name or photo number (whatever system you want to use to label the photos) in the special instruction field.

This information will then be send in the confirmation email to the seller and buyer.

Note: since this information is passed to Paypal there is a 30 character limit for this field.

Cheers,

Ivy

[jkudish]

Hey Ivy,

Thanks a lot for your response. I have thought of this possibility, or like Darkmatter did, to confirm the filename, but ideally there would be a way to take the filename directly from nextgen and into a hidden field in the cart which would than return in e-mail sent to the shop owner. I was able to figure out today that

Code:

<?php echo $image->pid ?>

will generate the image id I need, but all I need to figure out is how to parse this value to the cart function. I tried adding the above php as a variation but just as I thought that didn’t work.

Any further ideas? Thanks again!

[amin007]

Yeah, I have a solution that I am working on at the moment for this… basically you will be able to configure one product then specify that product as the template and every image in your NextGen gallery will use the details from that product (e.g. variation, shipping etc) and place a “Buy Now” button underneath every image. When a customer makes a purchase he/she will get the URL of the Image that was purchased (eStore will get this image link from NextGen Gallery).

I should have something ready in a few days time… so feel free to bump this post if I forget

[jkudish]

Quote:

and place a “Buy Now” button underneath every image.

So it won’t be possible to have an add to cart button? Only a buy now?

Quote:

(eStore will get this image link from NextGen Gallery)

Would you be able to share the code that makes this possible so that I could possibly work something out?

Thanks for your really quick response!

[amin007]

Basically if you have the Picture ID you can get the Image URL from the NextGen galleries database… look up it’s database structure and retrieve it.

[jkudish]

right, i know that much. But how do i parse the picture’s ID to the cart?

[amin007]

From the gallery template you can use the following to get the image id:

$image->pid

You can’t add it to the cart since a product that can be added must be stored in the database (eStore pulls the product information from the database using the product ID). This is why I have to use the “Buy Now” button option which allows me to create a button on the fly without it having to be in the products database.

[jkudish]

So there is no way to transfer ‘$image->pid’ as a hidden field of the product?

Say I want to sell 100 pictures, each with the same pricing and variations. All I want is the cart to tell me which file name it was, so it would need to add ‘$image->pid’ as a field which the seller can see post-transaction… Do you understand what I mean?

[amin007]

yeah you add the picture id ($image->pid) in the custom field and it will be available to you in the IPN handling script.

In the “wp_eStore1.php” file check out the “append_values_to_custom_field” function.

[hberger]

Amin007,

I have the same problem (am too selling prints). Could you please be a little more specific?

Am I supposed to edit the mentioned function in “wp_eStore1.php” like this?

$custom_field_val = append_values_to_custom_field($image->pid);

Really appreciate your help.

[Author]

Posts