Gallery Links Busted!

TnHiker

Recent changes to the "Get a link" function for SmugMug appear to coincide with a new problem I'm seeing with my older "gallery" links. I've long used gallery links in my websites to take viewers to specific starting places within my larger photo galleries, i.e. to a photo showing a specific species of orchid in my orchids gallery. This always worked great until recently when I noticed that my gallery links suddenly seemed to take viewers to the wrong photo. My "old" gallery links now seem to open the gallery at a different starting photo than the one I'd intended. Sometimes the incorrect starting spot is the "first photo" in the gallery but sometimes it is not. Invariably, it is the WRONG photo but is in the correct gallery.

The new SmugMug get-a-link coding appears to have shuffled the link ID's within my galleries. Here's an example:

Old URL "Gallery Link": http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/gallery/2316809/1/121827279

The intended target starting place within my gallery is now represented correctly by this link (using SmugMug's new get-a-link coding for the intended photo):
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121826903_sK2SZ

When I look at the link I think I'm seeing that the starting photo ID number has been changed. This is my problem. I have scores of links to specific "starting places" within my galleries which presumably now will not function correctly--viewers will be linked to the wrong starting photo in my galleries.

What happened and can it be corrected without me having to recode all of my links?

Allen

TnHiker wrote:

...

Looks like it's inserting a /1/ in place of the #

Share gallery link copied
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121826903_sK2SZ

Should be this

http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ#121826903_sK2SZ

TnHiker

Looks the same to me...

Allen wrote:

Looks like it's inserting a /1/ in place of the #

Share gallery link copied
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121826903_sK2SZ

Should be this

http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ#121826903_sK2SZ

I don't see any difference in the coding for that part of the URL string from the older "share links" and the newer ones.

Al

scotticus

Hey Allen, I'm trying to look into the problem, but it seems that both those links you posted take me to the same picture at the same place in the gallery. Are you viewing them in 'SmugMug' style, or a different style? Let me know and I will try and track down what the problem is....

Thanks,
Scott.

Dan7312

For me both links take me to the same gallery, but each has a different photo selected.

the old link shows the first picture in the upper left.

the new link the picture in the third column/third row

TnHiker

Different Photos....SmugMug Style

scotticus wrote:

Hey Allen, I'm trying to look into the problem, but it seems that both those links you posted take me to the same picture at the same place in the gallery. Are you viewing them in 'SmugMug' style, or a different style? Let me know and I will try and track down what the problem is....

Thanks,
Scott.

Scott,

I'm using SmugMug style viewing. The two links I'd posted in my original message presently represent two different photographs. The problem I'm having is that the "original" old-style URL link once-upon-a-time linked to a different photo in my gallery. The photo it presently shows is NOT the one I'd intended. To see the photo I'd intended, click on the 2nd link--the "new style" get-a-link URL being used by SmugMug. That photo shown in the 2nd link is what I used to get when clicking on the original URL. Therein is my problem: SmugMug appears to have reshuffled my photos in such a way as to break the original photo ID's. My old view gallery URL's now point to the correct gallery but not to the correct photo within the gallery. (Perhaps you were unaware that you can control the "starting position" within the gallery by first selecting the target photo and then selecting the "get-a-link" function for "gallery"--this is how I direct people to the desired "starting" photo within my larger galleries.)

I was told (once upon a time) by SmugMug gurus that links were "permanent". Apparently not, eh?

I'm still looking for an explanation for this behavior prior to going thru my entire album to repair errant links.

TnHiker

You are correct....

Dan7312 wrote:

For me both links take me to the same gallery, but each has a different photo selected.

the old link shows the first picture in the upper left.

the new link the picture in the third column/third row

Dan,

Please see my most recent reply to Scott for what I hope you'll find to be a clearer explanation of my problem.

Thanks.

scotticus

Thanks for the responses. So I'm trying to track down where the problem originated (in which software release). If I use the new get a link in your gallery, to get a link on this 3rd photo:

I get this:
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121818021_Goez7

which correctly takes me to the 3rd photo.

If I use the old Get a Link: http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/gallery/share.mg?AlbumID=2316809&Page=1&ImageID=121818021&ImageKey=Goez7

I get:
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121818021_Goez7

which is the same URL and takes me to the same photo.

Are you seeing/experiencing different behavior than that?

I think what you're saying is that this link:
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/gallery/2316809/1/121827279

is an old school gallery link from awhile ago, and that recently it stopped taking you to the correct photo in the gallery? If that correct? So the problem is with the way we're handling the redirection for old gallery URLs? We're taking you to the correct gallery, but with the wrong photo selected.

I think that's right?

Thanks for your patience with this.

TnHiker

Old Links Are Busted...Right Gallery-->Wrong Photo

scotticus wrote:

Thanks for the responses. So I'm trying to track down where the problem originated (in which software release). If I use the new get a link in your gallery, to get a link on this 3rd photo:

I get this:
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121818021_Goez7

which correctly takes me to the 3rd photo.

If I use the old Get a Link: http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/gallery/share.mg?AlbumID=2316809&Page=1&ImageID=121818021&ImageKey=Goez7

I get:
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Nature/Orchids/Orchids-of-the-Smokies/2316809_SjMjZ/1/121818021_Goez7

which is the same URL and takes me to the same photo.

Are you seeing/experiencing different behavior than that?

I think what you're saying is that this link:
http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/gallery/2316809/1/121827279

is an old school gallery link from awhile ago, and that recently it stopped taking you to the correct photo in the gallery? If that correct? So the problem is with the way we're handling the redirection for old gallery URLs? We're taking you to the correct gallery, but with the wrong photo selected.

I think that's right?

Thanks for your patience with this.

Yep. The old gallery links for some of my older galleries no longer take me to the correct photos. They do take me to the correct gallery. Looking at my photos in those older galleries which have broken links, I can see that the "new" photo ID's are different than they were when I orginally created the links to them. Newer galleries do not seem to be affected.

Here is an example of an older gallery that seems to have different photo ID's than it did some time ago when I'd created my links to photos in that gallery: http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Animals/If-Only-Id-Had-My-Camera/2372858_t9Nc8#124313871_bLCj3

Visit my webpage which links to that gallery http://home.earthlink.net/~tnhiker/lifeafter50onemansperspective/id29.html and you'll see what I mean--links to specific types of animals on my "If Only I'd Had My Camera..." webpage now link to the wrong photos in my related SmugMug Gallery of photos.

I'll have to go thru all 110 web pages in my "Life After 50" website before I have some idea just how widespread this problem is. Clearly, however, newer galleries do not seem to be affected.

Al

Allen

scotticus wrote:

Hey Allen, I'm trying to look into the problem, but it seems that both those links you posted take me to the same picture at the same place in the gallery. Are you viewing them in 'SmugMug' style, or a different style? Let me know and I will try and track down what the problem is....

Thanks,
Scott.

Why is the /1/ inserted in the link? This photo shows on my page 5. Is the /1/ some kind of hidden code?

http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas/1/647513307_U3rV9
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas/1/#647513307_U3rV9-A-LB

Both these should be copied as
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas#647513307_U3rV9
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas#647513307_U3rV9-A-LB

TnHiker

No Clue: /1/

Allen wrote:

Why is the /1/ inserted in the link? This photo shows on my page 5. Is the /1/ some kind of hidden code?

http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas/1/647513307_U3rV9
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas/1/#647513307_U3rV9-A-LB

Both these should be copied as
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas#647513307_U3rV9
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas#647513307_U3rV9-A-LB

Al,

I've no clue about the /1/ coding. That syntax has long been part of my URL links when coding for links to galleries in SmugMug.

scotticus

Allen, it's because we don't always know what page the photo is on, and the # of pages will actually change depending on your screen size. When I view your gallery, I don't get a 5th page, as I'm on a fairly large monitor.

Are these links taking you to the wrong place? As they seem to be working for me... Or are you just concerned with the /1/ being in the URL?

Thanks,
Scott.

Allen wrote:

Why is the /1/ inserted in the link? This photo shows on my page 5. Is the /1/ some kind of hidden code?

http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas/1/647513307_U3rV9
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas/1/#647513307_U3rV9-A-LB

Both these should be copied as
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas#647513307_U3rV9
http://www.photosbyat.com/Birds/Birding-2009-September/2009-09-12-RMBS/9609639_GFXas#647513307_U3rV9-A-LB

Allen

scotticus wrote:

Allen, it's because we don't always know what page the photo is on, and the # of pages will actually change depending on your screen size. When I view your gallery, I don't get a 5th page, as I'm on a fairly large monitor.

Are these links taking you to the wrong place? As they seem to be working for me... Or are you just concerned with the /1/ being in the URL?

Thanks,
Scott.

Just curious why the page number is in there, without it and using the # the
link goes straight to the photo in the gallery. Like you said, the page number
has no relevance.

PBolchover

The /1/ sometimes appears in the URL displayed by the browser when you do various operations (I can't seem to reproduce it right now, but probably something like arrange photos, or crop thumbnails, or bulk keyword)

TnHiker

The Confusing /1/....not a problem for me

PBolchover wrote:

The /1/ sometimes appears in the URL displayed by the browser when you do various operations (I can't seem to reproduce it right now, but probably something like arrange photos, or crop thumbnails, or bulk keyword)

Getting the /1/ to appear in a SmugMug URL is simple for me: Select a single photo in a gallery and then "share" the gallery. Here's a recent example:

http://tnhiker.smugmug.com/Bicycle-Touring/Virgina-Creeper-Bike-Trail/4126034_bPNQd/1/240740337_78eZ4

I couldn't care less about the /1/. One responder suggested the /1/ was the reason my old URL's didn't work properly. Nah, I don't think so.

Sometime in the past there were changes made to my photo galleries by SmugMug that resulted in broken links for my older shared links. That was the problem I'd identified and was trying to understand/fix. I've since gone to the trouble of tracking down all of those old links and buidling new ones with current shared URL links generated by the current SmugMug program. I just hope they don't get busted again.