How do I create an "unlisted" folder with 'public' subfolders?

Sarge

There doesn't seem to be a way to create an 'unlisted' top level folder without having all the subordinate folders also 'invisible'.

I'd like to create a 'friends and family' section for my pro site where you can't see the top level folder (i.e. you need the URL to find it), but then the enclosed folders are visible once you enter the PW for the top level folder.

As it stands, you have to have the links for all the subordinate folders, which is basically useless for 'passing photos around'.

I don't want to maintain a separate site for these photos (that's a waste of time and resources).

Any suggestions to 'fix' this??? Custom HTML5 or CSS? Hope not...

Thanks in advance for any help.

Allen

How would they ever find this top level folder without the link? /browse is only way I can think of and
you can customize that page to not show it. Even if they do find it, with a password on it they can't see
what's inside. So make it and all sub-folders and galleries public with the same password. Actually the PW
will be inherited from this top folder.

Sarge

The point is to have ONE hidden link that I can send to friends and family to get to the 'hidden folder', whereupon entering, everything is revealed, so they can browse all the subfolders without having to have 'private' links (that they'll lose) for all the subfolders.

I just don't want a 'public' friends and family folder in the middle of my professional site, because it looks unprofessional.

ChancyRat

Sarge wrote: »

The point is to have ONE hidden link that I can send to friends and family to get to the 'hidden folder', whereupon entering, everything is revealed, so they can browse all the subfolders without having to have 'private' links (that they'll lose) for all the subfolders.

I just don't want a 'public' friends and family folder in the middle of my professional site, because it looks unprofessional.

I have not set this up myself, but I suggest you test it:
Folders can be set to unlisted.
Then see if you can make up a gallery that is set to public, inside it.
Then all you would need to do is give family the folder link.

denisegoldberg

ChancyRat wrote: »

I have not set this up myself, but I suggest you test it:
Folders can be set to unlisted.
Then see if you can make up a gallery that is set to public, inside it.
Then all you would need to do is give family the folder link.

Sorry, that won't work.

If the folder is unlisted the folders and galleries within that folder inherit that characteristic - they are also unlisted. They can be changed to private but they can't be made public if they are contained within an unlisted folder.

--- Denise

Allen

Sarge wrote: »

The point is to have ONE hidden link that I can send to friends and family to get to the 'hidden folder', whereupon entering, everything is revealed, so they can browse all the subfolders without having to have 'private' links (that they'll lose) for all the subfolders.

I just don't want a 'public' friends and family folder in the middle of my professional site, because it looks unprofessional.

As I see it you can

Go to the Organizer
highlight your name upper left in top of tree
Create > folder
add a password to this folder (everything under/in this folder will inherit this password)
leave everything in it "public" including all searches

On the new folder page add a "pages, galleries, folders" box or individual boxes for each.
Set "Select From" to "current location"
Now in organizer you can create new folders, galleries and pages in this new folder.
I think you can also move any existing folders like Family, Friends, etc. to this folder.

In your navbar you can add a link "Private" which will open up a password page to enter the new folder.

ChancyRat

denisegoldberg wrote: »

Sorry, that won't work.

If the folder is unlisted the folders and galleries within that folder inherit that characteristic - they are also unlisted. They can be changed to private but they can't be made public if they are contained within an unlisted folder.

--- Denise

Ah, okay. What if the folders inside the unlisted folder, are Folder Blocks? The clickable blocks would be visible?

denisegoldberg

ChancyRat wrote: »

Ah, okay. What if the folders inside the unlisted folder, are Folder Blocks? The clickable blocks would be visible?

No. If the unlisted folder contains anything the contents inherit the unlisted nature of the parent folder.

Don't confuse folders and content blocks; they are different.
You might want to set up an unlisted folder to see how it operates.

--- Denise

ChancyRat

Denise, thanks and I did just do a test and realized I had mis-stated my idea.
I set up:
- Unlisted folder
- Inside it set up 2 galleries with inherit (so they are unlisted).
- Also inside the folder I set up a Menu block (it was Menu blocks I was thinking of using, not Folder blocks), that linked to the two galleries. The link titles of the galleries do show them as unlisted.

Then I published.
Then I copied the folder link to a different browser. Result: the Menu links are visible to me. The galleries are not.

So would using Menu blocks solve the problem the poster asks about?

ChancyRat

Just a clarification, the menu links Sarge would set up, could be to public galleries.
Although I'm not sure, if one wanted to keep the folder unlisted, why one would want the galleries public.
Either way, public or unlisted, a menu block can contain viewable links to both unlisted and public galleries.

Allen

ChancyRat wrote: »

Just a clarification, the menu links Sarge would set up, could be to public galleries.
Although I'm not sure, if one wanted to keep the folder unlisted, why one would want the galleries public.
Either way, public or unlisted, a menu block can contain viewable links to both unlisted and public galleries.

You lose all breabcrumb paths for navigating the "unlisted" galleries and folders.

If you use the method I posted once you enter the "private" area the navigation is like the rest of the
site using the breadcrumbs to go up and down from gallery to folder and to gallery. You can not do
that with unlisted items.

tomoscott

I had this exact same problem, because I was hoping I could have a "public" link on my site to a password protected folder. That didn't work.
So I came to the conclusion that my best option was to set up a Share. The Share contains galleries that are set to unlisted. Since the sharegroup is password protected, I didn't bother to add a password to the galleries.
This seems to be about the best way to do it for me. I have a lot of family members that aren't that computer savvy, so the sharegroup is easy for them to get to:
www.tomoscott.com/share/sharegroup_name. They can just bookmark that URL and all they need to do is enter the password and they're in.

ChancyRat

tomoscott wrote: »

I had this exact same problem, because I was hoping I could have a "public" link on my site to a password protected folder. That didn't work.
So I came to the conclusion that my best option was to set up a Share. The Share contains galleries that are set to unlisted. Since the sharegroup is password protected, I didn't bother to add a password to the galleries.
This seems to be about the best way to do it for me. I have a lot of family members that aren't that computer savvy, so the sharegroup is easy for them to get to:
www.tomoscott.com/share/sharegroup_name. They can just bookmark that URL and all they need to do is enter the password and they're in.

Breathtaking images. Simply stunning.

Back to topic: what is a sharegroup, in SM language? Your link took me to your homepage URL only.
Did you collect photos into a gallery you called "sharegroup"?

denisegoldberg

ChancyRat wrote: »

what is a sharegroup, in SM language?

It's a way of sharing multiple unlisted galleries with a single link.

See help page at http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/93261-can-i-share-multiple-unlisted-galleries-with-one-link-sharegroups-

--- Denise

Allen

I think on NewSmug a "sharegroup" can not be customized.
I think you also lose all paths in the breadcrumb.

Allen

Allen wrote: »

As I see it you can

Go to the Organizer
highlight your name upper left in top of tree
Create > folder
add a password to this folder (everything under/in this folder will inherit this password)
leave everything in it "public" including all searches

On the new folder page add a "pages, galleries, folders" box or individual boxes for each.
Set "Select From" to "current location"
Now in organizer you can create new folders, galleries and pages in this new folder.
I think you can also move any existing folders like Family, Friends, etc. to this folder.

In your navbar you can add a link "Private" which will open up a password page to enter the new folder.

Testing nested private site area. Set as "Public" not set as "Private" but using a password.

I created a top level folder with a password.
Then a level 2 folder in the level 1 folder.
Then a level 3 folder in the level 2 folder.
Then a gallery in the level 3 folder.

All levels, folders and galleries, have the same password and everything set as public.

I can browse up and down on NewSmug using the breadcrumbs just like a fully public site but it's all hidden from the public.
After I unveil I might move all my family galleries to this tree. All I have to do is move all my top PW'ed
private categories (legacy) into this top folder.

The only place anyone would see this is on the /browse page or if a box was added to the home page
with "current level" set for "Select From". But set the "Select From" to "choose" and only choose your
top level folders and not the private one solves that.