Random playback order for embedded slideshows?

zubenelgenubi

I use the "share" option in smugmug to embed a slideshow into a few other pages. It's very handy, and I greatly value this capability. But unfortunately it seems to lack the one thing I need to make it really useful: a random playback order. In particular I embed a slideshow into a page that reloads every minute or so, which restarts the slideshow from the same place, and means my viewers always see the same 15-20 photos cycling through the same order - even though the source gallery actually has many more images in it than this.

So I'm wondering if anybody knows of a way around this? I don't see any options for random playback via the "official" interface in smugmug. Just wondering if there are any other options that could be accessed by editing the link they provide?

Frankly I'm shocked by the apparent lack of support for random playback. This is not the first situation where smugmug users have had to ask for random playback - there were lots of requests a year or two ago along these lines for slideshows *within* smugmug sites and, after considerable pressure, smugmug did eventually provide this capability for internal slide shows. So I'm amazed we're now back asking for it again, this time for slide shows embedded into external sites. What is it with random playback? It's obviously a much desired capability, and I can't understand why smugmug would ever setup *any* slide shows that don't offer it?

Sorry to sound grumpy, but I do find this quite frustrating.

- Mark

AceCo55

Hmmm, re=read your post again ... I may have misinterpreted your problem.
If your slideshow is within your Smugmug site then follow the steps below.
But if you are looking to randomize images hosted on another site (via a link) then I can't help you ... sorry.
Hopefully some-one can chime in with a solution for that scenario.

Customize > Content and Design > make sure you are referring to the page where the slideshow plays > look down the right hand side under "CONTENT"

> find the "Slideshow" content block > click on the wrench > click on the playback tab > turn "Randomize" to "ON"

> Done ..... etc

denisegoldberg

Random playback for embedded slideshows was requested in this feedback item - http://feedback.smugmug.com/forums/17723-smugmug/suggestions/2213431--random-and-random-start-setting-for-all-slides.

--- Denise

zubenelgenubi

I'm really asking about slideshows embedded in external sites

denisegoldberg wrote: »

Random playback for embedded slideshows was requested in this feedback item - http://feedback.smugmug.com/forums/17723-smugmug/suggestions/2213431--random-and-random-start-setting-for-all-slides.

--- Denise

Thanks Denise, AceCo55. But I think I failed to explain myself properly. The slideshows I'm talking about here are ones that are embedded in completely external sites. To use this feature I bring up an image in the lightbox, and click on the "Share" button. In the resulting dialog box I select the "Gallery" tab, and then select the "Embed" option. This gives me a text box containing a snippet of HTML code. One example from my site produces this code:

<iframe src="https://zubenelgenubi.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=PwGDNg&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&quot; width="800" height="600" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Accompanying is the instruction to "Copy the HTML below to embed a gallery slideshow into a website, blog, etc." I have done this, and it does work - my external site then has a slideshow displayed in it, drawing images from the selected gallery. This is NOT a slideshow displayed through any of my smugmug pages; it is embedded into a completely external site.

But the problem is I cannot tell it to play the slides in random order. As I noted in my original post, this is a problem because it means every visit to the page shows the same few images - even though there could be hundreds (or more) images in the source gallery. For me (and obviously many others) random playback is the most useful and natural way to present a slideshow. Why is it that with every different version of a slideshow we have to re-fight the battle to get this feature enabled? The comment from smugmug regarding gallery slide shows was "we have to respect the gallery order". Well, I would agree for a static layout of images on the screen. But there is no *need* for a slideshow to enforce this. Why not let the users make their own *choice* about playback order? The fact that some slideshows do allow random playback indicates that there is no technical impediment. It should be all about letting users display content the way we want to, I think.

- Mark

zubenelgenubi

I see others have made the exact same request in the comments section

zubenelgenubi wrote: »

Thanks Denise, AceCo55. But I think I failed to explain myself properly. The slideshows I'm talking about here are ones that are embedded in completely external sites. To use this feature I bring up an image in the lightbox, and click on the "Share" button. In the resulting dialog box I select the "Gallery" tab, and then select the "Embed" option. This gives me a text box containing a snippet of HTML code. One example from my site produces this code:

<iframe src="https://zubenelgenubi.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=PwGDNg&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&quot; width="800" height="600" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Accompanying is the instruction to "Copy the HTML below to embed a gallery slideshow into a website, blog, etc." I have done this, and it does work - my external site then has a slideshow displayed in it, drawing images from the selected gallery. This is NOT a slideshow displayed through any of my smugmug pages; it is embedded into a completely external site.

But the problem is I cannot tell it to play the slides in random order. As I noted in my original post, this is a problem because it means every visit to the page shows the same few images - even though there could be hundreds (or more) images in the source gallery. For me (and obviously many others) random playback is the most useful and natural way to present a slideshow. Why is it that with every different version of a slideshow we have to re-fight the battle to get this feature enabled? The comment from smugmug regarding gallery slide shows was "we have to respect the gallery order". Well, I would agree for a static layout of images on the screen. But there is no *need* for a slideshow to enforce this. Why not let the users make their own *choice* about playback order? The fact that some slideshows do allow random playback indicates that there is no technical impediment. It should be all about letting users display content the way we want to, I think.

- Mark

I just read the "Comments" section of the thread Denise pointed out ( http://feedback.smugmug.com/forums/1...for-all-slides). I see now that several other users have already made this exact same request.

- Mark

leftquark

I'll talk to the sorcery team and see if it's an easy item to add.

zbreeze

As others have pointed out, the embed slideshow feature is virtually useless without a randomization feature.

zbreeze

For the OP:

"In particular I embed a slideshow into a page that reloads every minute or so, which restarts the slideshow from the same place, and means my viewers always see the same 15-20 photos cycling through the same order - even though the source gallery actually has many more images in it than this."

Potentially, if you are showing a single image, and have a way to reload your page automatically, you could use the code that displays a random image and then reload the page periodically. Trying this would require reloading the page to produce your slideshow, rather than relying on the slideshow embed feature.

(I can't test this idea because I don't have a way to control the reloads of my page -- would like to know if it works, though).

AndreasV

leftquark wrote: »

I'll talk to the sorcery team and see if it's an easy item to add.

Hi, any feedback from the team?
Andreas