Need help picking a skin to use on your website? The Jalbum Skin Viewer (JSV) is here to help!
The idea is to use a generic sample album which shows the basic skin functionality to display the features of each skin in an "apples to apples" type comparison using the same photos with every skin. The JSV also includes links to the skin author's Sample Album so you can see 2 different implementations of each skin (if a working link is available).
Keep in mind that the generic sample album uses the skin's default settings and most skins offer many more options than what are displayed in the samples.
The JSV uses the Boxer skin to pop each album up in a Javascript window that can be resized (grab the "resize handle" in the lower right corner) and moved around (North/South/East/West icon in the control bar in the top right corner). You can also quickly move between skin samples using the Previous and Next arrows in the control bar as well.
Legend:
Skin included in Jalbum download package
Download link - click to open the skin's info and download page
Uses Adobe/Macromedia Flash to display photos
Uses Adobe/Macromedia Shockwave to display photos
Uses Javascript (Highslide JS, Mootools, etc.) to display photos
Has a tab in Jalbum's Settings window with skin-specific options
Has a built-in timed slideshow
Can play music in the background while browsing photos
Can play music/voice files associated to individual photos, such as voice annotation
Allows people who visit your site to enter comments and/or sign a guestbook
Supports Paypal, Google Checkout or other shopping cart technology
Can display EXIF and/or IPTC information
Support for at least 2 languages in the GUI and/or generated HTML pages
As you go through the skins, there are a few things to look for in the standard sample albums (apples to apples) when using the JSV:
- Album Title. If the skin uses the project's folder name, you will see "Skin Viewer". Some skins define this separately, so you'll see the skin's default (like "Your title here").
- Navigation. The root of the sample album defaults to 3 columns and 5 rows and should have 3 index pages. Look for Previous and Next links to move between pages. Also note that some skins change these defaults and use different row/column settings which affects the number of index pages generated.
- Folder support. The first item in the album should be a folder called Folder. If you can't find it, the skin doesn't support subfolders. Some skins may require you to scroll forward/back to find the Folder folder. When you open the Folder, look for navigation back to the root.
- File Title support. The first photo has a filename of "Garden of the Gods - Lonely tree.jpg". Skins that support Jalbum 8's new file title will either replace that text or also display "Skin supports Jalbum 8 fileTitle variable". If not, you will see the filename without the extension (unless the skin doesn't show filenames at all by default, of course - there are a few).
- Comment support. All skins should display comments, but where they appear varies. All photos in the album have comments, and are either the location (like Colorado) or a short description (like German Engineering).
- EXIF support. The first 3 files have EXIF data attached; the rest do not. If this is important to you, make sure you can see the EXIF on those 3 photos - it could either be on the index or slide page, depending on the skin, and you may have to click an icon to display this info. Many skins don't show EXIF at all, even if it exists.
- Fixed shape filter. By default the sample album project does not have this enabled - thumbnails should appear as portrait or landscape. If a skin has square thumbnails, the skin sets this automatically. Some skins also put additional borders on thumbs; if so it's the skin that put them there, not me.
Not all skins on the Skins tab are in the JSV. Why? Either I couldn't get the skin to successfully complete a Make Album (some of the really old ones just don't work anymore) or the skin author has asked for it to be removed (skin authors may opt out at their discretion). If I have missed any skins that do, in fact, work with Jalbum 8 that you would like to have added please click here and post a note.
I will watch the New Skins list and add new skins as they become available (if they work).
I hope you like it!
- Alan927