Organizing Images

[paperthreads]

I am reorganizing my store...will be doing it slowly over time.

Anyway, I have 12 manufacturers (designers) at my site, and over 1,000 products already.

So, my thing is.....my image folder is getting SUPER large, and I want to organize it (If that's even possible!). I'm looking for suggestions. Right now, the images are just in the image folder, like this....

mystore/images/large/xxxx_LRG.jpg
mystore/images/medium/xxxx_MED.jpg
mystore/images/xxxx.jpg

So, i'm like to slowly organize them by designer. I'm looking for the best way to do this. Should I do a designer folder, with LRG MED subfolders, or put designer folder in the Image, LRG, and MED folders, so it would be like one of these...

mystore/images/large/designerA/xxxx_LRG.jpg
mystore/images/medium/designerA/xxxx_MED.jpg
mystore/images/designerA/xxxx.jpg

or like this.......

mystore/images/designerA/large/xxxx_LRG.jpg
mystore/images/designerA/medium/xxxx_MED.jpg
mystore/images/designerA/xxxx.jpg

Advice on this would be appreciated! I know that whatever I do, i will have to go and redirect that small image on all the current listings, so that will be done "over" time...but have a bunch of new product to put in the store, and want to start making this change with this new product.

[Ryk]

mystore/images/large/designerA/xxxx_LRG.jpg
mystore/images/medium/designerA/xxxx_MED.jpg
mystore/images/designerA/xxxx.jpg

This is NOT a suggestion - THAT is the ONLY way it will work.

You could also look at ImageHandler which means that all you need do is put your large images (no need for suffixes) in the images directory and forget about large/medium as your images are then resized on the fly.

[paperthreads]

I debated about using the image handler, but decided against it for now, for 2 reasons.

1. A lot of my images have a different "small" image from their medium and large. So doing an automatic creation of the other 2 image sizes wouldn't work for my site. Although, I would like the ability for it to add the watermark automatically to the image.

2. it seems really complicated to download. I have no clue about the GD or imagik (think that's what they are called!) I know just enough about my website to be able to install the zen cart, add a template, and make minor changes, after hours of scouring the files and tutorials here. When it comes to installing modifications that are more than a simple adding additional file, I mess things up! So unless I pay someone to do it, I decided to stay away from it!

Ok, I admit it, I'm VERY PHP challenged! I know just enough to possibly get me into some serious problems! And since this last upgrade/reinstall has taken me 6 days to work out all the problems, I just can't take the chance I'd mess it up! I have over 1,000 products in the store, and it took 12 hours just to transfer my download files over to the new cart!

[Ryk]

1. is a good enough reason!