Introducing FlickrShow

My previous attempt at gallery software was very popular and I still get requests for the original release even though it hasn’t been updated since it was released. It wasn’t, however, the solution I really wanted when I set out to make a Flickr driven slide show. My inspiration was and still is Slideshow Pro which I love for it’s ease of use and the way you can just drop it into a page. I wanted a Javascript solution that would be as easy to use and provide a similar service.

The Implementation

The result of my work is a centrally hosted slideshow that retrieves a photo-set from Flickr and displays the images in a horizontal slideshow format. It can be dropped into a page with just a line or two of script, can fit into any shape HTML DIV and is completely skinable so users can link to their own style sheets if they dislike green. It is encapsulated as a Javascript object using a stripped down version of the excellent prototype library which should reduce any problems with other scripts on the page and ensure it is as compatible and extendable as possible.

The Challenges

The biggest hurdle I encountered while creating a Javascript based solution was the inability of AJAX to make queries across domains, (a security feature that does make sense but is very frustrating). To overcome this problem I developed an interesting method of loading subsequent Javascript files using a combination of PHP and Javascript - the FlickrShow script writes new links to external Javascript files into the HEAD with query strings appended containing photo-set requests. Flickarray then retrieves the information from Flickr before sending a customised list of Javascript method calls back to the browser.

Other problems were more run-of-the mill. Getting the Javascript ‘widget’ to display properly across browsers is still an issue, (the IE 6 factor) and there is some inflexibility in the script which means you can currently only call one Flickrshow per page.

Improvements

Apart from solving the issues mentioned above, I want to add a play/pause function to remove the need for constant clicking. I also want to retrieve more information on the current photograph, (tags, descriptions and notes) but there are issues with loading times at the moment.

If you want to have a play I’ve set up a mini site at Flickrshow.com which is running a demo complete with some stunning photography courtesy of Limonada. There is also a form to help generate the code required to install Flickrshow on your website.