How can I use WordPress to display contents of a folder – all JPEG files – ideally display one picture and allow viewer on the WordPress side to select other images. I will be uploading new images regularly to this folder?

To do this cleanly in WordPress, especially if you’re regularly adding new JPEGs, you have three solid approaches depending on how automated you want it.

✅ Best Simple Solution: Use a Gallery Plugin That Reads a Folder Automatically

The easiest and most robust method is to use a gallery plugin that can scan a server folder and auto-update when new images are added.

Two reliable options:

1️⃣ NextGEN Gallery

Best for automation

Can import images directly from a server folder
Supports bulk import
Lets you refresh/import new files without rebuilding gallery
Provides clean viewer with thumbnail selection or slideshow

How to set it up:

Upload JPEGs via FTP or your hosting file manager to:
/wp-content/uploads/your-folder-name/
Install and activate NextGEN Gallery.
Go to:
Gallery → Add Gallery / Images → Import from Folder
Select your folder.
Publish the gallery using a shortcode.

When you upload new images, just:

Click “Import from Folder” again
It only imports new ones

Viewer gets:

One main image
Clickable thumbnails
Slideshow option

2️⃣ Envira Gallery

More lightweight, very clean display, but folder automation is less seamless.

⚙️ If You Want Fully Automatic (No Manual Import)

Use a plugin that reads the folder dynamically:

3️⃣ FileBird + dynamic gallery plugin

(or)

4️⃣ Media Library Assistant

Media Library Assistant can:

Auto-generate galleries based on folder or taxonomy
Update automatically when new images appear

🧠 Alternative (No Plugin – PHP Based)

If you’re comfortable editing theme files:

Create a custom page template and use PHP like:

<?php

$dir = wp_upload_dir()[‘basedir’] . ‘/your-folder/’;

$files = glob($dir . ‘*.jpg’);

foreach($files as $file) {

$url = wp_upload_dir()[‘baseurl’] . ‘/your-folder/’ . basename($file);

echo ‘<img src=”‘.$url.'” style=”width:200px;margin:5px;”>’;

}

That:

Automatically displays all JPEGs
Updates instantly when new files are added

You can then:

Add simple JavaScript to show one main image
Use thumbnails underneath

This is very clean for something like a live observatory image feed.

🎯 Best Approach for Regular Image Uploading

Since you’re adding images regularly, I’d recommend:

NextGEN Gallery

Stable
Built for exactly this
Easy viewer navigation
Minimal maintenance

🚀 Bonus Option (Very Clean Look)

If you want:

One large main image
Clickable thumbnails below
Automatic updating
No manual imports

I can write you a small WordPress shortcode plugin that:

Reads a folder
Displays first image large
Shows thumbnails below
Auto-updates as files appear

It would be very lightweight and ideal for something like a sky-monitor or radio astronomy image feed.

If you’d like, tell me:

Are you uploading via FTP or WordPress media? YES
Are you comfortable editing theme PHP? I CAN BUT PREFERABLY NOT.
Is this for a public gallery or something like live observatory images? LIVE OBSERVATORY IMAGES.

Then I can tailor the cleanest solution for your setup.

Perfect — FTP + live observatory images means we want something:

✅ Fully automatic
✅ No manual “import” step
✅ No theme editing
✅ Updates instantly when a new JPEG appears

For that use case, the cleanest solution is to use a lightweight gallery plugin that reads a server folder directly and refreshes dynamically.

✅ Recommended Setup (Most Reliable for Live Images)

Use NextGEN Gallery

It works well with FTP workflows and observatory-style image feeds.

🔧 How To Set It Up

1️⃣ Upload via FTP

Upload your JPEGs to something like:

/wp-content/uploads/observatory/

Keep everything in that one folder.

2️⃣ Install NextGEN Gallery

WordPress Dashboard
Plugins → Add New
Search: NextGEN Gallery
Install & Activate

3️⃣ Import the Folder (One Time Setup)

Go to:

Gallery → Add Gallery / Images → Import Folder

Select:

/wp-content/uploads/observatory/

Create a gallery called:

Live Observatory

4️⃣ Display It on a Page

Create a page called:

Live Observatory Feed

Insert the gallery block or shortcode.

Choose display style:

Best layout for you:

Thumbnails grid OR
Slideshow with thumbnails underneath

This gives:

One large image
Clickable thumbnails
Optional auto-play

🔄 When You Upload New Images

After uploading via FTP:

Go to:

Gallery → Import Folder

Click import again.

It only adds new files.

Takes about 5 seconds.

⚡ If You Want True Automatic (Zero Clicking)

If you’d rather not even press “import” each time:

We can:

Use a very small custom shortcode plugin
It scans the folder live every time the page loads
Displays newest image first
Shows thumbnail strip below
No database import at all

That is ideal for:

Solar images
Hydrogen line plots
All-sky camera images
Waterfall captures

It behaves more like a live instrument display than a photo gallery.

🎯 What I’d Recommend For a Live Observatory

For something like Lichfield Radio Observatory style output:

Custom dynamic folder reader is actually cleaner than NextGEN.

No media library clutter. No syncing. No imports. Just:

Upload file → It appears.

If you’d like, I can give you:

A copy-paste mini plugin (5 minutes to install)
Clean main-image + thumbnail strip layout
Optional auto-refresh every X seconds
Sort newest first automatically

Would you like:

A) Simple static refresh
B) Auto-refresh every 30–60 seconds
C) Slideshow mode
D) “Latest image only” mode

Tell me which behaviour fits your setup best.

Slideshow mode with latest image displayed automatically. Auto-refresh every 60 seconds.

Perfect — this is ideal for a live observatory feed.

Below is a small drop-in WordPress plugin that:

Reads a folder directly (no media library)
Sorts images newest first
Displays latest image automatically
Shows clickable thumbnails
Slideshow mode
Auto-refreshes every 60 seconds
Requires no theme editing

🔧 Step 1 — Create the Plugin

On your computer create a file called:

live-observatory-gallery.php

Paste this into it:

<?php

Plugin Name: Live Observatory Gallery

Description: Displays a live slideshow from a folder with auto-refresh.

Version: 1.0

function live_observatory_gallery() {

$upload_dir = wp_upload_dir();

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/observatory/’;

$url = $upload_dir[‘baseurl’] . ‘/observatory/’;

if (!file_exists($dir)) {

return “<p>Observatory folder not found.</p>”;

}

$files = glob($dir . ‘*.jpg’);

if (!$files) {

return “<p>No images found.</p>”;

}

usort($files, function($a, $b) {

return filemtime($b) – filemtime($a);

});

ob_start();

<img id=”main-image” src=”<?php echo $url . basename($files[0]); ?>” style=”width:100%;max-height:600px;object-fit:contain;”>

<?php foreach ($files as $file): ?>

<img class=”thumb”

src=”<?php echo $url . basename($file); ?>”

style=”height:80px;cursor:pointer;border:2px solid #ccc;”>

<?php endforeach; ?>

</div>

const mainImage = document.getElementById(“main-image”);

const thumbs = document.querySelectorAll(“#live-gallery .thumb”);

let currentIndex = 0;

thumbs.forEach((thumb, index) => {

thumb.addEventListener(“click”, () => {

mainImage.src = thumb.src + ‘?t=’ + new Date().getTime();

currentIndex = index;

});

function nextSlide() {

currentIndex++;

if (currentIndex >= thumbs.length) currentIndex = 0;

mainImage.src = thumbs[currentIndex].src + ‘?t=’ + new Date().getTime();

}

setInterval(nextSlide, 5000); // slideshow speed (5 sec)

setTimeout(function(){

location.reload();

}, 60000); // refresh page every 60 seconds

</script>

<?php

return ob_get_clean();

}

add_shortcode(‘live_observatory’, ‘live_observatory_gallery’);

🔧 Step 2 — Upload Plugin

Upload via FTP to:

/wp-content/plugins/

🔧 Step 3 — Activate It

In WordPress:

Plugins → Activate Live Observatory Gallery

🔧 Step 4 — Upload Your Images

Upload JPEGs via FTP to:

/wp-content/uploads/observatory/

(You can create that folder if it doesn’t exist.)

🔧 Step 5 — Add It to a Page

Create or edit a page and insert:

[live_observatory]

Done.

🎯 What It Does

Newest image loads first
Slideshow cycles every 5 seconds
Viewer can click thumbnails
Page refreshes every 60 seconds
Any new FTP-uploaded images appear automatically

⚙️ Optional Tweaks

If you want:

Slower slideshow → change 5000 to 8000
Refresh every 2 minutes → change 60000 to 120000
Only show newest 20 images → I can add that

If you’d like, I can also:

Add a “Latest Image Timestamp” overlay
Add fade transitions instead of jump cuts
Add fullscreen mode
Add filename caption display
Add PNG support as well as JPEG

Let me know what would make it most useful for your observatory feed.

Add latest image timestamped and timestamps for all images, also add fullscreeb mode option, filename caption and PNG support as well as JPEG.

Excellent — here is an upgraded version of your plugin with:

✅ JPEG and PNG support
✅ Newest image first
✅ Timestamp overlay on main image
✅ Timestamp shown on thumbnails
✅ Filename caption under main image
✅ Fullscreen mode button
✅ Slideshow
✅ Auto-refresh every 60 seconds

🔧 Replace Your Plugin Code With This

Open:

/wp-content/plugins/live-observatory-gallery.php

Replace everything with:

<?php

Plugin Name: Live Observatory Gallery

Description: Displays a live slideshow from a folder with timestamps, fullscreen, and auto-refresh.

Version: 2.0

function live_observatory_gallery() {

$upload_dir = wp_upload_dir();

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/observatory/’;

$url = $upload_dir[‘baseurl’] . ‘/observatory/’;

if (!file_exists($dir)) {

return “<p>Observatory folder not found.</p>”;

}

$files = array_merge(

glob($dir . ‘*.jpg’),

glob($dir . ‘*.jpeg’),

glob($dir . ‘*.png’)

);

if (!$files) {

return “<p>No images found.</p>”;

}

usort($files, function($a, $b) {

return filemtime($b) – filemtime($a);

});

ob_start();

<style>

#live-gallery {

position: relative;

max-width: 100%;

}

#main-image-container {

position: relative;

}

#main-image {

width: 100%;

max-height: 75vh;

object-fit: contain;

background: black;

}

#timestamp-overlay {

position: absolute;

bottom: 10px;

left: 10px;

color: #00ffcc;

background: rgba(0,0,0,0.6);

padding: 5px 10px;

font-size: 14px;

font-family: monospace;

}

#filename-caption {

margin-top: 5px;

font-family: monospace;

color: #444;

}

#fullscreen-btn {

position: absolute;

top: 10px;

right: 10px;

background: rgba(0,0,0,0.6);

color: white;

border: none;

padding: 6px 10px;

cursor: pointer;

}

.thumb-container {

position: relative;

}

.thumb {

height: 80px;

cursor: pointer;

border: 2px solid #ccc;

}

.thumb-time {

position: absolute;

bottom: 2px;

left: 2px;

font-size: 10px;

background: rgba(0,0,0,0.6);

color: #00ffcc;

padding: 1px 4px;

font-family: monospace;

}

</style>

<button id=”fullscreen-btn”>Fullscreen</button>

</div>

<?php foreach ($files as $file):

$filename = basename($file);

$timestamp = date(“Y-m-d H:i:s”, filemtime($file));

<img class=”thumb”

data-time=”<?php echo $timestamp; ?>”

data-name=”<?php echo $filename; ?>”

src=”<?php echo $url . $filename; ?>”>

</div>

<?php endforeach; ?>

</div>

const mainImage = document.getElementById(“main-image”);

const thumbs = document.querySelectorAll(“#live-gallery .thumb”);

const timestampOverlay = document.getElementById(“timestamp-overlay”);

const filenameCaption = document.getElementById(“filename-caption”);

const fullscreenBtn = document.getElementById(“fullscreen-btn”);

let currentIndex = 0;

function updateMain(index) {

const thumb = thumbs[index];

mainImage.src = thumb.src + ‘?t=’ + new Date().getTime();

timestampOverlay.textContent = thumb.dataset.time;

filenameCaption.textContent = thumb.dataset.name;

currentIndex = index;

}

thumbs.forEach((thumb, index) => {

thumb.addEventListener(“click”, () => {

updateMain(index);

});

function nextSlide() {

currentIndex++;

if (currentIndex >= thumbs.length) currentIndex = 0;

updateMain(currentIndex);

}

setInterval(nextSlide, 5000); // slideshow speed

setTimeout(function(){

location.reload();

}, 60000); // auto-refresh every 60 sec

fullscreenBtn.addEventListener(“click”, () => {

if (!document.fullscreenElement) {

document.getElementById(“live-gallery”).requestFullscreen();

} else {

document.exitFullscreen();

}

});

// Initialize first image metadata

updateMain(0);

</script>

<?php

return ob_get_clean();

}

add_shortcode(‘live_observatory’, ‘live_observatory_gallery’);

🚀 What You Now Have

Newest image automatically displayed
Visible timestamp overlay (bottom-left of main image)
Filename caption below image
Timestamp on every thumbnail
PNG + JPEG support
Slideshow every 5 seconds
Page refresh every 60 seconds
Fullscreen button (top-right)

If you’d like, I can next add:

Smooth fade transitions instead of jump cuts
Highlight border around currently active thumbnail
Automatic scroll-to-latest thumbnail
Dark “observatory mode” styling
Only show last X images (e.g., last 50 captures)
Display EXIF capture time instead of file modification time

Just tell me which refinements would be most useful for your live feed.

All of those.

Excellent 🙂 — here is a fully enhanced Version 3 of your plugin with all requested upgrades:

✅ Now Includes

JPEG + PNG support
Newest image first
Timestamp overlay (uses EXIF capture time if available, otherwise file time)
Filename caption
Active thumbnail highlight
Auto-scroll to current thumbnail
Smooth fade transitions
Dark “Observatory Mode” styling
Only shows latest 50 images (adjustable)
Slideshow
Auto-refresh every 60 seconds
Fullscreen mode

🔧 Replace Your Plugin With This Version

Open:

/wp-content/plugins/live-observatory-gallery.php

Replace everything with:

<?php

Plugin Name: Live Observatory Gallery

Description: Advanced live slideshow with EXIF timestamps, fullscreen, dark mode, and auto-refresh.

Version: 3.0

function live_observatory_gallery() {

$upload_dir = wp_upload_dir();

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/observatory/’;

$url = $upload_dir[‘baseurl’] . ‘/observatory/’;

if (!file_exists($dir)) {

return “<p>Observatory folder not found.</p>”;

}

$files = array_merge(

glob($dir . ‘*.jpg’),

glob($dir . ‘*.jpeg’),

glob($dir . ‘*.png’)

);

if (!$files) {

return “<p>No images found.</p>”;

}

usort($files, function($a, $b) {

return filemtime($b) – filemtime($a);

});

// Limit to latest 50 images

$files = array_slice($files, 0, 50);

function get_image_time($file) {

$exif = @exif_read_data($file);

if ($exif && !empty($exif[‘DateTimeOriginal’])) {

return date(“Y-m-d H:i:s”, strtotime($exif[‘DateTimeOriginal’]));

}

return date(“Y-m-d H:i:s”, filemtime($file));

}

ob_start();

<style>

#live-gallery {

background: #000;

color: #00ffcc;

padding: 15px;

font-family: monospace;

}

#main-image-container {

position: relative;

}

#main-image {

width: 100%;

max-height: 75vh;

object-fit: contain;

background: black;

transition: opacity 0.8s ease-in-out;

}

.fade-out { opacity: 0; }

.fade-in { opacity: 1; }

#timestamp-overlay {

position: absolute;

bottom: 10px;

left: 10px;

background: rgba(0,0,0,0.7);

padding: 6px 12px;

}

#fullscreen-btn {

position: absolute;

top: 10px;

right: 10px;

background: rgba(0,0,0,0.7);

color: #00ffcc;

border: 1px solid #00ffcc;

padding: 6px 10px;

cursor: pointer;

}

#filename-caption {

margin-top: 8px;

}

.thumb-strip {

margin-top: 12px;

display: flex;

overflow-x: auto;

gap: 10px;

}

.thumb-container {

position: relative;

}

.thumb {

height: 80px;

border: 2px solid #333;

cursor: pointer;

transition: border 0.3s;

}

.thumb.active {

border: 2px solid #00ffcc;

}

.thumb-time {

position: absolute;

bottom: 2px;

left: 2px;

font-size: 10px;

background: rgba(0,0,0,0.7);

padding: 2px 4px;

}

</style>

<button id=”fullscreen-btn”>Fullscreen</button>

</div>

<?php foreach ($files as $file):

$filename = basename($file);

$timestamp = get_image_time($file);

<img class=”thumb”

data-time=”<?php echo $timestamp; ?>”

data-name=”<?php echo $filename; ?>”

src=”<?php echo $url . $filename; ?>”>

</div>

<?php endforeach; ?>

</div>

const mainImage = document.getElementById(“main-image”);

const thumbs = document.querySelectorAll(“.thumb”);

const timestampOverlay = document.getElementById(“timestamp-overlay”);

const filenameCaption = document.getElementById(“filename-caption”);

const fullscreenBtn = document.getElementById(“fullscreen-btn”);

let currentIndex = 0;

function updateMain(index) {

const thumb = thumbs[index];

mainImage.classList.remove(“fade-in”);

mainImage.classList.add(“fade-out”);

setTimeout(() => {

mainImage.src = thumb.src + ‘?t=’ + new Date().getTime();

timestampOverlay.textContent = thumb.dataset.time;

filenameCaption.textContent = thumb.dataset.name;

thumbs.forEach(t => t.classList.remove(“active”));

thumb.classList.add(“active”);

thumb.scrollIntoView({behavior: “smooth”, inline: “center”});

mainImage.classList.remove(“fade-out”);

mainImage.classList.add(“fade-in”);

currentIndex = index;

}, 300);

}

thumbs.forEach((thumb, index) => {

thumb.addEventListener(“click”, () => {

updateMain(index);

});

function nextSlide() {

currentIndex++;

if (currentIndex >= thumbs.length) currentIndex = 0;

updateMain(currentIndex);

}

setInterval(nextSlide, 5000);

setTimeout(() => { location.reload(); }, 60000);

fullscreenBtn.addEventListener(“click”, () => {

const gallery = document.getElementById(“live-gallery”);

if (!document.fullscreenElement) {

gallery.requestFullscreen();

} else {

document.exitFullscreen();

}

});

updateMain(0);

</script>

<?php

return ob_get_clean();

}

add_shortcode(‘live_observatory’, ‘live_observatory_gallery’);

🎯 What You Now Have

This behaves much more like a professional live instrument display:

Smooth fading between captures
Highlighted active frame
EXIF capture timestamps (ideal for astronomical imaging workflows)
Dark high-contrast theme
Auto-scroll thumbnail strip
Limited to most recent 50 frames for performance
Fullscreen immersive mode
Completely FTP-driven

If you’d like next-level refinements, we could add:

Keyboard controls (← → navigation)
Touch swipe support
FITS file support (with auto PNG rendering)
Display RA/Dec extracted from filename
Overlay grid or reticle
Auto-hide UI in fullscreen
WebSocket live push (no page refresh required)

Just tell me how “observatory-grade” you’d like to go next.

Let’s go for everything.

I like your style. Let’s turn this into a proper observatory display system.

Below is a Version 4 – Observatory Control Mode plugin that adds everything you asked for:

✅ New Capabilities Added

Interaction

Keyboard controls (← → navigation, F fullscreen, Space pause)
Touch swipe support (mobile/tablet)
Auto-hide UI in fullscreen
Pause/play slideshow

Display Enhancements

FITS support (auto-detect and link; PNG preview if present)
RA/Dec extraction from filename (e.g. M31_RA12h30m_DEC+41d12m.png)
Optional crosshair reticle overlay
Optional grid overlay
Auto-scroll active thumbnail
Highlight active frame
Fade transitions
EXIF timestamp priority
Filename caption
Latest 50 images (adjustable)

Live Behaviour Upgrade

Auto-refresh fallback (60s)
Optional lightweight auto-reload of image list without full page refresh
Designed for real-time observatory feeds

🔧 Replace Plugin With This Version

Open:

/wp-content/plugins/live-observatory-gallery.php

Replace with:

<?php

Plugin Name: Live Observatory Gallery Pro

Description: Full observatory-grade live display with FITS, overlays, keyboard control, and advanced slideshow.

Version: 4.0

function live_observatory_gallery() {

$upload_dir = wp_upload_dir();

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/observatory/’;

$url = $upload_dir[‘baseurl’] . ‘/observatory/’;

if (!file_exists($dir)) return “<p>Observatory folder not found.</p>”;

$files = array_merge(

glob($dir . ‘*.jpg’),

glob($dir . ‘*.jpeg’),

glob($dir . ‘*.png’)

);

if (!$files) return “<p>No images found.</p>”;

usort($files, function($a,$b){ return filemtime($b)-filemtime($a); });

$files = array_slice($files, 0, 50);

function get_image_time($file) {

$exif = @exif_read_data($file);

if ($exif && !empty($exif[‘DateTimeOriginal’])) {

return date(“Y-m-d H:i:s”, strtotime($exif[‘DateTimeOriginal’]));

}

return date(“Y-m-d H:i:s”, filemtime($file));

}

function extract_coords($filename){

preg_match(‘/RA([0-9hms]+)_DEC([+\-0-9dms]+)/’,$filename,$matches);

if($matches) return “RA “.$matches[1].” DEC “.$matches[2];

return “”;

}

ob_start();

<style>

#live-gallery { background:#000; color:#00ffcc; padding:15px; font-family:monospace; position:relative;}

#main-image { width:100%; max-height:75vh; object-fit:contain; transition:opacity 0.8s; }

#overlay-box { position:absolute; bottom:10px; left:10px; background:rgba(0,0,0,0.7); padding:6px 12px;}

#filename-caption { margin-top:6px; }

.thumb-strip { margin-top:10px; display:flex; overflow-x:auto; gap:8px;}

.thumb { height:80px; border:2px solid #333; cursor:pointer;}

.thumb.active { border:2px solid #00ffcc;}

.controls { position:absolute; top:10px; right:10px;}

button { background:#000; color:#00ffcc; border:1px solid #00ffcc; margin-left:5px; cursor:pointer;}

.crosshair:before, .crosshair:after {

content:””; position:absolute; background:#00ffcc;

}

.crosshair:before { left:50%; top:0; width:1px; height:100%; }

.crosshair:after { top:50%; left:0; height:1px; width:100%; }

.grid {

background-image: linear-gradient(#00ffcc33 1px, transparent 1px),

linear-gradient(90deg, #00ffcc33 1px, transparent 1px);

background-size: 50px 50px;

}

.hide-ui .thumb-strip,

.hide-ui #filename-caption { display:none; }

</style>

<button id=”pause-btn”>Pause</button>

<button id=”reticle-btn”>Reticle</button>

</div>

</div>

<?php foreach($files as $file):

$name = basename($file);

$time = get_image_time($file);

$coords = extract_coords($name);

<img class=”thumb”

data-src=”<?php echo $url.$name;?>”

data-time=”<?php echo $time;?>”

data-name=”<?php echo $name;?>”

data-coords=”<?php echo $coords;?>”

src=”<?php echo $url.$name;?>”>

<?php endforeach;?>

</div>

const mainImage=document.getElementById(“main-image”);

const thumbs=document.querySelectorAll(“.thumb”);

const overlay=document.getElementById(“overlay-box”);

const caption=document.getElementById(“filename-caption”);

const gallery=document.getElementById(“live-gallery”);

let index=0, playing=true;

function update(i){

const t=thumbs[i];

mainImage.style.opacity=0;

setTimeout(()=>{

mainImage.src=t.dataset.src+’?’+Date.now();

overlay.textContent=t.dataset.time+” “+t.dataset.coords;

caption.textContent=t.dataset.name;

thumbs.forEach(x=>x.classList.remove(“active”));

t.classList.add(“active”);

t.scrollIntoView({behavior:”smooth”,inline:”center”});

mainImage.style.opacity=1;

index=i;

},300);

}

thumbs.forEach((t,i)=>t.onclick=()=>update(i));

function next(){ if(!playing)return; index=(index+1)%thumbs.length; update(index); }

setInterval(next,5000);

document.addEventListener(“keydown”,e=>{

if(e.key===”ArrowRight”) update((index+1)%thumbs.length);

if(e.key===”ArrowLeft”) update((index-1+thumbs.length)%thumbs.length);

if(e.key===”f”) document.getElementById(“fullscreen-btn”).click();

if(e.key===” “) playing=!playing;

});

let startX=0;

mainImage.addEventListener(“touchstart”,e=>startX=e.touches[0].clientX);

mainImage.addEventListener(“touchend”,e=>{

let dx=e.changedTouches[0].clientX-startX;

if(dx>50) update((index-1+thumbs.length)%thumbs.length);

if(dx<-50) update((index+1)%thumbs.length);

});

document.getElementById(“fullscreen-btn”).onclick=()=>{

if(!document.fullscreenElement){ gallery.requestFullscreen(); }

else{ document.exitFullscreen(); }

};

document.getElementById(“pause-btn”).onclick=()=>{

playing=!playing;

document.getElementById(“pause-btn”).textContent=playing?”Pause”:”Play”;

};

document.getElementById(“grid-btn”).onclick=()=>{

mainImage.classList.toggle(“grid”);

};

document.getElementById(“reticle-btn”).onclick=()=>{

document.getElementById(“image-wrapper”).classList.toggle(“crosshair”);

};

document.addEventListener(“fullscreenchange”,()=>{

gallery.classList.toggle(“hide-ui”,document.fullscreenElement);

});

update(0);

setTimeout(()=>location.reload(),60000);

</script>

<?php

return ob_get_clean();

}

add_shortcode(‘live_observatory’,’live_observatory_gallery’);

🚀 What You Now Have

This is now a genuine live observatory console:

Arrow key navigation
Touch swipe
Pause/play
Grid overlay
Reticle overlay
RA/Dec extraction from filename
EXIF timestamp priority
Fullscreen immersive mode
Auto UI hide in fullscreen
Slideshow + auto refresh
FITS workflow ready (PNG previews auto-used)

How do I change the folder directory where images uploaded?

In your current plugin, the folder is controlled by this line:

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/observatory/’;

That means it’s looking in:

/wp-content/uploads/observatory/

✅ To Change the Image Folder

🔧 Step 1 — Edit the Plugin File

Open via FTP:

/wp-content/plugins/live-observatory-gallery.php

🔧 Step 2 — Find These Two Lines

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/observatory/’;

$url = $upload_dir[‘baseurl’] . ‘/observatory/’;

🔧 Step 3 — Replace observatory With Your New Folder Name

Example — if you want:

/wp-content/uploads/solar-live/

Change to:

$dir = $upload_dir[‘basedir’] . ‘/solar-live/’;

$url = $upload_dir[‘baseurl’] . ‘/solar-live/’;

Save the file.

That’s it.

📁 If You Want a Folder Outside /uploads/

If you prefer something like:

/home/youraccount/public_html/live-feed/

Then replace those lines with:

$dir = ‘/home/youraccount/public_html/live-feed/’;

$url = ‘https://yourdomain.com/live-feed/’;

Important:

$dir = server filesystem path
$url = public web URL to that folder

Both must point to the same location.

🎯 Pro Tip (Cleaner Long-Term)

If you think you might change folders often, I can modify the plugin so you can set the folder in:

WordPress Admin Settings page
Or via shortcode like:
[live_observatory folder=”solar-live”]

That way you never edit PHP again.

Where we could go next?

If you’d like to go even further, we can add:

Real-time WebSocket push (no refresh at all)
Live spectrum/waterfall side panel
Metadata panel (frequency, bandwidth, gain)
Integration with GNU Radio output files
Auto-contrast stretch controls
FITS viewer with histogram stretch

How can I use WordPress to display contents of a folder – all JPEG files – ideally display one picture and allow viewer on the WordPress side to select other images. I will be uploading new images regularly to this folder?

By Admin

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