My Folder Gallery

WordPress plugin for building a project-based portfolio gallery: media files are read automatically from dedicated image and video folders, while each frontend title comes from the linked WordPress project.

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Table of Contents

• Description
• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
• Shortcode
• Hooks and Filters
• Project Structure
• Local Development
• Testing
• Screenshots
• Roadmap
• Contributing
• Changelog
• License
• Author

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Description

My Folder Gallery is a WordPress plugin designed to manage works, projects, and visual portfolios directly from the admin dashboard.

The core idea of the plugin is automatic media loading from project folders: each gallery is built from the files that actually exist inside its dedicated directory, without manually duplicating image lists or storing heavy gallery configurations. The title displayed on the frontend is taken from the WordPress project title, which is also used to generate the project folder on first save.

This approach keeps the code lighter, reduces the amount of data stored in the database, and makes the plugin simpler and faster than solutions that save the whole gallery structure in options or complex custom fields.

The plugin lets you:

• create projects through a dedicated custom post type;
• automatically read images and videos from each project folder;
• use the WordPress project title as the frontend work title;
• upload new media directly from the admin dashboard;
• choose a cover for each project;
• reorder files with drag and drop;
• display the gallery on the frontend with a shortcode;
• open each project in a fullscreen modal with media navigation;
• customize the gallery title, accent color, and card corners.

Files are stored under the WordPress uploads directory, inside a configurable base subfolder. Each project uses its own directory generated from the work title.

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Features

• Folder Gallery custom post type
• Multiple file upload per project
• JPG, PNG, GIF, and MP4 support
• Dedicated project folders inside wp-content/uploads
• Project cover selection
• Manual media ordering with drag and drop
• Manual project ordering with drag and drop from the WordPress backend
• Selective deletion of uploaded files
• Project description shown in the frontend modal
• Frontend shortcode with customizable title
• Fullscreen modal for images and videos
• Navigation with arrows, dots, and keyboard controls
• Admin settings for base folder, title, accent color, and card corners
• Quick shortcode copy from the settings page
• Security through capability checks, nonces, escaping, and sanitization

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Requirements

Technology	Minimum version
WordPress	6.0+
PHP	8.0+
MySQL	5.7+
WooCommerce	Not required
Composer	Not required
Node.js	Not required

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Installation

Manual installation

1. Download or copy the plugin folder.
2. Upload the folder to:

wp-content/plugins/my-folder-gallery

3. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard.
4. Go to Plugins.
5. Activate my-folder-gallery.

Local XAMPP installation

In the current project, the plugin is located at:

/.../project-name/wp-content/plugins/my-folder-gallery

After activation, WordPress adds the Folder Gallery item to the admin menu.

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Configuration

Go to:

Folder Gallery > Settings

From this page you can configure:

Option	Description	Default
Base folder in uploads	Main directory used to store project folders	sportime-lavori
Gallery title	Title displayed above the frontend gallery	SELECTED WORKS
Button and accent color	Color used for arrows, dots, and modal details	#fbed51
Project corners	Shape of project cards	square

The base folder is created automatically inside the WordPress uploads directory.

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Usage

Create a project

1. Go to Folder Gallery > Add New Project.
2. Enter the project title.
3. Save the project once to generate its dedicated folder.
4. Upload images or videos from the Project Media box.
5. Add a description, if needed.
6. Choose a cover.
7. Drag files to change their order.
8. Publish or update the project.

Order projects

Go to Folder Gallery > Order Projects, drag the projects into the desired order, and click Save Order. The same order is used by the frontend shortcode.

File management

Each project stores its media in:

wp-content/uploads/{base-folder}/{project-folder}

Example:

wp-content/uploads/sportime-lavori/project-name

When a project is moved to trash or deleted, the plugin also removes the related folder and linked attachments.

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Shortcode

To display the gallery in a page or post:

[my_folder-gallery]

The plugin also supports the long-dash variant:

[my_folder–gallery]

Available attributes

Attribute	Description	Default
title	Overrides the title configured in the settings	Global title
limit	Limits the number of projects displayed	-1

Example with a custom title:

[my_folder-gallery title="Selected projects"]

Example without a title:

[my_folder-gallery title=""]

Example with a limit:

[my_folder-gallery limit="6"]

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Hooks and Filters

The plugin uses standard WordPress hooks to register the post type, settings, shortcode, assets, and media saving logic.

Main actions

Hook	Function
init	Registers the custom post type
admin_menu	Adds the settings page
admin_init	Registers plugin options
add_meta_boxes	Adds the media box to the project editor
save_post_pwg_work	Saves folder, description, uploads, order, and cover
wp_enqueue_scripts	Loads frontend assets
admin_enqueue_scripts	Loads admin assets
trashed_post	Removes files when a project is moved to trash
before_delete_post	Removes files and attachments when a project is deleted

Registered shortcodes

Shortcode	Function
[my_folder-gallery]	Renders the frontend gallery
[my_folder–gallery]	Long-dash compatible variant

There are currently no public filters designed for external extensions.

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Project Structure

my-folder-gallery/
├── assets/
│   ├── admin.css
│   ├── admin.js
│   ├── frontend.css
│   └── frontend.js
├── my-folder-gallery.php
└── README.md

Main files

File	Description
my-folder-gallery.php	Main plugin file: post type, settings, uploads, shortcode, and frontend rendering
assets/admin.css	Styles for the media box and settings page
assets/admin.js	Drag-and-drop ordering, delete selection, and shortcode copy logic
assets/frontend.css	Styles for the gallery, cards, and frontend modal
assets/frontend.js	Frontend logic for opening the modal and navigating media

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Local Development

The plugin does not require a build step, Composer, or Node.js.

During local development:

1. Edit the PHP, CSS, or JS files.
2. Reload WordPress.
3. If needed, deactivate and reactivate the plugin to regenerate rewrite rules.

To quickly check PHP syntax:

php -l my-folder-gallery.php

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Testing

There is no automated test suite yet.

Recommended manual checklist:

• activate the plugin without errors;
• create a new project;
• upload JPG/PNG/GIF images;
• upload an MP4 video;
• save a project description;
• choose a cover;
• reorder media files;
• delete one or more files;
• insert the shortcode in a page;
• verify modal opening, arrows, dots, and the Esc key;
• verify desktop and mobile layout;
• trash/delete a project and check that files are removed.

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Screenshots

Admin project list	Settings page
Frontend gallery	Fullscreen modal

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Contributing

To contribute:

1. Create a dedicated branch.
2. Keep changes as isolated as possible.
3. Check PHP syntax.
4. Manually test uploads, shortcode output, and frontend behavior.
5. Document any new options or shortcodes.

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Changelog

0.2.9

• Added settings for gallery title, accent color, and project corners.
• Added frontend shortcode for the portfolio gallery.
• Added upload handling in project folders.
• Added frontend modal with media navigation.

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License

GPL-2.0-or-later.

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Author

Created by Foferys and available for forks with attribution.