Random Image Gallery Widget self-updates

A WordPress plugin that displays a random selection of thumbnail images from your WordPress media library as a widget.

Features

• Display random images from your WordPress media library
• Filter images by custom categories
• Bulk category assignment - Easily add categories to multiple images at once
• Configurable number of images to display
• Adjustable grid columns (1-6 columns)
• Multiple thumbnail size options
• Responsive design
• Click thumbnails to view full-size images in a new tab
• Clean, modern styling with hover effects

Installation

1. Upload the image-widget folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
3. Go to 'Appearance' > 'Widgets'
4. Drag the 'Random Image Gallery' widget to your desired widget area
5. Configure the widget settings

Widget Settings

• Title: Optional title for the widget
• Number of Images: Choose how many random images to display (1-50)
• Columns: Select the number of columns for the grid layout (1-6)
• Thumbnail Size: Choose from Thumbnail, Medium, Medium Large, or Large
• Image Categories: Filter images by selecting one or more categories (leave unchecked to show all images)

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.0 or higher
• Images in your WordPress media library

File Structure

image-widget/
├── random-image-gallery-widget.php    # Main plugin file
├── includes/
│   ├── class-random-image-gallery-widget.php    # Widget class
│   └── class-bulk-category-manager.php          # Bulk category manager
├── assets/
│   └── css/
│       └── style.css    # Widget styles
└── README.md

Usage

After installation and activation:

Setting Up Image Categories (Optional)

1. Navigate to Media > Image Categories in your WordPress admin
2. Create categories to organize your images (e.g., "Nature", "Products", "Team Photos")
3. Go to your Media Library and assign categories to your images
   • Edit any image and you'll see the "Image Categories" section on the right
   • Check the appropriate categories for each image

Bulk Category Assignment

The plugin includes a powerful bulk category assignment feature to help you organize multiple images quickly:

Method 1: Using the Bulk Add Categories Page

1. Navigate to Media > Bulk Add Categories in your WordPress admin
2. Choose your selection method:
   • All images: Applies to all images in your media library
   • Recent uploads: Select the last N images (e.g., last 10, 20, 50)
   • Specific image IDs: Enter comma-separated image IDs (e.g., 123, 456, 789)
3. Select one or more categories to add to the images
4. Choose the assignment mode:
   • Add to existing categories: Keeps current categories and adds new ones
   • Replace existing categories: Removes all existing categories and adds only the selected ones
5. Click Assign Categories

Method 2: Using the Media Library Bulk Action

1. Navigate to Media > Library (in list view)
2. Check the boxes next to the images you want to categorize
3. Select Add Image Categories from the "Bulk Actions" dropdown
4. Click Apply
5. You'll be redirected to the Bulk Add Categories page with your selected images pre-filled
6. Select categories and click Assign Categories

This feature is especially useful when:

• Uploading multiple images at once that belong to the same category
• Reorganizing your media library
• Adding new categories to existing images
• Migrating content from another site

Configuring the Widget

1. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress admin
2. Find the Random Image Gallery widget
3. Drag it to your desired widget area (sidebar, footer, etc.)
4. Configure the settings:
   • Enter a title (optional)
   • Set the number of images you want to display
   • Choose the column layout
   • Select your preferred thumbnail size
   • Select image categories to filter (optional - leave unchecked to show all images)
5. Click Save

The widget will now display random images from your media library each time the page loads. If you selected specific categories, only images from those categories will be included in the random selection.

Customization

CSS Customization

You can override the default styles by adding custom CSS to your theme. The plugin uses the following CSS classes:

• .rigw-gallery - Gallery container
• .rigw-gallery-item - Individual image container
• .rigw-image-link - Image link wrapper
• .rigw-thumbnail - Thumbnail image

Example Custom CSS

.rigw-gallery {
    gap: 20px; /* Increase spacing between images */
}

.rigw-gallery-item {
    border: 2px solid #ddd; /* Add border to images */
}

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please contact the plugin author.

License

This plugin is licensed under GPL v2 or later.

Use Cases

• Multiple Galleries: Create different widget instances with different categories for specialized galleries (e.g., one for products, one for team photos)
• Seasonal Content: Create categories like "Summer", "Winter" and switch which categories are displayed
• Client Portfolios: Organize images by client or project and display specific portfolios
• Featured Content: Mark certain images with a "Featured" category and display only those

Changelog

1.0.2

• Added bulk category assignment feature
• New admin page: Media > Bulk Add Categories
• Added bulk action to media library for quick category assignment
• Support for multiple selection methods (all images, recent uploads, specific IDs)
• Two assignment modes: add to existing or replace existing categories

1.0.1

• Updated plugin author to Connect Computer Services
• Updated plugin and author URIs

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Random image selection from media library
• Custom image category taxonomy
• Category filtering for widgets
• Configurable number of images
• Grid layout with column options
• Multiple thumbnail sizes
• Responsive design