12. Managing Media (Media Section)

The Media section in LineagePress is your central hub for managing all digital assets related to your family history. This includes photographs, scanned documents, audio recordings, video clips, and other digital files that enrich your genealogical data. LineagePress integrates seamlessly with your WordPress Media Library to store the actual files, while providing tools to organize, categorize, and link media items to individuals and events within your family trees.

Accessing the Media Section

Navigate to LineagePress > Media in your WordPress admin dashboard.

Overview of the Media Section

The Media section is organized into several tabs, each focusing on a specific aspect of media management:

1. Browse Media: View, search, filter, and manage all media items.
2. Add Media: Manually add a single media item and link it to your genealogical data.
3. Bulk Upload: Upload multiple media files efficiently.
4. Manage Categories: Create and organize custom categories.
5. Edit Media: Modify the details of an existing media item.

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1. Browse Media

This tab provides a table of all media items and tools to organize and filter them.

Table Columns

• Checkbox: Select multiple media items for bulk actions.
• Thumbnail: Small preview of the media item; placeholder shown if missing or not an image.
• Title: Click to open the “Edit Media” tab for this item.
• Category: Assigned category (e.g., “Photo”, “Birth”, “Census”, “Uncategorized”).
• Format: File type (e.g., JPG, PDF, MP4).
• Tree: Family tree associated with this media item.
• Individual: Linked individuals; click a name to filter media items linked to that person.
• Status:
  • ✓ Linked (Green): File exists in WordPress Media Library.
  • ✗ Missing (Red): File is missing from WordPress Media Library.
• Filename: Original filename of the media.

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Media Statistics

Above the table, a summary bar provides an overview:

• Total: Total media items in LineagePress.
• Linked: Number of items found in WordPress Media Library.
• Missing: Number of items not found.
• Categories: Click a category name to filter the table to that category.

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Searching and Filtering Media

• Search Box: Search by filename, title, description, or linked individuals.
• Tree Filter: Filter media by a specific family tree.
• Search / Clear Buttons: Apply or reset search/filter criteria.

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Pagination and Display Options

• Show [X] entries: Choose number of items per page (10, 20, 50, 100).
• Pagination Links: Navigate using “‹”, “›”, or page numbers.

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Bulk Actions

1. Select Media: Check items or use header checkbox to select all.
2. Choose Action: Options include:
   • Delete Selected: Permanently remove LineagePress media records (does not delete WordPress files).
   • Assign Category: Assign a selected category to all chosen items.
3. Apply Button: Execute the chosen action.

• Auto-Categorize All (Pro Feature): Automatically categorizes uncategorized media based on linked events and filename/title keywords.

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2. Add Media

Allows manual addition of a single media item.

Fields

• Tree: Select associated family tree.
• Media File: Choose from WordPress Media Library or upload a new file.
• Title: Descriptive title (e.g., “Wedding Photo of John and Mary Smith”).
• Description: Detailed context for the media.
• Category: Choose from existing categories.
• Date Taken: Date of creation or event depicted.
• Place Taken: Location of creation or event.
• Link to People: Search and link one or more individuals.

Click Add Media to save.

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3. Bulk Upload

Designed for uploading multiple media files at once.

Features

• Server Limits: Displays upload_max_filesize and max_execution_time.
• Upload Options:
  • Tree Assignment: Assign all uploaded files to a selected tree.
  • Overwrite existing files: Replace files with matching names in WordPress Media Library.
  • Skip existing files: Skip files that already exist.
• Drag & Drop / Select Files: Add files to the upload queue.
• File List: Shows filename, size, status, and upload progress.
• Chunked Uploads: Prevents timeouts for large files.
• Upload Actions: Start, pause/resume, cancel uploads, or clear the queue.
• Completion Summary: Displays added, overwritten, skipped, and error counts.

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4. Manage Categories

Create, edit, and delete custom categories.

Features

• Add New Category:
  • Category Name: Enter a unique name.
  • Keywords: Comma-separated list for auto-categorization.
• Categories Table: Lists all categories, keywords, media counts, and available actions:
  • Edit Name: If no media is assigned.
  • Delete: Sets previously assigned media to “Uncategorized”.

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5. Edit Media

Modify details of a single media item.

Features

• Media Preview: Rotate images or remove the current file.
• Form Fields: Update Title, Description, Category, Date Taken, and Place Taken.
• Linked Individuals: Search, link, or unlink individuals.
• Set as Primary Photo: Designate as primary for linked individuals (only for photos).
• Update / Cancel: Save or discard changes.

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Integration with WordPress Media Library

• File Storage: Files are stored in WordPress Media Library.
• Metadata Management: LineagePress stores all genealogical metadata.
• “Linked” vs. “Missing”: Indicates whether the file exists in WordPress Media Library.

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