Web Album Generator Frequently Asked Questions
(Last updated: February 24, 2009)
Please take some time to read through the following to see if your question has already been answered. If you still have a question, don't hesitate to create a new post in the forum. 
How do I put my albums on the World Wide Web?
If you already have space on the World Wide Web to upload your album, take a look at this animated upload demo or view this support topic for textual upload instructions.
How do I get space on the World Wide Web?
Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will allow you to create a web site as part of your Internet service. Contact your ISP for information on how to set up your website and upload your albums. If your ISP doesn't have such a service, there are free ones available on the web. Although I don't endorse any particular service, Geocities and Angelfire are popular choices. Note, however, they will put advertisements on each of your pages. If you don't want ads on your page, or if you want your own .com name, you can pay for webspace. Dreamhost is an excellent choice (and the host I use for my website).
Do I need a webpage to use Web Album Generator?
If you would like to share your albums online, you will need a webpage. However, you do not need a webpage to use Web Album Generator. You may want to generate albums to keep on your hard drive, or a CD-ROM, for example.
How do I add a background image to my albums?
If you would like to specify an image to use as your background instead of a solid colour, you can add the following line to the bottom your stylesheet template (first click on "File" then "Edit Stylesheet Template"):
body { background-image: url(myimage.jpg); }Where, of course, "myimage.jpg" is replaced with the filename of the image you'd like to use.
Can I email my albums instead of upload them to the web?
Although technically possible, this is strongly discouraged. Photo albums consist of many files and some of them can be a little large for emailing. Instead it's recommended that you put your album on the web and email your friends and family the URL.
My album looks fine when I preview it, but it looks different when I put it on my web site.
Ensure that you've uploaded all of the files that Web Album Generator created when you finished the Album Generation Wizard. All the files that Web Album Generator creates need to be uploaded to your website for your album to display properly. Try reading this support topic if you are having difficulty uploading your album.
Can I change the name of the "index.html" files?
In the current version of Web Album Generator (1.8.2) you cannot change the name of the generated files without breaking the navigation links. However, you can still put more than one album on your website without overwriting previous albums if each album is in its own folder.
I'm concerned people will steal my photographs online. Can I prevent unauthorized people from viewing my photos?
There are a few things you can do to deter thieves.
If you're concerned about the intellectual property of your images, a simple copyright notice will usually suffice. This can be inserted in your photo description using Web Album Generator.
If you're interested in setting up an album for an exclusive group of people, such as your friends and family, ask your web service provider to set up a "password protected" folder for you. Only those with a username and password you specify will be able to view your photos. You can email this username and password to your friends, and change the password whenever you feel necessary.
What is the difference between saving an album and generating an album?
Generating your album creates several files, and allows you to navigate and view your photographs in a web browser. Saving your album creates a single file that stores the information to re-generate your album without having to go through the process of re-ordering and captioning your photographs. This is useful if you would like to make a minor change to your album in the future.
What files do I need to upload to my website?
When you generate an album, several files will be created. All of them will need to be uploaded to your website if you want the album to display as inteneded. This consists of a Cascading Stylesheet (main.css ), several jpg and html pages (the filenames will depend on the pictures you've added), and one or more index files (index.html, index2.html, etc).
I'd like an image to appear at the header and/or footer of the page. Can this be done with the stylesheet?
Yes, a simple image can be added to the header and/or footer using the stylesheet. Click on "File" then "Edit Stylesheet Template" and add the following code to the bottom of the text:
body {
padding-top: 100px;
background: transparent url(headerimage.jpg) no-repeat top center;
{
p.footer {
display: block;
padding-bottom: 100px;
background: transparent url(footerimage.jpg) no-repeat bottom center;
}Naturally, headerimage.jpg and footerimage.jpg would have to be changed to the names of the images you'd actually like to use. Also, the padding should be changed from 100px to the actual height of the image.
I'm an advanced user and I don't want a separate CSS file for each of my albums. Can I have all my albums use the same one?
You can consolidate all photo albums to a single style sheet by changing the WAG style sheet to have only a single line:
@import url(http://www.example.com/yourstyles.css);Where http://www.example.com is replaced with your website, and yourstyles.css is the name of the CSS file you'd like all your albums to use. If you do this, yourstyles.css will be loaded to replace the main.css that is generated for each of your photo albums. (@import is just a way to link from one style sheet to another.)
What is the MD5 hash value of the Web Album Generator setup program?
As of version 1.8.2, the MD5 hash of the setup program should always be 788451d7f0d2acbe83b5032455799246. Anything else suggests that the file has been tampered with by a third party.
Is Web Album Generator really free?
Yes! Although donations are accepted and appreciated if you wish to support this site.