Scootercam Sunset Gallery

A WordPress plugin that displays a beautiful gallery of sunset timelapse videos captured nightly by Amcrest and Reolink cameras in Allegan County, Michigan.

Features

• 📹 Dual Camera Support – Display videos from both Amcrest (sa) and Reolink (ss) cameras
• 🖼️ Poster Images – Automatic thumbnail generation using captured sunset JPG images
• 🎨 Modern Gallery Layout – Responsive grid with hover effects and play overlays
• 📱 Mobile Responsive – Optimized for all screen sizes
• 🔗 Social Sharing – Facebook, Instagram, Email, and Copy Link functionality
• 📅 Pagination – Navigate through your sunset collection
• ⚙️ Admin Settings – Configurable paths with real-time status checking
• 🎬 Direct Video Links – Shareable URLs for individual sunsets

Installation

1. Create Plugin Directory

cd /home/scootercam/public_html/notes/wp-content/plugins/
mkdir -p scootercam-gallery/css
mkdir -p scootercam-gallery/images

2. Upload Files

Upload the plugin files:

• scootercam-gallery.php → Plugin root directory
• css/gallery.css → CSS subdirectory

3. Set Permissions

chmod 755 scootercam-gallery
chmod 644 scootercam-gallery/scootercam-gallery.php
chmod 644 scootercam-gallery/css/gallery.css

4. Activate Plugin

1. Log into WordPress admin
2. Navigate to Plugins → Installed Plugins
3. Find “Scootercam Sunset Gallery”
4. Click Activate

5. Configure Settings

1. Go to Settings → Scootercam Gallery
2. Verify the default paths:

File System Paths (Absolute):

• Video Directory: /home/scootercam/public_html/ss/
• Poster Directory: /home/scootercam/public_html/sr/

URL Paths (Relative to domain root):

• Video URL Path: /ss/
• Poster URL Path: /sr/

3. Click Save Settings
4. Verify status shows:
   • ✓ Directory exists
   • ✓ Readable
   • File counts displayed

6. Add Gallery to Page

Create or edit a page and add:

[scootercam_gallery]

File Format Requirements

Video Files (in /ss/ directory)

sa2025-10-20.mp4    (Amcrest camera)
ss2025-10-20.mp4    (Reolink camera)

Poster Images (in /sr/ directory)

2025-10-20_185305.jpg
2025-10-20_190142.jpg

Pattern: YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS.jpg

Shortcode Options

Basic Usage

[scootercam_gallery]

Custom Videos Per Page

[scootercam_gallery per_page="20"]

Default to Reolink Camera

[scootercam_gallery default_camera="ss"]

Combined Options

[scootercam_gallery per_page="24" default_camera="sa"]

URL Structure

The plugin works with WordPress in a subdirectory:

• WordPress Location: /home/scootercam/public_html/notes/
• WordPress URL: https://scootercam.com/notes/
• Gallery Page: https://scootercam.com/notes/sunset-gallery/

Media files are served from domain root:

• Videos: https://scootercam.com/ss/sa2025-10-20.mp4
• Posters: https://scootercam.com/sr/2025-10-20_185305.jpg

The plugin automatically handles this URL structure and will adapt if you move WordPress to the root directory in the future.

Social Sharing

Each video includes sharing options:

• Facebook – Direct share dialog
• Instagram – Opens Instagram with copy prompt
• Email – Pre-filled email with sunset details
• Copy Link – One-click clipboard copy with visual feedback

Shared URLs link directly to specific sunset videos with camera selection preserved.

Admin Features

Settings Page

Access via Settings → Scootercam Gallery

Features:

• Configure file system paths
• Configure URL paths
• Real-time directory validation
• File count statistics
• Permission checking
• Usage instructions

Status Indicators

• ✓ Green checkmarks for accessible directories
• ✗ Red X marks for issues
• File counts for both videos and posters

Troubleshooting

Videos Not Showing

1. Check admin settings page shows directories exist and are readable
2. Verify file naming matches required patterns
3. Check file permissions: ls -la /home/scootercam/public_html/ss/ls -la /home/scootercam/public_html/sr/

Poster Images Not Loading

1. Check browser console for 404 errors
2. Verify URL path in settings is /sr/ (not /notes/sr/)
3. Test direct access: https://scootercam.com/sr/2025-10-20_185305.jpg
4. Ensure images are at domain root

No Videos Found Error

1. Verify video files follow naming convention: sa2025-10-20.mp4 or ss2025-10-20.mp4
2. Check directory paths in admin settings
3. Ensure directories have read permissions

Pagination Not Working

1. Go to Settings → Permalinks
2. Click “Save Changes” to refresh permalink structure
3. Test pagination links

Technical Details

Requirements

• WordPress 5.0 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Read access to video and poster directories

Browser Support

• Chrome (latest)
• Firefox (latest)
• Safari (latest)
• Edge (latest)
• Mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Chrome Mobile)

Video Format

• Container: MP4
• Recommended codec: H.264
• HTML5 video player

Image Format

• Format: JPEG
• Used as video poster/thumbnail
• Lazy loading enabled

File Structure

scootercam-gallery/
├── scootercam-gallery.php    # Main plugin file
├── css/
│   └── gallery.css           # Stylesheet
├── images/
│   └── placeholder.jpg       # Optional placeholder
└── README.md                 # This file

Credits

Plugin Name: Scootercam Sunset Gallery
Version: 1.0.0
Author: Scootercam
License: GPL v2 or later

Changelog

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release
• Gallery grid with poster images
• Video player with dual camera support
• Social sharing (Facebook, Instagram, Email, Copy Link)
• Admin settings page
• Pagination support
• Mobile responsive design
• Direct video linking

Future Enhancements

Potential features for future versions:

• Date range filtering
• Search functionality
• Favorite/bookmark sunsets
• Weather data integration
• Download video option
• Fullscreen mode
• Keyboard navigation
• Archive by month/year

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the admin Settings page for directory status
2. Verify file counts are correct
3. Test direct file access in browser
4. Enable WordPress debugging for detailed error logs

License

This plugin is licensed under GPL v2 or later.

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Made with ☀️ for capturing beautiful Lake Michigan sunsets