Hi @gwatuk – Thanks! I just wanted to add a few quick notes to manage expectations.
* As of now, we don’t have any concrete plans to add an option of this kind.
* This is a feature request, and it’s a decent one. But we have hundreds (maybe thousands) of feature requests from hundreds of thousands of users. We typically triage feature requests, and pursue those that will have the biggest impact for the largest number of users. It’s always a hard call. Some features – like Print Lab Integration, just released – take years in development.
* Another consideration we always have in our minds: NextGEN Gallery is often criticized for having TOO many options already. It is more options rich than any other gallery plugin. I mentioned we probably have thousands of feature requests. If we added every option that’s requested, our UI would become completely overwhelming. In other words, there is an incremental UI cost to every new option. It’s not a big deal for each one, as we’re discussing here. But it is a big deal if you account for requests by hundreds of thousands of users. So we now think hard about each new option we add.
* In the case of this request, the original poster’s needs were met, for the most part, with some fairly simple custom css. That means for this option, unlike many others, there is a fairly simple work around. Yes, its limited – you can’t customize by image, but it’s worth noting that if we did add an option like this, we’d probably still add it at the lightbox level, not the image level, because that would cover the majority of needs for this, and because it means adding one option, rather than an option for every image in NextGEN Gallery. So even with the option, you wouldn’t be able to customize by image.
* I’d note that we have never added any built-in options to customize the default/free lightboxes in NextGEN Gallery, much less options to customize how each image in a Lightbox works.
* I’d also note that the Pro Lightbox DOES come with dozens of customization options. So there’s already a pro option with similar functionality to what’s being requested here.
Finally, I’ll just add a caveat. We’re never fixed/unmovable on these kinds of discussion. How we evaluate the relative priority and value of any feature request changes over time as we hear from users. If we get enough critical mass requesting – and particularly if we come to sense that this option would be used by a large percentage of our users – we’d elevate its priority and consider adding it and adding it sooner.
I’ll take your feedback here as a strong vote in favor. Same for others of you in this thread. While we’re not yet taking action, I do want to emphasize how much we appreciate that you and others are leaving the feedback. It takes time to come back here and do so. And ultimately, it’ll move the needle if we get enough of it. We’re just not there yet when we take into account the entire picture of our user base and their needs.
I know you still may not be happy that we’re not taking action. But hopefully the context I’m providing gives you a window into why it’s not necessarily an easy or straightforward decision. Thanks and best.
