Worked very well, but added captions when it shouldn’t

Hey @brettbum

Thanks for using my plugin and for the feedback. I am sorry to hear that there was a mismatch of expectations.

The plugin description on www.ads-software.com says:

The bulk updater updates ALL attributes for existing images in the Media Library and ignores the settings set for NEW uploads.

There is a warning message on the Bulk Updater tab in the plugin that says:

If your image is named a-lot-like_love.jpg, your Image Title, Caption, Description and Alt Text will be: a lot like love. Upgrade to Pro for more options.

And also there is a button to “Test Bulk Updater” which updates one image and you can see the results before doing it on all images.

And a warning asks you to take a database backup.

I am not sure how you missed all of these.

More over, the captions are updated only in the media library and not in the actual posts themselves, so even if you do this, the posts are not affected.

After the fact, it seems like they try to get you to pay for the premium version to have ‘control’ over this, but it is not obvious when using the free version in the repository.

I have a feeling that for some reason, this warning did not show up at your end? I am not trying to be sneaky, it says right there to upgrade for more options.

I understand that you would like to have all the features in the free version, but that is not a sustainable way for me to develop and maintain the plugin. I have spent over 250 hours (tracked with Toggl) developing this plugin and providing support.

Every support question whether it is for free or premium is answered and resolved to the best of my ability whether it is a free user or a pro customer.

Thanks to the support of the users who have made donations and purchased the premium license, now this plugin supports my family to an extend.

But regardless, what has happened has happened and I am sorry for your troubles. The pro version cannot undo what is done, if it could I would have sent you a license free of cost.

Did you make a database backup before the update? There was a warning to do so and in general it is good practice to take a database backup before updating anything in bulk. If you have a backup, I can help you bring it back.

Please let me know your thoughts on how I could have better warned you. Or if you have any other suggestions or thoughts on how I can help you undo the mess.

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• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Jan Dembowski.

I agree. I read that before and afterwards. Somehow I missed that before.

I think it was the screenshot that showed the Bulk Updater screen that countered what the text read.

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/auto-image-attributes-from-filename-with-bulk-updater/

The screenshot shows the bulk updater screen having options that it does not have in the version that comes from the repository.

I think if that image had a warning that said “Pro version screenshot” it might have helped.

Better yet if the screenshot had shown the bulk updater from the actual free version. Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than happy to support plugin creators and their pro version plugins when and where I can and when its appropriate. I am not one of those people that thinks its healthy for all plugins to be free.

I want plugin creators to be successful enough so that they can keep their plugins up to date, working and safe.

When I got to the Bulk Updater page, and the screen did not match the screenshot provided, I thought maybe I misunderstood the instructions. That mismatch, made me question everything, and then (my mistake) I tried to experiment. First with the test, then reran the test. Didn’t give me a big enough sample to understand what was and wasn’t happening.

So (with a site backup already done) I ran the bulk updater, and experienced the problem mentioned.

I shared my review and comment to help others avoid this mistake and I hope that it might give you some insights to help others avoid getting confused and doing the same or worse.

Hoping this might give you some ideas on how to better convert people to Premium as well. ?? GOOD LUCK!

Thanks again for the kind words, feedback and the reply @brettbum

The screenshot shows the bulk updater screen having options that it does not have in the version that comes from the repository.

I think if that image had a warning that said “Pro version screenshot” it might have helped.

Better yet if the screenshot had shown the bulk updater from the actual free version.

The screenshots are from the free version only!!

In the “Basic” tab there is a setting that says “Preview Pro Features”. Once you enable it, you will see the extra tabs.

And right on the preview at the top it says, “This is a preview of the features included in Image Attributes Pro“.

When I got to the Bulk Updater page, and the screen did not match the screenshot provided, I thought maybe I misunderstood the instructions

I am not sure what mismatch you saw. The screenshot in the repository is exactly as it should be in the plugin. Minus the sidebar of course. Please correct me if you see things differently, I would love to figure it out.

Again I repeat, all the screenshots are made from the free version and free version only. The sidebar which says that you can get a coupon was removed so that the screenshot is easier to read in the repository and because I didn’t want to look too pushy.

I see the need to improve the warnings because I do not want this to happen again. So your feedback will help me in that department. I just hope that the rating does not scare away potential users who might thing that something is wrong with the plugin itself.

Thank you!

I just hope that the rating does not scare away potential users who might thing that something is wrong with the plugin itself.

It won’t, people are clever and they look at the detail of the review.

Thanks for the supporting words @anevins

This is a project very close to heart for me.