Media Categories

Organize your media library with custom categories like “Product Photos,” “Blog Graphics,” or “Team Headshots.” Create subcategories for even more organization. Stop scrolling through thousands of images — find what you need instantly.

Use Cases#

• Create categories like “Product Photos,” “Blog Graphics,” “Team Headshots” to organize large media libraries
• Use subcategories to organize further (e.g., “Product Photos → Electronics → Phones”)
• Separate client assets on agency multisite networks
• Sort seasonal content (holiday graphics, summer promotions) for easy reuse

How It Works#

1. Create categories (and optional subcategories) in the module settings
2. Go to Media Library in List View
3. Use the sidebar to filter by category
4. Drag and drop images to assign categories, or use bulk actions

Settings#

This module has a category management interface rather than settings. Access it via Switchboard → Media → Media Categories.

Managing Categories#

Deleting a category doesn’t delete the images — they just become uncategorized.

Subcategories (Hierarchical Categories)#

Media Categories supports a full hierarchical structure, allowing you to create parent categories with child subcategories.

Creating Subcategories#

1. Go to the module settings
2. In the “Add New Category” form, select a Parent Category from the dropdown
3. Enter the subcategory name
4. Click “Add Category”

The subcategory will appear indented under its parent in both the settings list and the media library sidebar.

Example Hierarchy#

Product Photos
├── Electronics
│   ├── Phones
│   └── Laptops
├── Clothing
└── Accessories

Blog Graphics
├── Featured Images
├── Social Media
└── Infographics

Subcategories in the Sidebar#

In the Media Library sidebar, subcategories appear indented under their parents for easy visual hierarchy. Click any category or subcategory to filter the library.

Where to Find It#

After enabling, go to Media → Library and switch to List View (icon in the top left). You’ll see:

• Categories sidebar on the left for filtering and drag-drop
• Category column showing each item’s category
• Category filter dropdown in the toolbar
• Bulk actions to assign categories to multiple items

Using the Categories Sidebar#

The sidebar shows all your categories with item counts:

• All Media — Show everything
• Uncategorized — Items without any category
• Your Categories — Custom categories with counts (subcategories indented)

Filtering by Category#

Click any category in the sidebar to filter the library to show only those items.

Assigning Categories#

Method 1: Drag and Drop

1. In List View, drag any media row
2. Drop it onto a category in the sidebar
3. The page refreshes to show updated counts

Method 2: Bulk Actions

1. Select multiple items using checkboxes
2. Choose “Assign to: [Category]” from the bulk actions dropdown
3. Click Apply

Method 3: Remove from Category

1. Select items
2. Choose “Remove from Category” in bulk actions
3. Items become uncategorized

Category Column in List View#

A “Category” column shows each item’s current category. Uncategorized items display in gray text.

Tips for Organizing#

By Content Type with Subcategories:

• Product Photos
  • Electronics
  • Clothing
  • Accessories
• Blog Featured Images
  • Tutorials
  • News
• Team Headshots
  • Leadership
  • Staff

By Project:

• Client: Acme Corp
  • Website Redesign
  • Marketing Campaign
• Client: Widget Co
• Internal Marketing

By Status:

• Ready to Use
• Needs Editing
• Archive

Gallery Shortcode#

Display images from any media category on the frontend using the [switchboard_gallery] shortcode.

Shortcode Builder#

Click the Gallery Shortcode button next to any category in the media library sidebar to open the visual shortcode builder. It includes:

• Live preview that updates as you change settings
• Layout selection (Grid or Masonry)
• Column, size, and max image controls
• Link mode (None, File URL, or Lightbox)
• Lightbox navigation toggle (Prev/Next or Disabled)
• Caption toggle
• One-click copy of the generated shortcode

Shortcode Attributes#

Examples#

[switchboard_gallery category="products"]
[switchboard_gallery category="team" layout="masonry" columns="4" link="lightbox" caption="yes"]
[switchboard_gallery category="portfolio" columns="2" size="large" max="12" link="lightbox" nav="no"]

Lightbox#

When link="lightbox" is set, clicking any image opens a full-screen overlay with:

• Prev/Next buttons — circular arrows on left/right
• Keyboard navigation — Arrow keys and Escape to close
• Image caption displayed at the bottom
• Click outside to close
• Wraps around (last image → first, first → last)

Navigation can be disabled per-gallery with nav="no".

Masonry Layout#

The masonry layout uses CSS columns (no JavaScript) to arrange images in a Pinterest-style staggered grid. Images keep their natural aspect ratio instead of being cropped. Responsive breakpoints automatically reduce columns on smaller screens.

FAQ#