Media Library
Bulk Operations Guide
Comprehensive guide to bulk operations in the uiXpress Media Library.
Selection Methods
Single Selection
Method:
- Click checkbox on media item
- Click again to deselect
- Works in both grid and list views
Visual Feedback:
- Checkbox checked
- Item highlighted
- Selection count updated
Range Selection
Method:
- Click checkbox on first item
- Hold Shift key
- Click checkbox on last item
- All items in range selected
Features:
- Works vertically in list view
- Works in grid order
- Includes all items between
- Can extend existing selection
Select All
Method:
- Click "Select All" button in toolbar
- Selects all visible items
- Respects current filters
Limitations:
- Only selects visible items
- Respects pagination
- Applies current filters
Deselect All
Method:
- Click "Clear Selection" button
- Deselects all items
- Resets selection state
Bulk Edit
Opening Bulk Edit
Process:
- Select one or more media items
- Click "Bulk Edit" button in toolbar
- Bulk edit drawer opens
- Enter changes
- Click "Save Changes"
Editable Fields
Title:
- Updates title for all selected items
- Applies same title to all
- Optional field
- Can be left empty
Alt Text:
- Sets alt text for images
- Accessibility improvement
- SEO benefit
- Optional field
Caption:
- Adds caption to media
- Displayed with media
- Optional field
- Can be left empty
Description:
- Sets description
- Internal notes
- Searchable content
- Optional field
Tags:
- Adds tags to all selected items
- Comma-separated list
- Creates new tags if needed
- Appends to existing tags
Saving Changes
Process:
- Enter changes in form
- Click "Save Changes"
- Changes applied to all selected items
- Progress indicator shown
- Success notification displayed
Features:
- Only changed fields updated
- Empty fields ignored
- Batch processing
- Error handling per item
Limitations:
- Cannot remove existing tags
- Cannot clear existing fields
- All items get same values
- No per-item customization
Bulk Duplicate
Process
Steps:
- Select media items to duplicate
- Click "Duplicate" button
- Confirmation dialog appears
- Confirm duplication
- Copies created with "(copy)" suffix
Duplication Details
What's Preserved:
- All metadata (title, alt text, caption)
- File relationships
- Tags
- Upload date (original)
What Changes:
- Filename (adds "(copy)")
- Media ID (new unique ID)
- File URL (new path)
Use Cases:
- Creating variations
- Testing edits
- Backup before changes
- Template creation
Performance
Considerations:
- Processes files sequentially
- Progress indicator shown
- Can take time for many files
- Server resources used
Bulk Download
Process
Steps:
- Select media items to download
- Click "Download" button
- ZIP file created on server
- Download starts automatically
- ZIP file contains all selected files
ZIP File Structure
Contents:
- All selected media files
- Preserves folder structure (if any)
- Original filenames maintained
- Metadata included (if supported)
File Naming:
- Original filenames preserved
- No conflicts (handled automatically)
- Timestamp in ZIP filename
- Format:
media-[timestamp].zip
Download Methods
Server-Generated ZIP:
- Preferred method
- Single download
- Handles large files
- Progress tracking
Fallback Method:
- Individual file downloads
- Used if ZIP fails
- Multiple downloads
- Less efficient
Limitations
File Size:
- Server memory limits
- PHP execution time
- Large files may fail
- Consider file count
File Types:
- All types supported
- Binary files preserved
- Metadata may be lost
- Some formats not ZIP-compatible
Bulk Delete
Process
Steps:
- Select media items to delete
- Click "Delete" button
- Confirmation dialog appears
- Shows count of items
- Confirm deletion
- Files permanently deleted
Confirmation Dialog
Information Shown:
- Number of files to delete
- Warning message
- Cannot be undone notice
- Cancel/Confirm buttons
Safety Features:
- Requires explicit confirmation
- Shows exact count
- Clear warning message
- Easy cancellation
Deletion Details
What's Deleted:
- Media file from server
- All image sizes (thumbnails)
- Database record
- Metadata
What's Updated:
- Post/page references (removed)
- Media library count
- Usage tracking
- Search indexes
What's Not Deleted:
- References in content (broken links)
- External references
- Backup copies (if any)
Recovery
No Recovery:
- Deletion is permanent
- Cannot be undone
- No trash/recycle bin
- Requires backup restoration
Prevention:
- Confirmation required
- Usage warnings
- Backup before deletion
- Test with single file first
Selection Management
Selection State
Persists:
- Across view changes
- Across page navigation
- Across filter changes
- Until cleared manually
Cleared:
- After bulk operations
- On "Clear Selection"
- On page refresh
- On navigation away
Selection Indicators
Visual Feedback:
- Checked checkboxes
- Highlighted items
- Selection count in toolbar
- "X items selected" message
Toolbar Actions:
- Show when items selected
- Disabled when no selection
- Context-aware buttons
- Clear selection option
Best Practices
Selecting Many Files
Tips:
- Use filters to narrow down
- Select in batches
- Use range selection
- Clear selection when done
Bulk Edit
Recommendations:
- Use for common changes
- Test with few items first
- Review changes before saving
- Use tags for organization
Bulk Delete
Safety:
- Always confirm usage first
- Start with single file
- Backup important files
- Double-check selection
Performance
Considerations:
- Limit selection size
- Process in batches
- Monitor server resources
- Use during low traffic
Error Handling
Common Errors
Upload Errors:
- File too large
- Invalid file type
- Server error
- Network timeout
Edit Errors:
- Permission denied
- File locked
- Server error
- Validation failed
Delete Errors:
- File in use
- Permission denied
- Server error
- File not found
Error Messages
User-Friendly:
- Clear error descriptions
- Actionable suggestions
- Error codes (for support)
- Retry options
Error Recovery:
- Partial success handling
- Error logging
- User notification
- Rollback when possible