category selection when uploading media

Thanks for the kind words and for your question. Category assignment is done in different ways depending on how you upload your media files. Because you say

typing in the category name each time when you upload a file

it sounds like you are using the Media Manager Modal popup window and clicking the “Upload Files” tab – is that right?

If that’s true, you will see text boxes for Categories, etc. in the ATTACHMENT DETAILS pane on the right of the popup window. You can type values in the text boxes. I assume that’s where you’d like a more convenient alternative.

If you click on the “Edit Image” link at the top of this pane by the thumbnail of the image you will be taken to the full Edit Media screen, which opens in a separate tab or window. This screen has the full UI for hierarchical taxonomies, listing the terms with checkboxes for selecting them. Select or add your terms, then click Update to save your work. Close the Edit Media Window to get back to the Media Manager popup window and click “Refresh”; you will see the assigned terms in the text boxes. It’s easier than it sounds.

Category selection/assignment has come up a few times in recent support topics. This topic has some other suggestions to make category assignment more convenient:

Upload images to particular category, edit button on image pages

These topics are also asking for a better way to handle categories in the new Media Manager Modal popup window:

Hide edit cat and tags in media manager

Different form field for category selection?

I would like to do something along the lines you suggest in a future release. I will leave this topic unresolved until I decide how to proceed.

Thanks again for your interest and your suggestions.

Hi David,

Thank you for your swift reply and sorry for my lack of explanation.

Yes your guess is right. I felt it would be more convenient if I can select the category that are already created in the Att Category from a dropdown, when I am uploading a file via Media Manager Modal popup window without going to the full edit UI. Perhaps this is just my case but basically what I needed was just to add a category to the images so I can filter them. Sorry that I haven’t read the other topics regarding interface enhancement requests. I’m looking forward in the updates of this plugin!

BTW, would you be interested in getting the plugin translated into Japanese? I might not have enough time to translate all the documents but perhaps just the texts on the interface. Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks for confirming my guess. I think you’ve expressed a common complaint/desire about category selection in the Media Manager Modal popup window. The taxonomy support in the full Edit Media screen was a new addition in WordPress 3.5, and I believe the Media Manager should have included the same level of support. I’ll work on it.

With regard to translation, yours is the fourth inquiry I have received. This earlier support topic contains the current status:

How to translate this plugin?

I will keep you posted on any translation progress; thank you for your generous offer.

I have released version 1.51, which includes support for the enhanced category/tag selection metaboxes in the ATTACHMENT DETAILS pane on the right-hand side of the Media Manager Modal Window.

To activate the new feature, install and activate this related plugin:

Media Categories, by Eddie Moya

Then, open the Settings/Media Library Assistant screen, General tab, and scroll down to the Media Manager Enhancements section. Check the box next to Media Manager Searchable Categories metaboxes and/or Media Manager Searchable Tags metaboxes, depending on your needs. Click Save Changes to record your choice.

I intend to add something like this as an MLA feature in a future release, but this interim step is an easy change that should give you some of what you need. The only drawback to the “Searchable” metaboxes is that you can’t type in a new category or tag value; you must pick from values already defined on your site.

Please let me know if you have any trouble with this new feature, further questions or suggestions. Thanks for your interest in the plugin and for this suggestion.

Hi David,

Thank you for the update information. I’ve tried according to your instruction, and here are the results.

1. Error message
firstly when I active the plugin, I get the following two message at the top of the dashboard.

Strict Standards: Non-static method MLAModal::_months_dropdown() should not be called statically in C:\xampp\htdocs\framework\wp-content\plugins\media-library-assistant\includes\class-mla-media-modal.php on line 189

Strict Standards: Non-static method MLAModal::_terms_options() should not be called statically in C:\xampp\htdocs\framework\wp-content\plugins\media-library-assistant\includes\class-mla-media-modal.php on line 191

2. After activating Media Categories, I get an additional two as follows.
Strict Standards: call_user_func_array() expects parameter 1 to be a valid callback, non-static method Media_Categories::enqueue_media_categories_scripts() should not be called statically in C:\xampp\htdocs\framework\wp-includes\plugin.php on line 406

Strict Standards: call_user_func_array() expects parameter 1 to be a valid callback, non-static method Media_Categories::enqueue_media_categories_styles() should not be called statically in C:\xampp\htdocs\framework\wp-includes\plugin.php on line 406

3. In the media library popup, when I click on the accordion to select an category for existing images, the following message is shown above the category tree list.
Strict Standards: Declaration of Attachment_Walker_Category_Checklist::start_lvl() should be compatible with Walker::start_lvl(&$output, $depth = 0, $args = Array) in C:\xampp\htdocs\framework\wp-content\plugins\media-categories-2\attachment-walker-category-checklist-class.php on line 37

My current environment are as follows
Apache/2.4.4 (Win32) OpenSSL/0.9.8y PHP/5.4.16

I appreciate the new feature that allows to choose category from the existing list, but I suggest the function to complete within the plugin alone (not dependent on other plugin for compatibility issues etc).

Thank you for this report. The two “Strict Standards” errors in MLAModal are an embarrassing (but harmless) oversight on my part, and I will correct them in my next release. I do my development with the PHP error level set to “E_NOTICE”; I will do more testing with “E_STRICT”.

Your points 2. and 3. refer to code in the Media Categories plugin, which is beyond my control. If you intend to continue to use that plugin you can start a topic in the Media Categories support forum.

You could also consider changing your error reporting level from “E_STRICT” to “E_NOTICE” as a temporary measure.

As I said in my earlier post, I added the Media Categories feature as an interim step. I plan to replace it with code in the MLA plugin in a future release. I have had multiple requests for this feature and wanted to give this a try until I can complete my work. I am leaving this topic unresolved until that time.

Thanks again for your interest, this report and your feedback. I will keep you posted on my progress with a native implementation of this feature.

I have begun the localization process required to support internationalization. If you can help prepare “.po” files for languages other than English, please send me your e-mail address from the “Contact Us” page at our web site:

Fair Trade Judaica/Contact Us

Thanks for your help and your patience.

I have completed the internationalization work and am doing my final testing before releasing it. If you can help prepare “.po” files for languages other than English, please send me your e-mail address using the link in my earlier post. Thank you!

I have released MLA version 1.70, which includes the internationalized code, the Portable Object Template (/languages/en_US.pot) file and the Internationalization Guide (/languages/MLA Internationalization Guide.pdf). That should be everything you need to get started. I would be happy to help in any way I can, and I welcome any feedback on the source texts or any other aspect of the work. Please start a new topic with any questions, problems or suggestions you have regarding translation.

I am leaving this topic unresolved until I complete my “searchable, editable category/tag selection dropdown” work. Thanks again for your interest in the plugin.

I have released version 1.80, which replaces the “Media Categories” interim support with complete native MLA support for taxonomy values in the ATTACHMENT DETAILS area of the Media Manager Modal Window. You can find more information in the “Other Notes” tab.

Please give it a try and let me know if you have any problems, questions or suggestions. Thanks for your interest and your patience.

This idea has come up again and I am actively thinking about how to implement it. Have a look at this new topic, then post an update here with any feedback you have; thanks:

MLA search images by tag