Drag+Drop Feature for Multiple Icon Upload

[laenavesse]

Title:
Drag+Drop Feature for Multiple Icon Upload

Area:
icon uploading

Summary:
The current system requires users to repeatedly "Browse" for the file, which can be tedious if you're uploading 50+ icons at once. The Drag+Drop feature would allow users to drag their icon image files into the drop box and upload large batches with much less clicking and hassle.

Description:
-- SUGGESTION --

Previous entries have mentioned the Drag+Drop feature for managing icons once uploaded and other methods for simultaneous multiple icon loads, but there has not been one on point for both of them combined. The closest I found was where someone in the comments suggested a similar system via Flickr back in 2010.

As mentioned in other suggestions, the current system requires users to select the file via "Browse File," which pops up the window for users to select from from their computer. However, users can only do this one at a time for each selection. So if a user has 50+ icons to upload at once, this process can be tedious, especially if the icons are all in one folder.

With a Drag+Drop feature, users could 1) simply select their files from their own folder window, 2) drag it into the drop box, and 3) upload them all at once. Another possible feature is allowing users to arrange them in the order they wish to upload.

To keep it simple and focus only on the uploading aspect, this particular suggestion does not include the keyword and additional comment/description fields. Users would have to go back through to fill those fields after the icons are uploaded, but that's less tedious than having to individually click through a folder to choose an icon and disrupt the process. However, if it is possible to do so without complicating the system, then including those fields would also simplify the mass icon uploading process.


-- ISSUES --

The main issues I see are coding and computer compatibility. Javascript/Java apps, Flash, or ActiveX will most likely be needed and not all computers may have them. Thus, this should actually be another option rather than the default. The default should remain as the current system already in place. The Drag+Drop feature would then be more of a secondary option that users could choose.

There could be a link at the top and it would either take them to another page or pop up the Drag+Drop box right there on the main "Manage Userpics" screen. The Drag+Drop feature is also less beneficial for very small batches. The current system is actually more optimal if they wish to upload a small number of icons, like one or two. Thus having the Drag+Drop as a secondary alternative would be the better fit.


-- CONCLUSION --

I think this system would be really beneficial, especially since many file uploading sites have this feature available as an upload option. With the current system, I actually get lost in which icons I've already chosen to upload since I can only see the first part of my hard drive directory rather than the actual file name itself. So I constantly have to go back and see which one is already selected for upload. The Drag+Drop would give an additional visual aid for users when uploading icons as well as arranging them prior to upload. But I realize that there are drawbacks to this system, and as mentioned not everyone would be able to utilize it.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Poll #9581 Drag+Drop Feature for Multiple Icon Upload

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 55

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
25 (45.5%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
13 (23.6%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
3 (5.5%)

(I have no opinion)
14 (25.5%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[zaluzianskya]

I love this idea. Or, if not a drag-and-drop, I've seen other sites use Flash (I think) to let people select multiple files at a time for uploading by holding down the Ctrl or Shift buttons. Zazzle does it, for an example Denise might be familiar with (I don't know who runs the DW Zazzle store).

[amianym]

Rather than dragging and dropping, I imagine it would be simpler to allow multiple icons to be uploaded by selecting multiple files with ctrl+click.

[instantramen]

+1

[laenavesse]

Honestly I wouldn't mind that either! I think something like what you said was in another suggestion post, too, if not in the comments.

The only problem I would have is how to arrange the upload order as I tend to upload my icons in a specific order. If there was a way to do it (like being able to arrange the icons after selecting them all) then I would totally be up for that, too.

[turlough]

+1

[zaluzianskya]

Like I said above you, I think this implementation requires Flash -- back before I updated my browser, it would sometimes just lock everything up and then Firefox would tell me "The Flash player has crashed". (Not a problem anymore, though!) So the current upload method would have to remain for people who couldn't use that.

[kyrielle]

+1 - this is how most sites do it, in my experience, and is what I'd expect. I don't really like/want drag and drop uploads, they're a pain, but multi-select is simpler and familiar.

[cheyinka]

Ctrl-click also works better for those of us who don't have folder windows from which to drag icons.

[lorax]

+1, this is my "with changes"

[vicemage]

This is what I was thinking, too. I generally upload in batches and would love to be able to just ctrl+click or shift+click.

[stormy]

That's something that has already been suggested and has a Bugzilla attached: http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2598. Simply the ability to select multiple files or upload multiple files at once.

[deborah]

As long as the multiple-select option is prioritized (because it's available on a lot more platforms and will larger number of people), I don't see any problems with allowing the drag-and-drop option. There needs to be an understanding that it is limited platform and limited accessibility, so there can never be a reliance on it as the primary upload or even primary multi-upload method, but it could be a nice extra feature.

That being said, there are security implications to programming that kind of feature, so it would need a careful feature design + code + code review, as well as comments making it clear that anyone else editing that part of the code should be aware of the security implications.

(additionally, whoever writes it should do some investigation to see if any accessibility can be added to the drag and drop features. I know there is in browser drag-and-drop accessibility available, but I don't know if you could add accessibility to a feature like this. Still, it should be investigated to see if it's at all possible.)

[allen]

I voted 'with changes' for the stipulation that we only do what we can using JavaScript and HTML5. No Flash, Java, ActiveX, or what-have-you for legacy browsers or (like?) Internet Explorer--if you don't support HTML5's new 'multiple' attribute on file input tags, then you're stuck with the old version.

[marahmarie]

My "with changes" is for multiple file upload with drag and drop merely optional, because drag and drop can behave rather slowly on underpowered and/or overloaded computers. But I'm all in favor of uploading as many icons at once as you can.

[susanreads]

+1

[tyger]

I'd prefer the multi-click too. And it'd be nice if the uploads could automatically divide up and let you put your keywords/image descriptions in as part of the upload process as well, but I don't know if that's possible.

[zellieh]

I like this, though I can see it might be tricky to put in keywords etc. at the same time as you upload the files.

Would it be possible to put file names in as keywords or descriptions or whatever the third line is called?

Then, if you've named your files something useful like "An-Icon by Icon-Maker.jpg" or "Ceiling Cat is Watching You.gif", you'd have a lot of the info already done.