Adding options to the ImageBlock module.

As I had asked in http://gallery.menalto.com/node/44027:-
I am wanting to add images with links/URLs/text below them into the sidebar in G2.”

ckdake suggested using the image block module and :-
“If you need it to be configurable per album/item, You'd need to write a module.”

So I am transferring this to Module forum.

(A) One of the things I want to do is designate a specific image (as an image block) The Link or text would be its title/caption brought with it.
(B) I'd also like to be able to have an image block being a random image from within a specific sub-album. I’d like to be able to set it in “Edit Album/theme” so perhaps it could be called “Current Album Random Image”

Presumably I need to add Adaptations of the line
'randomImage' => $gallery->i18n('Random image'),
in gallery2/modules/imageblock/templates/blocks/blocks.inc

eg 'specificImage' => $gallery->i18n('Specific Image'),
and ' CurrentAlbumRandomImage ' => $gallery->i18n('Current Album Random image'),

# But how and where do I define the "Specific image" and
'Current Album Random Image' ?

Valiant seems to answer this in his reply to someone else in
http://gallery.menalto.com/node/43500 :-

“you'll have to modify the imageblock module, maybe
modules/imageblock/templates/blocks/ImageBlock.tpl
just put the description somewhere in the template with:
{$block.item.description} “

Could you please give me an example of the line required ?
eg what would I write to get the “current album random image”

Gaynor (Learning heaps with your help)

Here's what you would need to do:

-Get imageblock working returning a specifc album, item, or album and its subalbums, etc
-Add a setting to your new custom theme settings page that allows you to set some number of image blocks
-Add a setting that can be repeated over and over that has a few fields:
-type (random from album, random from album+subalbums, specific, etc)
-itemID (album's id for album options above, item's id for items)

-Modify the theme to check for those settings and call the modified imageblock as needed

So do you mean:-

In {$block.item.description}
item = ‘randomImageFromAlbum_01 (ID of album01)’
and description = 'Random Image from Album_01'

So I have to adapt {$block.item.description} to
{$block.’randomImageFromAlbum_01 (ID of Album01)’.’Random Image from Album_01’} etc

and adapt
'randomImage' => $gallery->i18n('Random image'), to
‘randomImageFromAlbum_01 (ID of album01)' => $gallery->i18n('Random image from album_01'),
etc

I need to copy the module “imageblock” to a newly created folder called “local” then in gallery2/modules/local/imageblock/templates/blocks/blocks.inc

include
{$block.’specificItem (id for specific Item)’.’Specific Item’},

{$block.’randomImageFromAlbum_01 (ID of album_01)’.’Random Image from Album_01’},

{$block.’randomImage from album_02 (ID of album_02)’.’Random Image from album_02’}

and in the relevant position, add
{‘specificItem (id for specificItem)' => $gallery->i18n(‘Specific Item’),

‘randomImageFromAlbum_01 (ID of album01)' => $gallery->i18n('Random image from album_01'),

‘randomImageFromAlbum_02 (ID of album02)' => $gallery->i18n('Random image from album_02'),
}

Which should then add to the dropdown list in ‘block/ImageBlock’ on the ‘Edit Album/theme’ page

“ ‘Specific Item’, 'Random image from album_01’, and 'Random image from album_02' “

Am I correct?

Gaynor