Direct Picasa links?

[HopeGardensGuy]

Perhaps I'm missing something, but...

Google's Picasa allows direct linking to a photo in a Picasa album. For example, this is what they say to use to do inline embedding:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GregDDT/Wertha...309762713236290

[img=http://picasaweb.google.com/GregDDT/WerthanMillsNewConstruction/photo#5173309762713236290]'>http://picasaweb.google.com/GregDDT/WerthanMillsNewConstruction/photo#5173309762713236290]

I get this error if I try to wrap that type of link in your image tags. I had to wrap in CODE tags, since it wouldn't allow me to post, otherwise. You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board. A valid format is: http://www.domain.com/picture.gif, an invalid format is: http://www.domain.com/picture.one.gif I guess your support of imbedded images doesn't allow that format - I guess you're expecting all images will be .jpg or .gif? Below is what Picasa suggests to imbed images in an HTML page - it doesn't appear to work, either.

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/GregDDT/WerthanMillsNewConstruction/photo#5173309762713236290"><img src="
" /></a

>

Is there a different way to insert it, rather than wrapping it in "code" tags?

Is there a way to directly link to a single image in Picasa? Picasa has to be very popular. Currently, I work around it by exporting from Picasa to a different site, as a dedicated .jpg file. Would be much easier to be able to directly link to Picasa.

Thanks.

[Neo]

The reason it isn't working for it is because we do not allow HTML to be posted due to security reasons. We have provided a way around this for YouTube videos for example, but there is no way for us to do the same for Picasa. Picasa does seem to give you a link to the JPG version of the file however and you can simply insert an image and give it that link. For example, I inserted the following image into this post by using the following link you gave me:

[HopeGardensGuy]

The reason it isn't working for it is because we do not allow HTML to be posted due to security reasons. We have provided a way around this for YouTube videos for example, but there is no way for us to do the same for Picasa. Picasa does seem to give you a link to the JPG version of the file however and you can simply insert an image and give it that link. For example, I inserted the following image into this post by using the following link you gave me:

[Neo]

So to make sure I understand - you extracted that link to the .jpg from the imbedded HTML that Picasa offers? So it's a tad cumbersome, but it does beat exporting to a different site!

That is correct! I know it isn't quite as easy as just copying what Picasa gives you from the beginning but there is honestly no 'secure' way of allowing what they want here. This is definitely easier than exporting them to another site.

[HopeGardensGuy]

The reason it isn't working for it is because we do not allow HTML to be posted due to security reasons. We have provided a way around this for YouTube videos for example, but there is no way for us to do the same for Picasa.

[Neo]

To say "there is no way for us to do the same for Picasa" is true for right now, but nothing prevents work being done to support it. A special "tool" could always be done for Picasa - I wonder how the different free photo sites stand, in terms of which is used more. You could actually have an "Imbed Picasa" tool, or some such nonsense. Or a "Flickr" item.

But still, all things considered, this is better than nothing!

Thanks for your help.

Well, I say it isn't possible without simply allowing you to embed any HTML code. If we allowed the Picasa code then anyone would be able to also embed any HTML code, code that could potentially be harmful to the backend of our site, etc. so we see it as a security risk that we're not willing to take. We're able to allow the embedding of YouTube and Google videos because of the way the links are produced on their end. Unfortunately Picasa's unique code includes a directory structure that is unique for each individual user so there simply is no way we could implement it so that it would be easy for the end-user. We could implement it yes, but it would only be partially so and would be no better (in fact would be more cumbersome) than just pasting in the direct JPG link.

I worked for many days to get around this same issue with the Google Maps embedding feature we had for a while and it was about 30% reliable due to the way Google produced inconsistent links and the links that we were able to successfully allow users to embed had code that interfered with the code we run on our end that comes from our forum software vendor (thus we can't fix that issue since it isn't our's to fix). I'm hoping in the future that we can again offer the embedding of Google Maps since that was one of the most useful features here at UP, but for now it just isn't possible. Picasa will likely never be possible unless Google makes a drastic change in the way the unique ID's are produced. What they did in the way of producing unique ID's for YouTube and Google videos was brilliant, but unfortunately they decided not to take that same brilliance and make it work with Google Maps and Picasa.