Multiple image uploads in Drupal with Plupload

One of our students was setting up a photo gallery and asked:
“I was wondering what module you think would best enable my site members to upload multiple photographs at once.”
There are several ways to do this with Drupal. We’re going to show you one option that uses a script called Plupload.
Multiple image uploads by default
It is possible to allow a basic multiple image upload feature in Drupal without adding any modules.
When you create a default image field, simply set the “Number of values” to more than 1.
However, it will still be fairly difficult to use. When you come to add the images, the process will be this:
- Choose an image
- Click Upload
- Wait for a new file upload area to appear
- Choose an image
- Click Upload
- Wait for a new file upload area to appear
- Repeat until done …

Let’s see if we can make that workflow easier for our users by using Plupload.
Install the modules and files
Install and enable these two modules:
- Plup: http://drupal.org/project/plup
- Libraries: http://drupal.org/project/libraries
We’ll now to need to upload the files for Plupload.
- Go to http://www.plupload.com/download.php
- Click the Download link shown below:

- Extract the files that you just downloaded. You’ll get a folder called /plupload/
- Browse to the /sites/all/ folder in your Drupal site
- If you don’t have a /libraries/ folder here, create one
- Upload the /plupload/ folder into your /libraries/ folder

Create a new field
- Go to Structure > Content types > Manage fields
- Choose Image and then choose Plupload as the widget
- All of the settings will be identical to a normal image field

- Finish creating the field
- Go to Content > Add content and create a new content item
- You’ll see a multiple file upload area as in the image below
- To upload images, you can either drag files into the marked space or you can click Add

- Add all the images you want to upload
- Click Upload

- You’ll see a small progress bar:

- You’ll see thumbnails of the images:

Thanks for sharing these great instructions.
Can this be used together with elFinder?
I don’t believe it does, I’m afraid. There’s a list of more plupload integrations here: [url=http://drupal.org/project/plupload]http://drupal.org/project/p…[/url]
It’s been a while since I’ve tested, but Elfinder does claim multiple file upload: [url=http://drupal.org/project/elfinder]http://drupal.org/project/e…[/url]
[url=http://drupal.org/project/plupload]http://drupal.org/project/p…[/url] and [url=http://drupal.org/project/plup]http://drupal.org/project/plup[/url] are two different things. I prefer the former, and it integrates well with [url=http://drupal.org/project/imageeditor]http://drupal.org/project/i…[/url] which is cool for “the complete package”.
I did all instructions but at the last once “You’ll see thumbnails of the images:”, I can’t see my thumbnails image, the crash image is appear. When I check it on resource, there a forbidden issue to the thumbnails image. What should I do?
Since the last Update (7.20) Drupal adds a key to the query string of images in order to avoid ddos attacks. Plup seems to habe problems with that. A short search didn’t bring up any redults. Any ideas?
@Wirka:
add: $conf[‘image_allow_insecure_derivatives’] = TRUE;
to your settings.php.
Having the same problem after 7.2 update. Thumbnails are broken on initial upload but appear if the node is edited. Do not want to add that line to setting.php as it bypasses security fix. Any other ideas?
Hi Jamie, Balu, Wirka
Drupal 7.21 has been released to fix this bug.
And If I want Use that in a web form created with a my own module, how can I say where ti should be save the images?
Thanks Balu, I did as u said $conf[‘image_allow_insecure_derivatives’] = TRUE; and it worked. I was searching to solve this problem and found this article and your comment. You can check photo menu of [url=http://happpyrays.in]http://happpyrays.in[/url]
This is very useful information. Thanks for sharing.
nice information thanks for effort 🙂
Well, I must be extra-stupid, because I still can’t make head-nor tail of these instructions.
1) ‘Plup’ itself is now discontinued and I have installed Plupload, the library and IMCE_Plupload.
2) Under ‘Create a new field’, you have said: ”
Go to Structure > Content types > Manage fields
Choose Image and then choose Plupload as the widget”
This makes no sense to me. Should I be creating a new Content Type first?
3) Next, you have written: ”
Finish creating the field
Go to Content > Add content and create a new content item”
Again.. this makes no sense.
Can you please go through this with concise instructions that are pertinent to the menu items for the terminally stupid such as myself?
Thank-you.
Slartibartfast , have a look at the attached photos these may help you
2) Under ‘Create a new field’, you have said:
” see Gallery node screen shot 2 on how to “add a new field” before you can do this you have to Go to Structure > Content types > Gallery Item >Manage fields
Choose Image and then choose Plupload as the widget” as you can see on the second screen shot labelled “Gallery node 2”
I hope this helps you.
I have followed these instructions and all seem fine except that I am unable to upload images. When I click on “add ” nothing happens and when I drag and drop the photos my website url is replace with the path of the directory where I have the photo. I have attached screen shots to explain my problem, can anyone help me out with this? Thanks
Ashi Baron — Have you got the solution of this problem . I am also facing the same issue…
Could you please help me out with this. … Many many Thanks in Advance…..