MW Quick Gallery - Joomla 5/6 Plugin

Developed by Mertsch-Web

Version: 1.0.5
Date: January 4, 2026

Quick Start

After installation, add the following code to your article:

{gallery path='images/my-folder'}

That's it! The gallery will automatically load and display all images from the specified folder.

Features

• Automatically loads all images from a specified folder
• Responsive grid layout with configurable columns
• Professional lightbox with glassmorphic design
• Keyboard navigation (arrow keys, ESC)
• Touch/swipe support for mobile devices
• Uniform thumbnail display (square 1:1)
• Configurable thumbnail size
• Lazy loading for optimal performance
• Elegant hover effects with shadows and transforms
• SVG icons for crisp display
• Image title and counter in lightbox (optional)
• Loading spinner when switching images
• Accessibility support (prefers-reduced-motion)
• Supports JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP
• Fully configurable via plugin parameters
• Automatic updates via Joomla update system

Installation

1. Create a ZIP file with all plugin files
2. Go to: System -> Extensions -> Install
3. Upload the ZIP file
4. Activate the plugin at: System -> Plugins -> Content - MW Quick Gallery

Usage

Basic Usage

Add the following code to your articles:

{gallery path='images/my-folder'}

Important: Replace images/my-folder with the actual path to your image folder relative to the Joomla root directory.

Advanced Options

{gallery path='images/my-folder' columns='4' title='My Gallery'}

Parameters:

| Parameter | Required | Description |
|-----------|----------|-------------|
| path | Yes | Relative path to the image folder from Joomla root |
| columns | No | Number of columns (overrides plugin setting) |
| title | No | Title above the gallery |

Examples

{gallery path='images/projects/2025'}

{gallery path='images/team' columns='5' title='Our Team'}

{gallery path='images/products/category-a' columns='3'}

Plugin Configuration

In the plugin backend, you can set the following default values:

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Number of Columns | 2-5 columns in the grid | 3 |
| Thumbnail Size | Thumbnail size in pixels (square 1:1) | 200 |
| Gap | Gap between images in pixels | 10 |
| Lightbox | Enable/disable lightbox function | Enabled |
| Show Image Title | Show/hide image title in lightbox | Enabled |

Lightbox Features

• Click on image opens fullscreen view
• Navigation with arrow keys (left/right)
• Close with ESC key or X button
• Glassmorphic design with blur effect
• Touch-friendly for mobile devices
• Image title and counter in lightbox (optional)
• Loading spinner when switching images

Automatic Updates

The plugin supports Joomla's integrated update system:

1. Go to: System -> Update -> Extensions
2. Click "Check for Updates"
3. Available updates will be displayed automatically
4. Click "Update" to install the latest version

Technical Details

• Joomla Compatibility: 5.0 - 6.999
• PHP Version: 8.1 or higher
• Layout: CSS Grid (no framework required)
• JavaScript: Vanilla JS (no jQuery dependency)
• Performance: Lazy loading, optimized images
• Design: Mobile-first, responsive

Changelog

Version 1.0.5 (January 4, 2026)

• New backend option: Show/hide image title in lightbox
• Improved thumbnail display for all image formats (16:9, 4:3, 1:1)
• Fixed gray bars on widescreen images

Version 1.0.4 (December 28, 2025)

• Completely redesigned professional look
• SVG icons instead of emojis
• Image title and counter in lightbox
• Touch/swipe support for mobile devices
• Loading spinner when switching images
• Improved hover effects and animations
• Accessibility improvements

Version 1.0.3 (December 9, 2025)

• Thumbnail size now correctly applied to width and height (square 1:1)
• Improved grid display with fixed thumbnail size
• Optimized responsive adjustments
• Code optimizations and bugfixes

Version 1.0.2 (November 27, 2025)

• Improved thumbnail display with uniform square sizes
• Optimized lightbox navigation with glassmorphic design
• Update server integration for automatic updates
• Confirmed compatibility with Joomla 5 and 6
• Performance optimizations
• Donation button added in backend

Version 1.0.0 (November 2025)

• Initial release
• Basic gallery functionality
• Lightbox integration
• Responsive grid layout

Support Development

MW Quick Gallery is a free open-source plugin. If you would like to support development, we appreciate a small donation:

Support

For questions or issues, please contact Mertsch-Web.

Author

Mertsch-Web
- Website: https://mertsch-web.de
- Email: [email protected]

License

GNU General Public License version 2 or later

Copyright (C) 2025-2026 Mertsch-Web