Pictools builds web sites, especially those like PhysPics.com with collections of pictures. Here are the key concepts:

Page Template

Page layout sections defined by PhyspicsMain template

Pictools pages use the template PhyspicsMain. It makes pages with top rows, bottom rows, and a middle row having left columns, a single "body" cell, and right columns. Contents of the rows and columns are configurable via properties.

PhyspicsMain php-includes beginpage.php. Changes to this one file will instantly apply to all Pictools pages.

Properties

page.toprow: dirbar.php title.php
page.leftcell: blankleftcolumn.php
page.rightcell: adcolumn.php
page.bottomrow: copyright.php

Pictool's properties are multilingual and inherited. Properties for a directory are defined in its "Pictools.properties" file. That file is processed by propcon to produce properties files for other languages like C and php. Properties inherit because propcon also scans Pictools.properties in parent directories and a few others. Global properties are defined in /Pictools.properties. Php code accesses properties via functions in SiteProps.php.

Captions Files

file: Spring Spring Flowers in Philad...
picturesdir: /pictures/2014/03-March
subtitle: <a href="http://theflowersho...
Susan timed her talk at Rutgers to aff...
[IMG_20140303_162309.jpg] 
[IMG_20140303_125312.jpg]
...

Display of pictures is governed by caption files. If a directory has a caption file (with extension .cap), a Pictools Makefile client will generate a series of subdirectories, one for each "file:" segment in the file. It also generates an index.php file for each of these directories, interleaving lines of pictures, text, and subtitles. The captions file is also consulted to display individual pictures and slideshows.