Introduction
Learn what LENA is for and what its main features are.
What is LENA for?
LENA (Polish: „Lekki album z łatwą nawigacją”, meaning a lightweight album with easy navigation) is a Joomla extension for creating photo galleries. In the administrator area, you upload photos, arrange them in albums and choose covers. You can display an album on its own page or insert it into an article.
Visitors browse thumbnails and open enlarged photos. They cannot add, edit or delete photos — you perform these actions in the Joomla administrator area.
Photos, albums and categories
| Element | What is it for? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Photo library | Stores photos you can use in albums. | All photos uploaded to the website. |
| Album | Contains selected photos in a chosen order. | “Family picnic 2026”. |
| Category | Groups albums you want to show in one list. | “Events”, containing albums from individual events. |
One photo can belong to several albums. You do not need to upload it again, and adding it to another album does not create a copy of the file. Its title, alternative text and description are shared across all albums. You set the photo order and cover separately for each album.
A category is optional. You need one to display a list of albums from a particular group. A single album and a gallery in an article can work without a category.
How can you display a gallery on the website?
There are three options:
- Single album — a menu item opens a page with the album title and its photos.
- Albums in a category — a menu item opens a list of albums from the selected category. Selecting a cover takes visitors to the album’s photos.
- Gallery in an article — the LENA gallery editor button inserts an album at the chosen position in the text. You add any heading above the gallery yourself in the article.
The first two options are explained in Menu items, and the third in Galleries in articles.
What does the installation package contain?
The ZIP package installs the LENA component, where you manage photos and albums, and two plugins:
- Editor Button - LENA Gallery lets you select an album while editing an article;
- Content - LENA Gallery displays the selected album within the article on the website.
This documentation describes component 1.0.3, included in package 1.1.1, and both plugins at version 1.0.0. The package and component version numbers can differ.
Where should you start?
- Check the technical requirements and install the package.
- Follow the instructions for creating your first gallery.
- Before publishing, complete the photos’ alternative text and check the gallery while signed out.
What should you know before starting?
- Removing a photo from an album removes only its assignment. The photo remains in the library and other albums.
- Moving a photo to the trash hides it from every album, but you can restore it later.
- Permanently deleting a photo removes its files and assignments. See Photo trash for details.
- Alternative text describes an image, including for people using screen readers. It is not a visible caption below the photo.
- The photo and album Description fields store additional information in the administrator area. The standard LENA 1.0 gallery does not display them. To add a visible gallery description, write it in an article alongside the album.