Media maintenance tools

  • tools
  • media
  • images

Updated

The Media tools keep your image library in step with your pages. Most of the work happens by itself in the background; the one tool you run is for fixing broken images. They're in Dirigible → Tools & Maintenance. See Using Tools & Maintenance.

WordPress saves several resized copies of every image you upload (thumbnail, medium, large, and sizes the theme adds). Pages use the copy that fits best.

Background jobs

Two jobs run on their own, a few images at a time, and each shows a status line:

  • Adding new image sizes: when a theme or plugin update adds an image size, this adds it to the images already in your library, starting with the ones your pages show first. Existing files are never changed or removed.
  • Media indexing: gives each image a fingerprint, so Dirigible can stop the same file being uploaded twice. New uploads are indexed as they arrive.

You don't need to do anything. Use the buttons only when a line says a job is stuck or behind:

  • Run now does the next batch straight away instead of waiting a couple of minutes.
  • Retry stalled appears if a job stopped after repeated failures. It tries those images again.
  • Retry skipped re-checks images that were skipped because their file was missing, in case the file is back.

Fix broken image references

Finds images on your pages whose file is missing from the site, often after a migration or a media cleanup, and fixes them. When the missing file is one of an image's standard sizes, it recreates that size and leaves the page as it is. Otherwise it points the image at the closest size that still exists, or the full-size original.

  1. Choose a Post status on the card if you want to narrow it.
  2. Click Preview fixes to see what will change.
  3. Click Apply fixes when it looks right. Only Administrators can apply; Managers can preview.

Only the pages the preview listed are changed, and each gets a revision you can revert. Images hosted on other sites aren't checked.

No longer here

  • Generate missing image sizes and Index media hashes: these now run by themselves as the background jobs above.
  • Delete unused image sizes, Missing media files and Find duplicate media have been removed. Uploading the same file twice is still blocked.
  • Sync alt tags: alt text you add or change in the media library shows on pages by itself, wherever an image has no alt text of its own. See How to write alt text for images.

To size and compress images before you upload them, see Best image size and format for your website.