flickr-mail/README.md
Edward Betts e627e6f34c Update README with integrated Flickr search feature
Document the new workflow where users can browse Flickr search results
directly in the interface instead of visiting Flickr's search page.

Closes: #5

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-02-04 16:52:27 +00:00

75 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown

# Flickr Photo Finder for Wikipedia Articles
Tool lives here: <https://edwardbetts.com/flickr_mail/>
This tool is designed to help you find photos on Flickr for Wikipedia articles
and contact the photographer. It's a Python application that leverages the Flask
framework for web development.
## Table of Contents
- [Introduction](#introduction)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [Error Handling](#error-handling)
- [Running the Application](#running-the-application)
## Introduction
This tool is developed and maintained by Edward Betts (edward@4angle.com). Its
primary purpose is to simplify the process of discovering and contacting
photographers on Flickr whose photos can be used to enhance Wikipedia articles.
### Key Features
- **Integrated Flickr search**: Enter a Wikipedia article title and see Flickr
photos directly in the interface - no need to visit Flickr's search page.
- **Photo grid with metadata**: Search results display as a grid of thumbnails
showing the photographer's name and license for each photo.
- **License highlighting**: Photos with Wikipedia-compatible licenses (CC BY,
CC BY-SA, CC0, Public Domain) are highlighted with a green badge.
- **One-click message composition**: Click any photo to compose a permission
request message with the photo displayed alongside.
- Generate messages to request permission to use photos on Wikipedia.
- Handle exceptions gracefully and provide detailed error information.
## Usage
To use the tool, follow these steps:
1. Start the tool by running the script.
2. Access the tool through a web browser.
3. Enter the Wikipedia article title or URL.
4. Browse the Flickr search results displayed in the interface.
5. Click on a photo to select it and compose a permission request message.
6. Copy the subject and message, then click "Send message on Flickr" to contact
the photographer.
## Error Handling
The application includes error handling to ensure a smooth user experience. If
an error occurs, it will display a detailed error message with traceback
information. The error handling is designed to provide valuable insights into
any issues that may arise during use.
## Running the Application
To run the application, ensure you have Python 3 installed on your system. You
will also need to install the required Python modules mentioned in the script,
including Flask, requests, and others.
1. Clone this repository to your local machine.
2. Navigate to the project directory.
3. Run the following command to start the application:
```bash
python3 main.py
```
4. Access the application by opening a web browser and visiting the provided URL
(usually `http://localhost:5000/`).
That's it! You can now use the Flickr Photo Finder tool to streamline the
process of finding and contacting photographers for Wikipedia articles.
If you encounter any issues or have questions, feel free to contact Edward Betts
(edward@4angle.com).
Happy photo hunting!