Let me start by saying: I do this for a living and I'm no less confused than you are :) This is a solution that needs happen in Drupal and no one has quite done it yet. The media module has this intent but it's not going to be ready for a while.

Right now, I end up using a mismash of things that I've learned work over the years. None of them are this 'all in one' solution you're looking for. Asset Module was as close as they got previously and worked nicely, but from what I hear Media module is seeking to replace that.

So, right now, cobbling together a solution or waiting for media module (or something better) are our only two options. If you find something that works for you don't hesitate to post back here with the info.

Thanks for the encouragement.
It is nice to know others have the same questions and issues. I have read a bunch about the media module, but I am still confused about its direction & intent.
Will media module replace IMCE? Or will IMCE need to be rewritten to use media module?
How does file_field & image_field fit in?
How does the hook_file stuff I have heard about fit in?

I guess I am asking what sort of recomended recipe you might recommend.
Right now, I think I could get ALMOST all of what I desire with the biggest exception being the file management and tagging tools. By this, I mean being able to upload, rename, move, tag, & search. Renaming and moving should not break links.

Here is my current best attempt recipe:
FCKeditor for wysywig
IMCE for file insertion & some management, with some user interface customizations.
Image Resize Filter for on-the-fly image resizing

CCK, File Field, Image Field, & Imagecache might fit in too (especially for the gallery portion of my goals), but I am not exactly sure how yet.

Yeah, all this is headed in the right direction. Here's some more info (as I understand it):

Media module is going to be an upload/managmenet solution, NOT a display solution. That means that you still have to be uploading files INTO something so they'll display. Right now, the dev version is built to work with media mover and core upload modules. So, you'd upload/choose your file using media module, then use many other modules (filefield, upload, emfield, etc) to include that file in the node.

Most likely this could be replacing IMCE for inline images, but all the others would still be in play. And, as a side note, I'm going to bet that IMCE won't have an upgrade path since it's not really a 'drupal-centric' solution. Filefield on the other hand WILL have an upgrade path.

Imagecache, Filefield and ImageAPI (or parts of them) should be in D7, so there's a good argument now for using those.

For anyone browsing this post and having the same questions, Arlin inspired me to create this video podcast over at Mustardseed Media.

Thanks, I watched the podcast and it was great, just the sort of think I was looking for...
But, I want more! I guess I am just a little too demanding in my media goals.

I think media module will someday be the solution. But I may need to wait... contribute, I mean.

Arlin,

It seems we were both on the same track on Wednesday. I started a closely related thread over here: http://geeksandgod.com/forums/dynamic-website-foru...

It was maybe 1.5 yrs ago that Walkah was taking input for a core solution for this very thing... and it was a longstanding issue back then. For anyone who knows - did this new Media module come out of those initial info gathering efforts? Or is this something totally new?

I see ArthurF was the first to work on the new Media module. I spoke with him around March 2008, and he was saying a combo of Asset and some other stuff was the best thing to use at that point. So... It sounds like this, (especially looking at the developer list) as a successor to Asset will likely be the ultimate answer and culmination of a lot of good thinking.

I just wish it was in place already :(

Nitro - yeah I saw your post a little too late (you were first).
File & Media management just seems quite disjointed in Drupal right now. There are a LOT of different approaches, but I don't think any of them provide a good, integrated, intuitive, end-user friendly solution right now.

In the end, what I want is some sort of file management that does the following:

1. Easy and intuitive uploading of files
2. Easy and intuitive selection of files for inline use or in feilds
3. Ability to tag/describe files so they can be searched during the selection process above
4. Ability to move files around on the server WITHOUT worrying about breaking links to them.
5. Determine if and where a file is used on the site so the effects of deleting or modifying them can be evaluated

I am hoping media module and new hook_file() functions will really start gluing some of this together.

One of the best ideas I found is the Web File Manager module. With WebFM, all files are referenced ONLY by a file id # (fid). All uploaded files are just dumped into a single directory on the server and renamed to /fid. The WebFM module interface provides a "virtual directory" structure for managing the files. The file name, directory location, etc. are just properties of each fid which are stored in the database. WebFM even provides a way to add tags (metadata) to the files, but I did not see any included way of using this information.
HOWEVER, the WebFM interface is not totally to my liking. Also, it just is not the future for Drupal. I think it is pretty much dead ended right now.

Hey guys, I know this post was done about 2 years ago, but I find myself in this exact dilemma! Media module for Drupal 7 is in shambles and IMCE doesn't allow the customization of placing files in a taxonomy-based directory (it only creates folders based on usernames or dates - at least to my knowledge). Do you know of any other modules that will do the job? Thanks!

Rob has been lamenting the state of media in Drupal 7 for awhile now. He could probably address this well. It seems I remember reading that mustard seed media fixed some things. Perhaps your post is moot now. It seems like there is a way to incorporate a php script into IMCE to accomplish most anything you need but I have yet to venture very far into the Drupal 7 world.

So, what is media? It tends to go well beyond just images (which IMCE is great at handling). If we look at wordpress as an example you have images, audio, video, and other content (like polls). IMCE with some PHP isn't really adequate at handling this.

In Drupal 5 there were a couple ways of handling this (like the asset module). But, little moved forward to Drupal 6 and really media library handling never existed. Everything was kind of a half hearted hack compared to what is offered in other tools.

In Drupal 7 there is the media module which attempts to solve this. It's being used in a number of production environments like Acquia Gardens and a number of other sites I'm aware of. But, it's currently being iterated over at a fast pace. Some of the changes break backwards compatibility. If you know what's going on and can migrate your settings and data it may be an option. But, for the masses it's not something I would recommend yet. I hope this changes by the fall. Great people are working to make this awesome.

Thanks for the succinct summary. I've been wondering what the status and outlook are on media. I have thought that 6 handled media well with SWFtools and emfield. These all seemed to work well so that leads me to the question of what could be improved? Perhaps this is something that research on D.o would help me with. If Drupal 6 handled media the way you think it should be handled what would it do differently? Are you talking about all media being handled by core? What do you see as 'Media Library Handling'?