Hi, love zenphot and great support. Will need to donate again. Using 1.4.3.3(10902) and can't manually sort images in albums after dragging and applying, it stays the same on the site. Anything else I need to do other than album image sort/manual?

Also refreshed and cleared cache just in case ....

Please review the error logs (Server and zp ones) for possible errors. Do you see a change on the backend after sorting but not on the front end?

Found this....
{Sun, 14 Oct 2012 13:34:39 GMT}
Backtrace: WARNING: in_array() expects parameter 2 to be array, null given in /home/infocent/public_html/gypsies/zp-core/admin-options.php on line 2480
in_array called
from admin-options.php [2480]
... then it repeats with more line numbers.
I deleted the log, moved images around, applied, but no change on the site and no errors in the log.

... and on the server:

[Sun Oct 14 23:55:21 2012] [error] [client 1.124.85.72] File does not exist: /home/infocent/public_html/404.shtml
[Sun Oct 14 23:03:54 2012] [error] [client 1.124.85.72] File does not exist: /home/infocent/public_html/favicon.ico

... repeated several times.

... changed order by ID, date, time etc and although it changes in the image order screen, they still come up on the site in what I've worked out, as filename order each time..

Note that the dropdown selectors on the images backend tab are only for backend display. The only option that sticks for display is the option on either the general options or those on each album.
Your error might be related but I am sorry, I am not able to reproduce this.

The server errors are probably just people trying to access stuff that isn't there.

Ok, I can see that now but when I change the album/image sort order to manual, it still doesn't correspond at frontend to that order. I'm sure I'm missing something simple so where else can I get it to conform frontend to that sequence? Can't see a manual option in general tab either.

....from more testing - setting "filemtime" or any other under option in "album/sort image by" makes it sort frontend by filemtime only - setting "manual" at "album/sort image by" changes it at backend viewing as you said but still only sorts per filemtime frontend.

... more testing ..... thought I'd be smart and changed the titles from 1 to 4 in a small album and the Sort by Title but frontend still showed filemtime order (cleared cache, checked another machine) - BUT - when I clicked on the LAST (No4) image, it showed up with NEXT even though it was the last so I assume it recalled from the database correctly but didn't show them in that order.
I'll leave it till you give me a solution now cause I can't fathom it.

... weird .... the frontend album/image thumbnail display shows filemtime order, yet when I click on an image, the sequence follows my manual order in the backend. In other words, if I click on the 4th image on the thumbnail page, it may be the first in the backend manual order and won't let me go Prev eg. because it's the "first". Hope that's clear. So the manual order works but just doesn't get reflected on the frontend album/thumbnail page. Sorry about the extra postings but I'm trying to minimise your time by telling you of different scenarios I get.

Clear your browser cache

Did that a few times. Should the manual order indeed set the display order at frontend? If so I must have missed something.

Of course it should and as said it does work for me.

Just to be sure this is the place to sort images manually:
http://www.zenphoto.org/screenshots/zenphoto-admin/album-image-sorting.jpg.php

The selector here on the top right is backend only:
http://www.zenphoto.org/screenshots/zenphoto-admin/album-images-edit.jpg.php

Hmmm, yep, unfortunately (I'd have liked to have been a dodo)that's exactly what I'm doing, sorting in the Image Order drag section then applying, clearing the cache every time .. unless my provider is caching too diligently. I'm certain it's worked in the past because I had maps showing as the first image at the front of most albums and they've all now been reordered to the midst and the rest of those previously sorted images are all over the place so to speak, so something generally has changed.
Any magic backend end secret overall setting?

No, not that I know. Do you maybe use the html static cache plugin? Although that would only be used if you are not logged in try clearing that cache.

The s.h.cache plug is not enabled.
Tried the following:
Changed the title on 3 images in a small album to 1,2,3.
Options/Images/Sort order = title
Album, sort images by = title
Even dragged in Image Order to 1,2,3 sequence.

Frontend Result - album image thumbnail sorts in ID sequence it seems that happens to be title 1,3,2.
When Next from 1, it goes to the 3rd thumbnail which is 2 and correct, so it's only the album thumbnails display that is wrong. Hope you followed that?

Not knowing your theme my only guess would be that you override the sorting within the next_image loop on your theme:
http://www.zenphoto.org/documentation/functions/_template-functions.php.html#functionnext_image

Using effervescence plus.. and I've swapped and tried other themes but they all display the album thumbnails in the wrong sequence. But the Next function does bring it up in the correct order (which is different from the display order - it's only the album page that shows the thumbnails in the wrong order. Is there a call for that that I can change?
Really, I need to be able to manually drag the images and have the frontend album page show the correct order but I'm using title numbers as a trial.

Sorry, I have no other idea because I cannot reproduce this issue.