"view gallery" text link to trigger the colorbox popup image gallery instead of the thumbnails for the views image formatter

I tried to make a custom formatter, but didn't manage to get a single entry of the view gallery link nor to make a gallery in the popup, with the following I just get one image for each link which is useless.

/* 
 * colorbox gallery triggered by a "view gallery" link with a large image style
 */

// Set this value to the desire style.
$style = "large";

$output = '';
foreach ($variables['#items'] as $item) {
  if ($item) {
    $output .= '<a href="'.image_style_url($style, $item['uri']).'" title="'.$item['title'].'" alt="'.$item['alt'].'" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-'.$item['fid'].'-field_photos">view gallery</a>';
  }
}
return $output;

I also tried to rewrite an image field in views (see attached screenshot) that nearly worked, the popup displays a gallery, but I still get duplicate entries for the view gallery link.

So as a workaround I'm going to try to embed a views slideshow in the colorbox, and I guess I will have to use views field view module to get this done.

although it might look like and overkill it works:
So you need views slideshow + colorbox + views field view

1) create a view (A) with the slideshow and a contextual filter based on the nid
2) create the view (B) where you need a "view gallery link" + exclude from display
3) create a nid field + exclude from display
4) embed view A in view B with views field view (C) and add the nid as contextual filter + exclude from display
5) create an image field (D) with rewrite active (type: view gallery) and strip HTML tags + exclude from display
6) create a colorbox triggered by D with C (replacement pattern is [view]) in the popup

you're done

Yet it would be nice if someone can share an easier step by step or if a new feature would be added to colorbox.
So I leave it active but down to minor as I found a workaround.

Oh sorry for the typo (fixed it). Here are the attached screens