Bug 160954 - Can't change OLE Object link target from context menu and properties dialog
Summary: Can't change OLE Object link target from context menu and properties dialog
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
24.8.0.0 alpha0+
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: OLE-Objects
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Reported: 2024-05-06 09:37 UTC by Eyal Rozenberg
Modified: 2024-10-25 03:14 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

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Description Eyal Rozenberg 2024-05-06 09:37:53 UTC
Suppose I insert an OLE object from an existing file, linking to that file, and then want to switch the link to another file.

There is no option for doing that on the OLE object's context menu; nor is it present in the object's Properties dialog.

It is possible to make the change via Edit | External Links, but that's insufficient IMHO, plus, that is general dialog for all links.
Comment 1 Heiko Tietze 2024-05-06 10:57:08 UTC

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 133536 ***
Comment 2 Eyal Rozenberg 2024-05-06 11:28:20 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #1)
> 
> *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 133536 ***

Heiko, that bug is about a Calc spreadsheet with links within it, embedded into a Writer document. This bug is about any OLE object; and it's not about the inability to update, but the convenience/accessibility of the UI for updating. So, not a dupe.
Comment 3 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2024-05-21 11:02:22 UTC
An image (linked or not) has the option to "Replace" from context menu. We could have a similar option for OLE Objects, possibly named the same, that leads directly to the "Insert OLE Object" dialog.
I would prefer this option as a more consistent and more generic solution:
- more consistent with images;
- more generic as it applies to any OLE object, not exclusively the linked ones.

Don't you agree, Eyal?
Comment 4 Eyal Rozenberg 2024-05-24 16:17:40 UTC
(In reply to Stéphane Guillou (stragu) from comment #3)

I... wonder if changing the link is the same as replacing. I would expect changing the link to have a delayed effect - until the link is updated, and also perhaps to conserve any settings made after object insertion; while "replace" makes me expect that any such setting (e.g. a resize to a fraction of the original size) might be reset. But that is just my intuition.
Comment 5 QA Administrators 2024-05-25 03:28:31 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 6 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2024-05-28 23:43:48 UTC
(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #4)
> I... wonder if changing the link is the same as replacing. I would expect
> changing the link to have a delayed effect - until the link is updated, and
> also perhaps to conserve any settings made after object insertion; while
> "replace" makes me expect that any such setting (e.g. a resize to a fraction
> of the original size) might be reset. But that is just my intuition.
Regarding "conserving the settings", the Replace we have for images does that. I tested for size and text wrap settings, for example. No reason why a Replace for OLE objects wouldn't do the same.

Regarding having "delayed link update", I find it hard to even imagine a use case.
Have you ever wanted to do the following?
1. Insert OLE object
2. Realise it's not the one you wanted
3. Replace the link without updating the displayed contents straight away (why?)
4. At a later time, update the link

So if anything needs to be added to context menu, I'd strongly prefer the more generic + consistent solution in comment 3.
Comment 7 Eyal Rozenberg 2024-10-24 09:21:37 UTC
(In reply to Stéphane Guillou (stragu) from comment #3)
> An image (linked or not) has the option to "Replace" from context menu. We
> could have a similar option for OLE Objects, possibly named the same, that
> leads directly to the "Insert OLE Object" dialog.

Let's just do this. If I feel it's insufficient I suppose I could complain again... but this already resolves most of the issue I suppose.
Comment 8 QA Administrators 2024-10-25 03:14:47 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)