Created attachment 196774 [details] ILLUSTRATION: the iMAGE window with the "options tab" on top hi, If you insert an image in a document, Libreoffice "imports it", which means, it makes its own copy of the original image. There's no link to the original file. AND it is good like this. BUT... It is a bad thing that you're NOT able to trace back which image it was that you once inserted in your document. Imagine a scenario: Your book is on the way to the print house, but your publisher tells you to change an image on page 72 because there is some artifact along the frame and it looks bad... as if it had a black border. You say: sure, and you start to open your old files. You find the folder with images of that chapter. But there are about 10 versions of each picture. Like, "more green", "cropped", "contrast", and many more. How can you tell which of these image variations is in the book? Only by looking. You look at the picture in the book, and the ones in your picture folder for that chapter. You look at them and try to figure which one. The differences are very subtle. Wouldn't it be great if the name of the original file was accessible in Libreoffice Writer when you click on the image in the document to see its properties? I say, It would be SUPER GREAT! It only requires that when the image is being imported, its filename is also saved. If it is saved then it takes only one extra row in the "Options" tab of the "IMAGE" window (when you click on the image inserted in the document). Under "name" there could be an other row: "original filename" (the path isn't interesting, users use cloud and access documents on various machines) If you can read the filename of the imported file, you can say you're lucky. Cause it is easy to find the original image if you have its name. It takes 1 sec. PLus you can take it for granted (be sure) that it is exactly that. That's why it'd be so great o have this info saved with our document... the original filenames of the inserted images. - - - thank you for developing Libreoffice AND WRITER :) - - - I'm doing it already. But then you open the document and there's no way to tell which image was inserted there. If you're lucky, you'll quickly find it, cause you see what that picture it is. BUT imagine that you had created about 6 versions of it. that is, there are 6 pictures of which you have to pick the one in the document. So, chances are that you pick a wrong one, modify it, and insert in the book. It will be published, and you'll realize that the colors are ugly, and you remember that there was a bad version with bad color - and you have it in the book now.
Created attachment 196775 [details] a real life illustration: the files I have to pick from (l the variations of one pic)
THIS PART in the OP below is irrelevant. I left it in the text by ACCIDENT. Sorry!! > I'm doing it already. > But then you open the document and there's no way to tell which image was > inserted there. > If you're lucky, you'll quickly find it, cause you see what that picture it > is. > BUT imagine that you had created about 6 versions of it. > that is, there are 6 pictures of which you have to pick the one in the > document. > > So, chances are that you pick a wrong one, modify it, and insert in the book. > It will be published, and you'll realize that the colors are ugly, and you > remember that there was a bad version with bad color - and you have it in > the book now.
You just save the image from your book (right-click it), and then you know where you saved it right now, and you edit that known file. Saving the data you want means creating privacy concerns - your local directory structure and file names are kept in the document. Not good.
I agree with Mike, that saving an original filename or a path does introduce private information into the document which the author may fail to notice. However - this could be arranged in an opt-in fashion, so that the user explicitly asks for the information to be saved. Here are at least two ways to do it: 1. Add another checkbox to the Insert > Image... dialog, which, when checked, includes the full path, or the full filename (we can bikeshed which) into the notes or description of the image. 2. In the confirmation dialog for inserting an image as a link, we now have two options: "Embed Grahpic" (i.e. give up on linking), and "Keep Link" (i.e. go ahead). We could add "Embed Graphic & note original path" (again, we can bikeshed the name) - this would add the full path into the notes or description. I would support the first option, although - I don't feel it's that useful, given that one can manually just copy the path into the notes for the image.
Beside the privacy concerns (I'd tackle it with File > Properties: Reset, or the like) I see a problem for copy/paste and drag 'n drop. In both cases, likely more often used, you don't have a source.