Description:
Instead of using the default source directory of an opened file to "save as" and "export to pdf" in the same source folder, LibreOffice changes its behavior, and whereas the document has been saved or not, sometimes uses the source folder, sometimes the last folder used for "save as" or "export to pdf", which can be different !

Steps to Reproduce:
Hi, regarding the discussions about the new feature introduced temporarily in version 25.2.2 with "Saves as" and "Export to pdf" proposing by default not the current same folder as the one containing the original opened file, but the last folder used for each operation "Save as" and "pdf export", version 25.8 aimed to put a new behavior :

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=165917#c48

When calling an Export dialog (PDF, epub, ...) the following
folder will be preselected:

For stored documents:
* Current document directory
* If another directory was chosen for the export,
  that directory will be preselected for subsequent exports
  (stored only during runtime - per document)

For unstored documents:
* The last used export directory is restored (last used in unsaved doc)

But it doesn' t work like this for me in LO 25.8.0.2 on Ubuntu 25.10 (development version)

Actual Results:
The way LO handles "Save as" and "Export pdf" is far worse now than the modified behavior introduced in version 25.2.2, because LibreOffice doesn't act identically on a same document regarding the chronological order :

Simple case: I open a LO document in folder A

1- Without modifying it, I click on "Save as", LO shows me on the window by default the same folder A, if I click then on "Export to pdf", the same - LO shows me by default folder A

2- I write on the document - modify it and, WITHOUT saving it, again if I click on "Save as", LO shows me on the window by default the same folder A, if I click then on "Export to pdf", the same - LO shows me by default folder A. Until now, logical, perfect and the same behavior as before 25.2.2

3- I save the same document (Ctrl-S or "Edit - Save", not "Save as"), it overwrites the file in folder A, I let it opened and again click on "Save as" → this time LO shows me on the window by default the folder B, and if I click on "Export to pdf", LO show me by default folder C *

* if the last time the folders when I last "saved as" or "exported as pdf" documents were not the same (because I don't export to pdf all the documents I open, modify and save).

So, instead of having all my LO and pdf files for this specific document in the same original folder, I now have files in 3 different folders - a complete mess !

And open a document, modify it, save it, then export to pdf (in this order) is a very common task, I do it every day for dozen of files in many different sub-folders.

This behavior, which changes for a SAME opened document whereas it has been saved or not, is completely un-logical and unexpected.

Expected Results:
It introduces a major change, without explanation, on a major function - saving and exporting files, which breaks with the previous 20 years and the behavior of other software. For example, if I open an image with Gimp, I modify it, save the xcf then export in png, Gimp always proposes me by default the source directory where the original image is stored.And also if I open and work on many images at the same time, in different (sub)-folders, coming from one to others: each time save and export are proposed for each image in their respective current same origin folder.

Like I explained just above, LibreOffice not only behaves differently regarding the situation, but worse: for a SAME opened document, it doesn't act identically and changes the default "save as" / "export to pdf" folder even while using a single file, depending on whether or not it has been saved (Ctrl-S). The change introduced in 25.2.2 was questionable, but at least in my memory it was consistent.

Now it's a complete garbage in my Files explorer: every day I open, sometimes simultaneously, many odt and calc files, that I modify, save, export in pdf, then re-modify again, coming back from one to another, sometimes after having closed and reopened them, sometimes after having let them opened between the changes. So:

Sometimes LO proposes me the source directory by default, sometimes the last folder where I "Saved as" or "exported to pdf" - folders which can be different, and more important, LO changes this last folder many times in the same day - when I notice on the window opened for saving / exporting to pdf and puts the export in the same current folder as the source file, it changes the "last folder used" for the following ones… !

As I don't notice every time - I'm used to save / export to pdf and expect the pdf created / replaced in the same current source folder, it happens that: for some documents I have the odt / calc source in folder A, updated saved as odt / calc in folder B, exported pdf in folder C. And sometimes with multiple copies because those initially on folder A still exist.

So when I work on many projects / files on many different sub-folders, a big work is then necessary to reorganize all of them and move on the right origin folders, with a particular attention to replace in folder A with the most recent version !

It's completely unmanageable. :(


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
If the option to have an unique directory for all "saved as" and "exported to pdf" files - folders which can be different for each action - is useful for some people, it should be introduced as an option in the settings, not activated by default, and not change in LO version update.

I don't understand if it works as intended, if yes how could have such an idea been implemented, or if it doesn't and if it's a bug ?…

Thanks in advance for your help and for your great work on LibreOffice !