File Choose Preference not working

[lanettem02]

I create documentation for software and we have to modify content between releases frequently. When you go to insert and image, or insert a new topicref into a ditamap, the file chooser (browser) default always to the last directory you accessed, rather than the current project. This is problematic as our content directory structures are duplicated from release to release, so, if you don't realize you are inserting a file from the wrong directory, you really mess up your content. I was hopeful when I saw the Global Preferences for the "File chooser dialog", as the option "File chooser opens: Directory of the selected file" seemed like it would always open the directory for the file you are currently editing in the XML editor; however, it does not work - it still always opens to the last visited directory. Is this broken???

[Radu]

Hi,

The way in which we decided to make the "Insert image" file chooser initial location work makes sense if you use only one project.
Usually in a project the images are all placed in an "images" folder and it makes sense for the "Insert Image" file chooser to remember that folder from where the last image was chosen and disregard the "File chooser opens: Directory of the selected file" setting.
From what I understand you have multiple projects and you are switching between them in the Oxygen Project view. And your use case also makes sense, maybe Oxygen should disregard the last folder in which the insert image file chooser was opened when you switch between projects. I added an internal issue based on your use case:

EXM-50552 DITA Insert Image - reset file chooser start folder when switching projects

We'll update this forum thread if we implement it in a future version.

Some workarounds to using the "Insert Image" toolbar action:

1) Drag and drop an image from the Project view to the editing area.
2) Copy paste an image from the Project view to the editing area.
3) In the Oxygen main menu Window->"Show view" you can show the "DITA Reusable Components" side view. It has a "Media" tab in which you can define working sets with image folders, and these working sets are saved at project level.
https://www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/ ... _media_tab

Also if you open a DITA Map in the DITA Maps Manager view, the "Validate and check for completeness" action from the DITA Maps Manager view toolbar has a setting named "Report references to resources outside of the DITA Map folder" which may be useful to identify such cases.

Regards,
Radu

[lanettem02]

Hi Radu!
Thank you for your response. Just to clarify, the issue isn't just with inserting images, it is also with inserting topicrefs into a ditamap.
Can you clarify what that File Chooser preference does? And can you clarify that there is no where that you can change the behavior of the "Browse for local file" dialog box???
Thanks so much!
Lanette

[Radu]

Hi Lanette,

That setting in the Oxygen Preferences->Global page named "File chooser opens opens:" was mostly intended for the situations when the file chooser is opened using the Oxygen "FIle->Open" toolbar action or menu.
As I previously said the file chooser which is shown from the Oxygen ""Insert image"" dialog does not obey this setting.
About the dialog used to insert topicrefs in the DITA Maps Manager view, indeed it has an internal file chooser and that file chooser does not change its current directory when a new project is opened in Oxygen or when a new file is selected. I added a mention to look into this as well on the already opened internal issue.

Regards,
Radu

[Radu]

Hi,

As an update Oxygen 25 was released and should have an update for issue EXM-50552 listed above.

Regards,
Radu