Bug 34303 - PDF export predefined destination folder
Summary: PDF export predefined destination folder
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: UI (show other bugs)
Version: 4.0.4.2 release
Hardware: All Windows (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
: 48152 51149 66996 67000 67222 69880 71968 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2011-02-15 09:38 UTC by thePanz
Modified: 2015-01-14 16:45 UTC (History)
12 users (show)

See Also:
i915 platform:
i915 features:


Attachments
attachment-10306-0.html (1.79 KB, text/html)
2014-05-26 09:28 UTC, Posy
Details
attachment-10306-1.dat (1 bytes, multipart/alternative)
2014-05-26 09:28 UTC, Posy
Details
klaus_w_posner.vcf (147 bytes, text/x-vcard)
2014-05-26 09:28 UTC, Posy
Details

Description thePanz 2011-02-15 09:38:13 UTC
When exporting to PDF the "Save to" dialog point to the latest used directory. It should instead (IMHO) point to the same location of the current opened document. 

This suggested behavior will save a lot user mouse clicks when using PDF export with multiple document in different folders.
Comment 1 Bogdan Stăncescu 2011-12-13 15:35:24 UTC
This is an incredibly annoying bug -- I actually registered just to report this one. I suppose most developers don't use this feature on a regular basis, or there would certainly be more interest in fixing this, if there was more dogfooding on this one.
Comment 2 Björn Michaelsen 2011-12-23 11:44:59 UTC
[This is an automated message.]
This bug was filed before the changes to Bugzilla on 2011-10-16. Thus it
started right out as NEW without ever being explicitly confirmed. The bug is
changed to state NEEDINFO for this reason. To move this bug from NEEDINFO back
to NEW please check if the bug still persists with the 3.5.0 beta1 or beta2 prereleases.
Details on how to test the 3.5.0 beta1 can be found at:
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/BugHunting_Session_3.5.0.-1

more detail on this bulk operation: http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/RFC-Operation-Spamzilla-tp3607474p3607474.html
Comment 3 Hein Zelle 2011-12-29 04:09:34 UTC
Confirmed for libreoffice 3.5.0beta2, linux32, ubuntu 10.04
Comment 4 Hein Zelle 2011-12-29 04:19:47 UTC
This bug is present in pretty much all "save as" or "file open" dialogs. It's old: already existed in early openoffice.org versions.  I'll open a separate bug for different dialogs if that is better - please let me know.  Below are a couple of cases that exhibit similar behaviour: LibreOffice remembers the last used directory for a certain action, which is very often the WRONG directory.  It would be better, in my opinion, to start from the directory of the current document OR the current working directory when libreoffice was started from the commandline.

Alternatively, it would make sense to only remember these folders during a session and forget them when the program is closed.  Or, make it optional.


Examples (I'm sure there are more):

1) File/open dialogs (for instance: insert picture from file) remember the last  directory from which I have inserted a picture. Very often this has nothing to do with the current document. It takes a lot of effort to navigate back to the folder where the current document is.

I suggest in this case to use the folder of the currently opened document as a
starting point opening new files such as images.  Possibly, after this folder has been changed _within the current session_, it could be remembered for the current document.  

2) File->Open does a similar thing, but it remembers a DIFFERENT directory than insert->picture->from file.

3) file->save on a new document has a similar problem when started from commandline: go to directory a/b/c, start libreoffice (new document), save -> suggests home directory instead of a/b/c

4*) "File->Save As" DOES show the proper behaviour, starting at the current document's directory. It does not remember the last selected dir, apparently.
Comment 5 Hein Zelle 2011-12-29 04:21:52 UTC
That last point (4*) should have read:

"File->Save As" DOES show the proper behaviour when saving an existing document with a different name: it starts at the current document's directory.
Comment 6 thePanz 2011-12-29 04:37:16 UTC
I completely agree with Hein Zelle.. I'll test LibOO 3.5Beta2 soon
Comment 7 Bogdan Stăncescu 2013-03-01 22:00:13 UTC
Is there any update on this one? It's been more than two years...
Comment 8 ign_christian 2013-07-18 04:11:51 UTC
*** Bug 51149 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 9 ign_christian 2013-07-18 04:13:08 UTC
*** Bug 48152 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 10 ign_christian 2013-07-18 04:13:49 UTC
*** Bug 66996 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 11 bfoman 2013-07-23 16:05:07 UTC
*** Bug 67222 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 12 Cor Nouws 2013-07-23 16:40:49 UTC
Strange... When I do 
File > Export as PDF, it does 100% of the times always and since ages give the same path (and name) as the docuent that I export.

So.. interesting to find out what is going on in the other situations, reported here...
Comment 13 ign_christian 2013-09-28 02:17:38 UTC
*** Bug 67000 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 14 Mike Kaganski 2013-09-28 05:34:00 UTC
(In reply to comment #1)
> I suppose most developers don't use this feature on a regular
> basis, or there would certainly be more interest in fixing this, if there
> was more dogfooding on this one.

While this request undoubtedly deserves proper attention, and I don't question that there are scenarios where the current behaviour is not optimal, I only want to describe the opposite scenario: when the current state is the desired one.

Our organisation produces documentation for customers as PDFs. Each documentation set may consist of tens or hundreds of documents, and they are initially prepared as ODFs in a structured directory tree. When the final PDFs are created, they go to another dedicated output directory (on another server). It would be pain, if we needed to browse there for each document. The best is to browse there once (for first document), and then all subsequent PDFs go there, regardless of the ODF path. This is not restricted to one document, or one LO session.

What I want to stress is that this may only be fixed by introducing a new option in settings, because simple change of the way it works, without a choice, will hurt other users.
Comment 15 Mike Kaganski 2013-09-28 09:12:36 UTC
*** Bug 69880 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 16 bfoman 2013-11-24 18:37:32 UTC
*** Bug 71968 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 17 csongor 2013-11-25 02:27:37 UTC
As I suggested in #71968 (sorry for duplicate) there should be a button on the Export dialog with the following label:

"Navigate to document's folder"

The dialog should work as it is working now. That is, it should offer by default the folder in which the last pdf was saved. But the mentioned button could save us from navigating to the folder in which the ODT file is.

Or, the opposite solution can be also good. It could offer by default the folder in which the ODT file is and a "Navigate to last pdf exporting directory" button could navigate into the folder in which I exported my last pdf file.
Comment 18 Cor Nouws 2013-11-25 22:01:38 UTC
(In reply to comment #17)

>              It could offer by default the
> folder in which the ODT file is and a ....


Must be a Windows-only issue?

For me, File > Export to PDF always gives the location of the actual file ..
Comment 19 Alexander Mueller 2014-05-26 07:32:10 UTC
For me it depends whether or not there is already a PDF in the target directory. So depending on this sometimes it suggests the same directory as the one the document is residing in; at other times it suggests the directory I last saved a pdf to.
Comment 20 Posy 2014-05-26 09:28:48 UTC
Created attachment 99851 [details]
attachment-10306-0.html

Am 26.05.2014 09:32, schrieb bugzilla-daemon@freedesktop.org:
>
> *Comment # 19 <https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=34303#c19> 
> on bug 34303 <https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=34303> from 
> Alexander Mueller <mailto:xelarellum@web.de> *
> For me it depends whether or not there is already a PDF in the target
> directory. So depending on this sometimes it suggests the same directory as the
> one the document is residing in; at other times it suggests the directory I
> last saved a pdf to.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> You are receiving this mail because:
>
>   * You are on the CC list for the bug.
>

I prefere the same directory as the one the document is residing in.
Comment 21 Posy 2014-05-26 09:28:49 UTC
Created attachment 99852 [details]
attachment-10306-1.dat
Comment 22 Posy 2014-05-26 09:28:49 UTC
Created attachment 99853 [details]
klaus_w_posner.vcf
Comment 23 csongor 2014-05-26 11:33:51 UTC
- In many cases it is very convenient if the previous directory is offered as default, where the last pdf was saved. 
- In many other cases it's better to have the same directory where the odt (or whatever original file) is. 

That's why I suggested to offer the last pdf-exporting directory as default (this is the present behaviour) and have a "Navigate to the document's directory" button.
Comment 24 Cor Nouws 2014-06-22 15:08:30 UTC
So this is a bug on Windows (I  can't check)

For comment #14, Mike (and others about the same): I understand the idea. Pls file an enhancement for that.
Comment 25 Kevin Suo 2014-08-01 09:28:29 UTC
With version 4.3.0.4, windows XP SP3, I do not reproduce this issue.
Export to pdf always save to the original document dir.

Maybe this is fixed already? Could someone check?

P.S.: I added Klaus Langguth to cc list of this bug. He claimed this same bug behaviour on MAB4.2.
Comment 26 Kevin Suo 2014-08-15 03:00:10 UTC
(In reply to comment #25)

Please ignore my comment in #25. I reproduce this in Windows 7, LibreOffice 4.3.1.1.
Comment 27 Kevin Suo 2014-08-15 03:02:19 UTC
Set version to 4.3.0.4, as there is no 4.3.1.1 in the list.
Someone should set it to an earlier version when confirm it's reproducible in that version.
Comment 28 Kevin Suo 2014-08-15 03:04:36 UTC
Per bug 71968, set version to 4.0.4.2.
Comment 29 pavel.lastovicka 2015-01-07 16:59:12 UTC
I can confirm this bug. It seems to me the problem is specific for VistaFilePickerImpl. It does not happen on Windows XP neither with internal LibreOffice file picker.

Also, this is not specific to PDF. Command File|Export does not set directory to document's directory either.
Comment 30 Stephan Bergmann 2015-01-14 16:45:19 UTC
(In reply to pavel.lastovicka from comment #29)
> I can confirm this bug. It seems to me the problem is specific for
> VistaFilePickerImpl. It does not happen on Windows XP neither with internal
> LibreOffice file picker.
> 
> Also, this is not specific to PDF. Command File|Export does not set
> directory to document's directory either.

That would suggest a duplicate of bug 37814 (as I would have assumed from the previous comments, too), but I got private mail lately that claims that this export-to-PDF--specific wrong-save-as-dir issue is /not/ solved with recent LO nightlies that /do/ contain a fix for the general wrong-save-as-dir in case of non-ASCII characters bug 37814.


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