Bug 158114 - Make it easier to find (and deal with) broken linked images in Sidebar
Summary: Make it easier to find (and deal with) broken linked images in Sidebar
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Jim Raykowski
URL:
Whiteboard: target:24.2.0 target:24.8.0 inRelease...
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: 43784 Navigator Files-Linked Accessibility-Check
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2023-11-08 11:12 UTC by László Németh
Modified: 2024-06-04 14:18 UTC (History)
7 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
screenshot of the accessibility checker reporting missing linked image (29.29 KB, image/png)
2023-11-08 20:21 UTC, László Németh
Details
test document (3.16 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-flat-xml)
2023-11-15 11:22 UTC, László Németh
Details
demo of icon to indicate image entry has broken link (26.24 KB, image/png)
2023-12-20 06:49 UTC, Jim Raykowski
Details

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Description László Németh 2023-11-08 11:12:25 UTC
Description:
It's very hard and slow to recognize the lost linked graphic in a huge document with linked images on several pages. Instead of checking all the pages (or pages of the PDF export), list immediately the linked images with broken lists.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Create a document with linked graphic (set Linked checkbox in File Open, and choose Keep Link)
2. Remove the graphic file from that path.


Actual Results:
No information about the images with broken links, only an empty placeholder with the link, like before the asynchronous loading of the images.

Expected Results:
Show the list of the images with broken links. 


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
See also Bug 43784.
Comment 1 Mike Kaganski 2023-11-08 11:44:06 UTC
That would likely be easy to see in Navigator, if it attributed them somehow?
Comment 2 Commit Notification 2023-11-08 20:17:37 UTC
László Németh committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/0156cba6e34026f8fa0f2912e503378a5ec2208d

tdf#43784 tdf#158114 sw accessibility: check missing linked graphic

It will be available in 24.2.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 3 László Németh 2023-11-08 20:21:39 UTC
Created attachment 190735 [details]
screenshot of the accessibility checker reporting missing linked image
Comment 4 László Németh 2023-11-08 20:42:36 UTC
(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #1)
> That would likely be easy to see in Navigator, if it attributed them somehow?

I thought of using a broken chain symbol instead of the link symbol of the linked images. The problem if there are more than a few dozen of images, it's still hard to notice the missing one (but more easier, than scrolling the whole document), especially for people with visual impairment. But I would be glad of the extension of the Navigator, too.
Comment 5 László Németh 2023-11-15 11:22:03 UTC
Created attachment 190835 [details]
test document
Comment 6 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2023-12-15 21:19:11 UTC
Thanks for the feature, László, but I'm not sure this belongs in the accessibility sidebar, which should really be focused on accessibility issues so it doesn't become cluttered with general issues and overwhelming for the user.

Design/UX team, any thoughts after the fact, for maybe a follow-up ticket?
Maybe Samuel has an opinion.

I think a better approach would be to have one of or both of:
- extra column in Edit > External Links, so it can be sorted by link status
- broken link icon in Navigator (with "Replace" in contextual menu)
Comment 7 V Stuart Foote 2023-12-15 21:30:35 UTC
+1 to use the "External Links..." dialog, with some visual indicator in the SB Nvaigator. Agree it doesn't belong in the Accessibility Check... SB deck and should be moved if possible.
Comment 8 Heiko Tietze 2023-12-18 14:19:33 UTC
The Navigator shows hidden entries (headings, sections...) in a disabled state. Could be the same for images that are (currently) not available.

The linked images have a chain symbol in contrast to embedded (might depend on the icon theme). Sounds like an overkill when these icons become broken too.

The External Links dialog is a good option to show the state as well.
Comment 9 Mike Kaganski 2023-12-18 15:04:42 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #8)
> The Navigator shows hidden entries (headings, sections...) in a disabled
> state. Could be the same for images that are (currently) not available.

Please no. Images are already shown "disabled", when hidden. Unavailable is not hidden, it is a completely different thing. Use of a dedicated icons is OK, or maybe other decorations (striken out maybe?). But it should be different from "hidden" state.
Comment 10 Heiko Tietze 2023-12-19 07:52:36 UTC
Strike-through implies a permanent unavailability, we better go with italic and perhaps some icon too. Reopen the ticket?
Comment 11 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2023-12-19 08:29:58 UTC
Reopening, seeing the discussion.

Jim, any interest in the Navigator aspect?
Right-click could offer "Replace" and/or the same action as Edit > Edit external links > Modify.
Sections that are linked to an external file could have the same visual feedback, for consistency. (Although we recently got the new visibility / locked icons, so unsure about adding yet another link / broken link icon).
Comment 12 Jim Raykowski 2023-12-20 06:49:34 UTC
Created attachment 191527 [details]
demo of icon to indicate image entry has broken link

I didn't find an icon in the icon themes that specifically indicates a broken file link. I did find the cancel red X icon.

The Treeview class could be made to draw entry text using italics (slant) font similar to what is done for emphasis, or entry custom rendering could be done. While this is doable, maybe the icon is enough for now?

The Images context menu Edit... menu item opens the Image dialog where in the  Rotation tab the link file can be edited. Maybe it would be better to be in the Options tab?

Gerrit link to patch that does what is shown in the attachment:
https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/161045
Comment 13 Heiko Tietze 2023-12-20 09:21:24 UTC
(In reply to Jim Raykowski from comment #12)
> I didn't find an icon in the icon themes that specifically indicates a
> broken file link. I did find the cancel red X icon.
I suggest to create a new icon but link it to this for now. And ask Rizal for artwork...

> While this is doable, maybe the icon is enough for now?
László, what do you think?

> ...Rotation tab the link file can be edited. Maybe it would be better to
> be in the Options tab?
The preview updates to the file link and the flip options but not the rotation angle. Have flipping and rotation together with cropping? Definitely OOT here.
Comment 14 Commit Notification 2023-12-21 20:46:29 UTC
Jim Raykowski committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/4c2c900970d6484c6a92900213ece5c415e40f2d

tdf#158114 SwNavigator: Make images with broken links easier to find

It will be available in 24.8.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 15 László Németh 2023-12-22 00:16:13 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #13)
> (In reply to Jim Raykowski from comment #12)
> > I didn't find an icon in the icon themes that specifically indicates a
> > broken file link. I did find the cancel red X icon.
> I suggest to create a new icon but link it to this for now. And ask Rizal
> for artwork...
> 
> > While this is doable, maybe the icon is enough for now?
> László, what do you think?

In my opinion, for people with visual impairment, or editors of documents with a few dozen or more images, it would be still very hard or impossible to notice the missing images. Otherwise this section is not visible in the accessibility checker, so there is no unwanted or redundant information.

But the best would be a warning info bar on the loading of the document, which could open the accessibility checker, listing the missing images.

@Jim: many thanks for the nice patch!
Comment 16 Mike Kaganski 2023-12-22 05:57:13 UTC
IMO, it is an abuse of *accessibility* checker, when there is a *link manager* which is definitely a better place for broken link management. It may be improved UX-wise, might have an own "problems" section, may be opened from the mentioned hypothetical infobar, etc. But the tools need to be really focused on what they should do, not blur their focus from "accessibility check" to "any document problem check".
Comment 17 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2023-12-22 09:25:38 UTC
As I said in comment 6, I agree with Stuart and Mike that this listing does not belong in the accessibility check (even though I can see how useful it is!)

So putting everyone's ideas together, I'd say the best UX/UI checklist would be:

1. indicator in Navigator (done by Jim, thanks!);
2. as suggested by László, banner pops up on fileopen (bug 43784)...
3. ...with action button that opens the Hyperlink dialog;
4. Hyperlink dialog includes the information about broken link – could the Status column be used, and show "Broken link" instead of "Manual"? - and then the Accessibility Deck solution can be reverted as obsolete;
5. Related: Image properties dialog has the Link field in the Options tab, and _not_ in the "Rotation" tab as currently ("Image Information" can also be moved there), as pointed out by Jim.

I can open separate reports for 4 and 5, if that makes it easier.

@Heiko, @everyone, OK with that?
Comment 18 Heiko Tietze 2023-12-22 09:50:50 UTC
(In reply to Stéphane Guillou (stragu) from comment #17)
> I'd say the best UX/UI checklist would be:
That was my reading of the comments here as well.

> 5. Related: Image properties dialog has the Link field in the Options tab,
> and _not_ in the "Rotation" tab as currently ("Image Information" can also
> be moved there), as pointed out by Jim.
The Rotation tab offers a preview which we don't have (yet) in the options tab. Different issue anyway.
Comment 19 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2023-12-22 11:12:40 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #18)
> (In reply to Stéphane Guillou (stragu) from comment #17)
> > I'd say the best UX/UI checklist would be:
> That was my reading of the comments here as well.
I've opened bug 158831 for that.

I think this report can be closed as fixed, focusing it on the sidebar. Jim, you can do the honours, unless you've got more to submit related to the navigator :)