https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=167897
Bug ID: 167897
Summary: LibreOffice changes the default folder to "saves as"
and "export to pdf" many times for a same opened
document, if it's saved during use
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 25.8.0.0 alpha0+
Hardware: All
OS: Linux (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: LibreOffice
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
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 !
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