Linking bitmap images causes platform dependency of svg files

[Thomas Wailersbacher]

I am using Inkscape on Linux and on Windows 7. As I have linked many graphics in my svg-files I have great difficulties opening them on a machine with the opposite OS.
E.g.: I created a file with about 30 linked graphics (embedding is not an option, as size does matter and changes in the graphics-source-files need to reflect directly in the resulting SVG's). Those graphics are grouped together in various ways.
Inkscape links the files with full path (file:///media/ServerHome/Daten/Kram/KD-Grafiken/Quellen/Blackboard/E3a.png on Linux and B:\Daten\Kram\KD-Grafiken\Quellen\Blackboard\E3a.png on Windows). In the example the graphics file E3a.png lies on a server, which is acessible from a linux machine and from a Windows machine.
Having created the file on linux, I cannot see the linked Images on Windows, because the saved path is of no meaning to Windows OS, thus the SVG-file becomes Platform dependent.

Though this, strictly speaking, is not a bug but a change request, I'd like to suggest that the behaviour of the application should be changed if possible.

If the path to the linked file were saved in a relative format (relative to the location of the SVG-file) Incscape could supply a Base directory, i.e. where the SVG-file is located, and following read the relative path. Then Incscape could convert the saved relative path to a graphics-file (e.g. replace slashes with backslashes report errors, if the filename contains illegal characters, which are not allowed on the current OS) and so display the graphics on multiple platforms.

I am aware of the implications on the SVG-file format, but I simply do not know the specs for this file-format and thus hope, that my request can be considered possible.

Thx in advance - Incscape is a great program

[su_v (suv-lp)]

AFAICT a duplicate of
- Bug #170225 “relative image paths instead of absolute”
  <https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/170225>
(already implemented in current trunk)

With current stable versions, you could consider using the workaround to save a copy as 'Compressed Inkscape SVG with media (*.zip)' and to transfer it as zipped archive to a different platform for editing.
See also
- Bug #386664 “"Gather Resources" option for gathering fonts and images”
- Bug #391307 “SVG and media output not working on Windows”
- Bug #456248 “SVG with media output fails with special characters”
tracking recent improvements of that output extension, as well as the
- related section in the manual:
  <http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/File-Export.html#File-Export-ZIP>

[su_v (suv-lp)]

On 2013-05-10 10:35 +0100, Thomas Wailersbacher wrote:
> If the path to the linked file were saved in a relative format (relative
> to the location of the SVG-file) Incscape could supply a Base directory,
> i.e. where the SVG-file is located, and following read the relative
> path.

Found this releated earlier report:
- Bug #308071 “xml:base attribute doesn't work with image xlink”
  <https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/308071>

[Jonathan Hofinger (jhofinger)]

In 1.0, embedding an image on Windows uses the file:///media/ServerHome/Daten/Kram/KD-Grafiken/Quellen/Blackboard/E3a.png format as well.

Closing as fixed. If it happens again, please reopen on Gitlab: https://inkscape.org/report

Closed by https://gitlab.com/jhofinger