How do I edit Draw graphics included in a Writer document?

[gertvdijk]

The illustration I’ve drawn in LO Draw is included in my Writer document using the instructions from the LO Help “Inserting Graphics From LibreOffice Draw or Impress”. I’ve added a caption and used cross-references throughout my document to it.

Now I see I made a minor mistake in the illustration and I want to edit it. How do I do this without removing it first? Removing and re-inserting will result in the loss of cross-references and the caption, so that’s not an option for me.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

• Double clicking the image. Results in a dialogue about the properties of the picture frame (text wrap, etc.).

• Right-clicking the image. The context menu does not list an option to edit the image.

• Editing the original Draw image. It seems copied into the document, not linked. Editing the original does not affect the image in the document.

• Using the Navigator. The object is not listed at all!?

  

So, how do I accomplish a simple edit without losing all other metadata (references, caption)?

^{I’m using LibreOffice Version 3.6.5.2 (Build ID: 360m1(Build:2)) on Ubuntu 12.04.2 using the LibreOffice 3.6.x PPA.}

[zak-mckracken]

Not quite sure if this will apply, but I had a similar problem and solved it by copying the drawing into LO draw, editing it, copying the new esult into the same frame, after deleting the old version. Since all references go to the “1” in “Drawing 1”, they’re not affected.
The fiddly bit is to align the new drawing in the old frame, but that’s solvable.

Usually, though, I circumvent this by using .eps files: export as eps from draw, then embed that in writer, using a link, not copying. Thus, when you update the file and reload the writer file or update dependencies, it will pull in the new version. EPS, of course, has other problems (prints fine to PS printers, but hard to convert to PDF without rasterizing, is also not displayed well within Writer). Maybe these days using SVG might be a better idea, depending on what the contents of that drawing are. Might be worth a try.

[Regina]

Your drawing consist of several shapes. Therefore the drawing is inserted as “group”. For to access a single shape, you have to enter the group first. In context menu click on item “Group” and then “Edit Group”. Handling in Writer is not comfortable. If you accidentally leave the group, enter it again.

If you will do something with the whole group, rotation for example, then use menu Format > Object.

The Navigator lists only a drawing object, if it has a name. Click on the drawing, then in context menu click on item “Name”. But there exists no item “Edit” for a group object in Navigator. Nevertheless it is useful to name a drawing object, especially when you are going to sent it to background. In background a mouse click does not select the drawing, but you have to select it using the Navigator.