Anchoring image as character

san_yi · January 30, 2024, 6:40pm

Hi, first time user here. While editing in LibreOffice a pdf file created externally by another application, (architectural CAD tool), I insert a table, then click in a cell, insert image from file ( .tiff ), and expect the image to be pasted into this particular cell, so when I drag the table the image moves with it. But it doesn’t. Reading through the help forums, everybody is talking about pasting images “as character” or “setting the anchor to a character”, or something like that, but all those discussions are a little dated, about previous versions of LO. I just downloaded it (Jan 30th, 2024), the latest version:

Version: 7.6.4.1 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: e19e193f88cd6c0525a17fb7a176ed8e6a3e2aa1
CPU threads: 6; OS: Mac OS X 14.2.1; UI render: Skia/Metal; VCL: osx
Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

I’ve tried to find this “As character” feature in my LO, to no avail. Or it’s there somewhere I’m just missing it?

Here is a screen capture of what it looks like:

When I move the table, the image does not follow. Please assist.

Hrbrgr · January 30, 2024, 6:45pm

This is because LibreOffice is not a PDF editor.
Search the Internet for a suitable PDF editor.

san_yi · January 30, 2024, 7:37pm

@Hrbrgr

Yes, that’s just how I started this whole thing. I searched for “Open source pdf editors” and several people extolled the virtues of LibreOffice, saying it’s one of the best tools out there for exactly this kind of task.
I mean I like it, (LibreOffice), just needed a little hand holding. Now I know.

Thanks everyone. Great bunch of guys.

ajlittoz · January 30, 2024, 6:56pm

A PDF file is opened in Draw, the graphical editor. All PDF contents is considered a collection of “shapes”, including text which is seen as a set of text boxes containing fragments of your text.

Consequently, there is no notion of “anchor” because you are not in the document processing component, Writer. Everything you read about frames, images and anchors is only relevant in Writer.

In Draw, you can get a similar effect by grouping objects. You select several objects, then Shape>Group>Group.

Changing the position of the image after grouping is not directly possible. You must first ungroup, move the image and group again.

san_yi · January 30, 2024, 7:31pm

@ajlittoz
Hm, whaddaya know? We’re not in Writer when we create and edit tables? The idea faintly crossed my mind as I was looking for a solution, but the way I answered myself was: “Well, I’m working on a table. That’s not a graphical item, it’s textual. Ergo → Writer”. Or so I thought.

Thanks for straightening me out.
All the best.

ajlittoz · January 30, 2024, 7:41pm

It could also have been Calc, since spreadsheets are basically tables with formulas referencing cells. But here also, there is no notion of anchor.