Is it possible for libreoffice writer to automatically enumerate or number the files displayed in the file selection dialog that appears after clicking "insert"?

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#1

Here is the issue. I have a document open in libreoffice writer and I am inserting images in it. Each page will have only 1 image and will follow the chronologically saved order of the images. There are many images and they are all screenshots with the default screenshot filename. This means it is easy to lose track of which image corresponds to which page. Now, the “images” are actually just screenshots of words on the screen, not actual pictures. So I cannot just open a window adjacent to the document and just select and drag them over easily without enlarging each image to doublecheck the info of each image.

So, I believe the most efficient and less time consuming way is for the file selection dialog to also just enumerate or number each file in the folder each time the file selection dialog is opened when I click on “insert.” This way I can quickly know in real time because each page number is the same number of the file (image) in the folder. The good news is that all the image files (the screenshots) are in 1 folder. So, this is the question. Can this be done ? Can libreoffice writer automatically enumerate the files listed in the file selection dialog after you click insert ?? It lists the files without enumerating or numbering them. I appreciate any help. I tried already looking up this topic, no luck though. Maybe my wording is incorrect ?

#2

In Tools > Options > LibreOffice Writer > Formatting Aids > Image set Anchor to As Character, this will keep images in order and without overlap.
Sort the images in date order in your file manager, you want to see details rather then the image, and drag each onto the page in order, you will know which is the previous one because it will still be highlighted in the file manager. You might need to press Ctrl+Enter between each image in Writer to ensure it is on its own page.

If you really want to add a number to each file (do it on copies in case it goes bad) use a file renamer but is just extra steps. They normally offer a facility to add a serial number at the start of each file name

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#3

thanks for the input. your suggestion did come across my mind. and i was trying that but it still takes more time selecting and dragging and then making sure each one was accurately placed on one page than it does clicking on insert and then quickly seeing in one glance the number of the file (image) in the dialog and matching that with the page i am already on. and once you see the number at a glance, i press enter and that’s it because the cursor is already placed at the top of each page appropriately. this way just takes less time. also, renaming all the images is still way more time consuming in addition to what i just mentioned and plus all the images are screenshots so they are already in chronological order anyway because of the way the screenshots are saved “naturally” with timestamps.

lastly, this is a task i will be repeating for some time in the near future for images in other folders. the most efficient thing would be to have this type of function / feature that just automatically adds numbers to the files that are displayed through the file selection dialog after clicking on the insert tab. so i surmise from your response that this type of feature does not exist for libreoffice writer as far as you know ?

#4

LibreOffice does not offer any file management services. Any file management that you see in file dialogs comes from your operating system. The specific functionality that you describe isn’t offered by operating systems, as far as I know.

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#5

I just tried batch renaming using IrfanView, rather than a dedicated file renamer like Ant Renamer. I could sort the files by date order before adding three digits and an underscore at the start of the existing file name and save the output to a separate folder. It didn’t take long.

I just dragged 14 images individually into Writer from file manager in date order, it took 40 seconds. Of course I had used the setting all As Character so I didn’t need to accurately place them.

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#6

I appreciate your responses. Here is the thing. I will be taking a lot of screenshots. These screenshots will be placed in folders corresponding to their subject matter. While what you are saying does work, it is still time more time consuming than what I am looking for. There will be just way too many to rename and lose focus on the final task, which is to put them in documents.

Also, right before mikekaganski posted the same thing he wrote occurred to me and I realized that the issue could be with my operating system preferences. Sure enough when I used my file system application to open folders, it displays the contents of the folders under 4 columns: name, size, type, modified. The user can choose which of these to hide and can also choose among 6 additional columns to display / enable through that dialog, but of course their is no “number” column that lists AND enumerates the files in ascending order. So I just posted a similar question in a different forum for the operating system inquiring if a “Number” column can somehow be added (or enabled ?) to this list of columns that appear under the file system preferences. This is more than likely right path to get to a solution. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Thanks for your effort.

#7

To be honest, I believe that the “right path to get to a solution” is to re-think what the solution is. And IMO, you are just too focused on making your decided workflow easier, which prevent you from creating a different workflow, that wouldn’t require it at all.

Just creating a macro, that would scan the directory, and add everything new, could be the right direction, without expecting the OS to add a functionality that is so exceptionally rare in users, that is is 100% unlikely to appear.

#8

Maybe this extension will help, AddPics » Extensions otherwise, search/browse through other extensions on the site.

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