Request: Automatically "import" new images from Paratext?

[jamespostsil]

I just encountered an issue where I didn't know how to "import" new images, recently added to a Paratext project, into PTXprint. I went through various steps to try to resolve this:

• Close/Reopen PTXprint
• Switch to a different project in PTXprint, then back to my project
• Add a new image in Paratext

But those didn't work. I then found the "Generate" button, which imported the image.

But I understand from a separate issue that this may completely reset other image settings.

It would be helpful if PTXprint could scan the Paratext files and automatically import new figures, or perhaps give the user the option to do so without affecting other, previously imported, images?

I shared a video screencast demonstrating/discussing this here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y6Nuc-Ix0UE6ZXqEpuMlCT3SnrtH7d8D/view?usp=sharing

Thanks,

James

[davidg-sil]

I know we've talked around the issues of doing this before, in the context of updating captions. The issue is that (if you or anyone has swapped, removed or updated an image or its caption in PTXprint), you are actually asking for PTXprint to remember what the \fig lines in Paratext at some particular point in time (not necessarily even the last time figs were imported) and see what has changed, or dig into the mercurial database that Paratext has if you use send/receive. While of course those are both possible with enough programmer time, I think its a bit beyond the scope of what we're planning to do. Also, some of those changes might be wanted, others might not be wanted at all, and you certainly don't want it to automatically undo all your changes just as you're in the last few days before publication.

Figures are something that might change radically from publication to publication and in my (probably minority!) view have very little right being in the USFM at all, except in the glossary.

[markpenny]

Another user has commented (via e-mail):

As a beginner / self-"trained" user of PTXPrint, I guess the thing that isn't at all obvious is that PTXPrint is reading the text every time a pdf is produced, but not the pictures. I presume there is a good reason for that? If the set of Add / Del / Generate / Save buttons were on the side nearest to the main menu it might be more obvious that these might need to be used?