Link to an image on another site without importing to media library
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I have tried to link to an image on another site, but it keeps getting imported into my media file. Granted, the site was Google, so there may be special considerations.
Is there anyway to avoid this? Are there a list of specific sites I can or cannot use?
This wordpress blog is not the only place I have photos linked, and if I have to end up paying, I don’t want to pay for multiple services.
I was trying to fix the history that was destroyed when Photobucket decided to raise prices from zero to near infinity. But I don’t want to keep 2 copies of everything and end up paying twice.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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Hi there,
If you use the editor at My Sites, the Add via URL option under Add Media will always import the image to your media library. This is how it was designed.
If you just want to hotlink the image without importing, you can either manually add the image using HTML, or you can use the WP-Admin editor instead – there the Add via URL option will hotlink the image instead of importing it.
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I AM building the HTML by hand. The image is STILL getting imported into my media library.
I can’t see exactly how to upload images here, so see this blog post https://wheelgun.wordpress.com/2017/12/28/testing-testing-is-this-thing-on/ for the way I built the HTML and the way the system automatically copied the image into my media library when I hit “publish”
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I should note. When I hit “Preview” on the draft version of the post, the image is still linking remotely. Honestly I can’t remember if I hit “Save Draft” or not.
But when I hit publish, the image is imported into my media library, URL for the image is changed and the post published.
It is Google. So if that is the issue it is one thing, I suppose I can work around. But if it is ALL image hosting sites, then I guess I need a new place for my blog.
I am trying to fix the history that was destroyed when Photobucket decided they were going charge an unreasonable amount of money to host images. I don’t mind paying a reasonable amount, but they weren’t reasonable. And I have more than 1 place already to link to images, so just paying for WordPress upgrades doesn’t get it done either.
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Referencing also this thread: https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/hot-linking-images-from-other-sites?replies=2#post-3058303
Hi there, I just tested this on my private test site by adding a new post in WP Admin>Add New.
From the Post Editor’s Text/HTML tab I hotlinked an image using two different methods:
First: by clicking on the IMG tag button above the Editor’s text box and pasting the URL of the image in the window that opened;
Second: by clicking the “Add Media” button and “Insert by URL” and pasting the image URL there.In neither case did the image upload to my own site’s Media Library. I’ve force refreshed the Media Library to make sure I wasn’t viewing a cached copy of the page. To be absolutely sure, I will log out and check again in a little while and let you know if it’s been uploaded. Thanks for your patience.
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Oh and just adding that I did publish my test post as well, as you mentioned that it was only when the post was published that the media was uploaded to your media library.
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So I’m back and using a different browser than before, after clearing my computer’s temporary internet files and actually restarting my computer.
After checking my test site, the image I hotlinked to from wikimedia is not in my site’s Media Library and the image reference in the published post still shows the image is being linked from wikimedia. (temp screenshots)
I can’t explain what it is about the way you are adding the image link to your post which is causing it to be added to your Media Library. All I can suggest is to try either of the two methods I mentioned in my earlier post and see if that works for you.
My 2¢/About hotlinking, please keep in mind that linking to an image hosted elsewhere, unless permitted by the site owner, is still considered bandwidth theft. If the person whose image you are using is paying for their bandwidth, hotlinking may cause them additional charges.
Also consider the flip side of this. When you hotlink an image, you are essentially giving someone else control over what appears on your site. Today it might be a picture of a bird and in the future it could be a different type of “bird.” Just saying.
/My 2¢ -
Yeah. I’m not trying to steal anyone’s bandwidth. I am trying to replace Photobucket, which I used in the past when I could hotlink from my Photobucket account to WordPress without having everything import into my media library.
I have a score of images in that library, and it is already difficult to find things. And I would like to have 1 repository for all the places that I use. (Surprising I know that my life isn’t limited to WordPress!)
I will try again, with yet another site. But the “you are at a loss to explain” statement sounds like a euphemism for you “you don’t believe what I’m telling you.” And no one is actually going to look at the code so … I guess I’m on my own.
I am at a loss to explain where I go next, since the behavior of WP which I have been stumbling over means I probably have to consider moving. Again.
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Hello again, As a volunteer here, I have the same tools that you have when creating a post. Using those tools I wasn’t able to duplicate the problem, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t having one. The only reason I suggested trying the methods I used above is that they worked for me. Perhaps they will work for you.
I’d be happy to test with the code you are using in your test post. Could you please copy and paste it here in this forum thread between backticks or use the code button above the reply text box here. Thanks.
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<p>Still trying to get an issue resolved. Sorry for the distraction.</p> <p><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Phw8LKZ4jDY/WkPMkqhJRgI/AAAAAAAAAXE/fvTiqwlHvu8dHN6ttSvNopFJ7K-4T6VngCLcBGAs/s1600/FIDE_Logo.jpg" width="35%" alt="handy image for testing from one of my other blogs" style="float:right;margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;"/> Some text to test to see if the float is working correctly.</p> <p>I left the cursor tag in the img style definition because in a typical post the image would be a link either to a better view of the image if it was a photograph, or a link somewhere else. In the original post that caused all this trouble the FIDE logo was link to FIDE's main site. If it were not going to be a link I would remove the cursor part of the style definition.</p> <p>And some more nonsense text to test the float some more, though it certainly looks OK. One should doing testing with a complete set of possible (not just designed) user activities in mind. Of course it would also be helpful if the decisions were documented...</p> -
The previous forum post contains the HTML that was in place for this post: https://wheelgun.wordpress.com/2017/12/30/testing-testing-more-testing/
The draft text references the link to one of my old blogs. And if you look at the published post, you will see that the image has been edited to refer to my image library.
Here is a twist. It did not get imported a 3rd time. But was edited to refer the 1st instance in which the image was imported. (I have 2 copies of the image in my library. The first one is associated with both this post, and the original post about FIDE. The 2nd one is associated with the previous testing post from the other day.)
Whoever wrote the requirements doc for this function, should be shot. Whoever wrote the design doc – if it didn’t come out of requirements – should be shot. And if this behavior was designed, the programmer has all my sympathy. (If … then drive the user community crazy)
The paragraph as it is AFTER I publish is below.
<p><img src="https://wheelgun.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/bdc02-fide_logo.jpg" width="35%" alt="handy image for testing from one of my other blogs" style="float:right;margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;" /> Some text to test to see if the float is working correctly.</p> -
I am strongly tempted to add a link to the Godzilla facepalm in the blog post. But I will leave it here. https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fk1wqciODsC8%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&f=1
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Hello @zendodeb – I can confirm that using your above code
<p><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Phw8LKZ4jDY/WkPMkqhJRgI/AAAAAAAAAXE/fvTiqwlHvu8dHN6ttSvNopFJ7K-4T6VngCLcBGAs/s1600/FIDE_Logo.jpg" width="35%" alt="handy image for testing from one of my other blogs" style="float:right;margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer;"/> Some text to test to see if the float is working correctly.</p>results in the hotlinked image being uploaded to my site’s media library and the HTML in my test post updated to reflect the change in image source. (temp screenshots)I tried a couple of variations on your code in my test post: deleting your inline CSS and also inserting only the image link via IMG tag and still the hotlinked image was uploaded to my site’s media library.
I’ve gone ahead and tagged this for Staff attention again since in my original test post this did not happen when using either the IMG tag or upload by URL in the WP Admin HTML Editor.
Thanks for your patience while they get back to you.
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Thanks for the assist. I know that things can’t get fixed if people aren’t willing to do the testing. If I need to try anything/change anything else, I am subscribed to this topic, and get email updates.
After the first of the year, I might not have as much time to jump on another test, but I will get back to it.
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I am just trying to figure out when hotlinking is allowed and when an image will be updated.
I used to use Photobucket to upload and link images, but they radically changed their cost structure to become impractical.
I would like to not have to store things in multiple places.
As for just using your library. There are no sub-directories. Very little in the way of organization. And on occasion when things have gotten upload “automatically to make my life easier” multiple copies were uploaded.
I’m not saying that it is useless, but since I dropped Photobucket I have limited my use of images on the blog. Drastically. Because it does what you think I want it to do instead of what I actually want it to do.
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Let me be clear. I would like to be referred to a DOCUMENT that spells out
1. When is hotlinking allowed and when is it not.
2. If it is just blanketly not allowed, when did that change. (As I said, in the past I hotlinked to Photobucket)
3. Does this change if I upgrade? -
1. When is hotlinking allowed and when is it not.
Most hotlinking rules are set by the site that’s hosting the image. Given that there are so many sites out there, it would be impossible to gather and maintain a list of all of their rules.
Our CDN will generally try to pick up the image and store it here if the original image is not served over HTTPS, and also if there are potential issues with hotlinking.
Our media library does not have folders, but that is a feature folks have requested so I will add your request there as well. It does have a search feature though, so if you’ll add titles to your images, you can organize them that way.
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Also,
2. If it is just blanketly not allowed, when did that change. (As I said, in the past I hotlinked to Photobucket)
We had to stop hotlinking images not served over https some time ago (basically whenever your site had https, which has been for quite some time with free sites). Anything else probably just depends on the image host.
3. Does this change if I upgrade?
No, because it mostly depends on the image host.
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Thanks for the info. I suppose I can live with that (and the HTTPS issue is completely understandable.)
Personally I think the answer to 1. should be that you provide an error message when I try to publish instead of just doing something that you think I want you to do. I NEVER want you to do something unless I know about it. It ought to at least be a setting I can select.
You could also issue a warning when I hit “preview” on a draft post. Editing the HTML after I hit publish and NOT telling me should never be the answer to any question or problem.
While I know you are aiming at the lowest common denominator, I am using your most stripped-down editor and doing everything in pure HTML because I have over the decades come to absolutely HATE WYSIWYG editors – in part because they always make choices without A) telling me or B) letting me change the choices after the fact.
So now I have another item on my “publish post checklist”
But you can close this issue.
- The topic ‘Link to an image on another site without importing to media library’ is closed to new replies.
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