QGIS » QGIS Application

Given a complex QGIS style file (project file .qgs with related symbols) which consists of many layers (>20), which refer to a certain data sources (e.g. a geopackage, or 20 Shapefiles).

Now, the data source get's renamed/moved, or the user want's to exchange the data source with another one (of same provider/format). Or, someone wants to share such a complex QGIS style whithout knowing beforehand how the data source is called at receiver's site.

Currently, the only way is to edit the XML tag "datasource" in the .qgs file manually and replace the XML content e.g. of <datasource>./roads_paris.shp</datasource> to <datasource>./roads_madrid.shp</datasource>.

Probably a solution of this feature should require that it's only about changing the dataset name or location (i.e. keeping the same data provider). It should probably exclude changing to different data providers/formats (file, webservice, database).

In earlier version of QGIS one could change all missing ressources at once in a dialog which showed up when the data source have been missing. This functionality is currently restriced to one single layer.

The need for such a feature seems obvious since there exist at least two helper plugins whith similar functionality, namely:

• Dynamic Layers: http://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/DynamicLayers/
• changeDataSource: https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/changeDataSource/