Feature Request: global control over media path

Currently, inserting media causes the full URL of the file to be inserted in the content.

If the site moves, changes domains, or changes directory structure, this could be the cause of the site breaking. This also adds unnecessary size to the database (albeit it a small amount, every k counts). In my personal opinion, the practice of inserting full URLs for media calls is in counterpoint to the flexibility that is WordPress’s hallmark.

While I do have the option of removing the hard-coded address and changing it to a relative path if I wish, as someone who trains non-technical people to use WordPress, I find this insufficient. Teaching someone who doesn’t know HTML which part of a hyperlink to edit out is not only difficult, it’s also rarely well-received. In terms of efficiency, this is a superfluous amount of editing if you know you want your media path to be relative or unusual.

I propose that a setting be added, allowing users to either enter or choose from a ‘smart’ list the path they would like used to reach the uploads folder. This would be managed centrally.

There would be a second setting, that would allow the user whether to hardcode their media insert using the path they selected…

<img src="/the-path/you-chose/written-out/uploads/year/month/media.jpg" />

… or use a WordPress shortcode that always calls whatever is currently entered as the path.

<img src="[media-location]/uploads/year/month/media.jpg" />

When a user inserts media, it will insert it according to the settings above.
If the settings change, it will begin behaving differently, but will not retroactively change posts.

Thank you. 🙂