Modular Documents, including image from other LaTeX-Project

Question

I am currently writing on a document where I want to include subfiles; I am creating a modular document. Now, the problem is, that I am including (read: input) files, that have been used for other modular documents, too. This is a problem, because some of the files, that I wish to include also contain images (i.e. links to images). So, when I now include file z, LaTeX-compiler produces the error: "Warning: could not find image so and so". Of course, that's logical, since the very image itself was originally intended to be used by another main.tex, to which (pardon me this reificiation) the relative link makes sense.

I know, that I could use absolute links, however, for obvious reasons, I'd like to avoid, using them. Another solution would be, to "emulate" the original relative link. For instance, if I originally used "includegraphics={../graphic.png}, then, by copying the specific image to that place of the new main.tex, that would be ../ of the new main.tex, i.e., the directory "below" the new main.tex, everything would check out fine.

Unfortunately, in some cases, this is not possible. I would, lastly, rather not copy the files to be included in my new main.tex, since I'd like changes to be dynamic for both files.

Just to clarify, what these files are intended to do: they constitute semester-summaries. However, my newest idea, was to create a meta-document, where I would simply compile all the documents, and have some sort of meta-study-years-file. Hence the problem.

Best Regards, Niklas

Answer 1

It's usually best to use simply

\includegraphics{file}

so long as your graphic files are reasonably uniquely named. then just arrange that whatever directory you put them in is in TeX's input path. Just as \documentclass{article} works from anywhere without having to make copies or links of article.cls the same mechanism is used for graphics inclusion.