Cross-Platform Path Issues in LyX 2.4

[高晨宇]

Dear LyX Developer,
I hope this email finds you well. I'm writing to bring to your attention an issue I've encountered while using LyX across different operating systems.
I'm currently using LyX on both MacOS and Windows, with OneDrive for file synchronization between the two systems. I've noticed that since upgrading to LyX 2.4, the software only supports relative paths within the current folder. For files located in parent directories, it now uses absolute paths instead. This is a change from LyX 2.3, which was able to use relative paths more extensively.
This new approach in version 2.4 creates a problem in my cross-platform setup because MacOS and Windows use different formats for absolute paths. As a result, LyX fails to locate the correct files when I switch between operating systems.
To illustrate:
On Windows, an absolute path might look like: C:\Users\Username\Documents\file.txt
On MacOS, the same location would be: /Users/Username/Documents/file.txt
Given this difference, a file reference that works on one system fails on the other.
I would greatly appreciate if you could consider reverting to the previous path handling mechanism used in LyX 2.3 or implementing a new system that can accommodate cross-platform usage. Some possible solutions might include:
Using relative paths more extensively, even for files in parent directories, as was possible in LyX 2.3.
Implementing a platform-agnostic path representation within the software.
Providing an option for users to specify alternative paths for different operating systems.
I apologize that I am not a native English speaker. To ensure clear communication, this email was composed with the assistance of Claude, an AI language model. I hope this doesn't cause any inconvenience.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.
Best regards,
Chenyu
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