[QGIS-Developer] Copy layer vs Duplicate layer ???

[Richard Duivenvoorde]

Ok, so... historically there was only 'Duplicate'... which copied ( ;-) ) the layer within the project.

The Copy/Paste is more recent and meant to copy (layer-xml) from one project to another.

Both, NOT changing/copying datasources (with good reason, just counterintuitive to beginners/humans).

BUT: using Copy/Paste WITHIN one project then, seems to me(!), the same as Copy/Paste within one project?

So, what is then the value of the 'Duplicate' item? Could this be removed?

Anybody aware of functionality in Duplicate which is not in Copy/Paste ?

Regards,

Richard



On 05-06-2025 03:27, Andrea Giudiceandrea via QGIS-Developer wrote:
> Hi Richard and list,
> the QGIS Desktop User Guide / Manual explains such functionalities, clearly stating that "The copy uses the same data source as the original." / "As for Duplicate, the layers are still based on the same data source."
> 
> ****
> "Duplicate" a layer to generate a copy where you can modify the name, style (symbology, labels, …), joins, … The copy uses the same data source as the original.
> 
> "Copy" and "Paste" layers or groups from one project to another as a new instance whose properties can be modified independently. As for Duplicate, the layers are still based on the same data source.
> ****
> 
> See https://docs.qgis.org/3.40/en/docs/user_manual/introduction/qgis_gui.html#layer
> 
> Regards.
> 
> Andrea
> 
> Il 04/06/2025 17:00, Richard Duivenvoorde via QGIS-Developer ha scritto:
>> Hi People,
>>
>> A user had an issue in which she 'copied' a layer, edited it and then found out she edited the original data...
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