Sorry if this has been asked before, but every time I try to create a post it seems like Lemmy will accept one or the other, not both. Yet other posts do this. What’s the process to include an image when I post a link?

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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    1 year ago

    There’s only one URL field for posts, and it can either be to an image or a website.

    Posts with images and links are usually to news or other websites that provide a thumbnail image. Lemmy backend will pull the link’s metadata and save the returned thumbnail image if it has one. That’s how article links with the headline image show both an image and url.

    TL;DR: The thumbnail image for link posts is generated by Lemmy itself and you can’t provide both.

    • lettruthout@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      OK, that makes sense. Just did some tests.

      It worked with an ABC News link, but not with an Axios link. Also: It doesn’t look like the thumbnail is visible when creating a post (after entering the article link).

      My posts would look better on a feed if I could also choose a thumbnail. But I still like Lemmy.

      • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, you can post whatever you want in the body. I was just giving a direct answer to OP about why the post metadata can’t have both.

        • over_clox@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Ah, I think I see what you were getting at now, as in like posting a news article with a specific photo that also links…?

          I was thinking more like posting a photo and linking to the source in the body.

          • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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            1 year ago

            Yeah. Like, if you posted a news article but the thumbnail image doesn’t load, if you provide your own, you lose the link to the article.