Table image extraction for reference

[rajuptvs]

Requested feature

Background

Currently, the system supports referencing images using URIs in markdown formatting, which has proven valuable for many data pipeline implementations. For example:

Proposed Enhancement

I propose extending this URI reference functionality to table images as well. This addition would provide more flexibility in document handling, particularly in cases where current markdown tables created may not be correct.

Technical Implementation

I've already prototyped a similar functionality using the following approach:

1. Store image data in item.image and its URI in item.image.uri using the item.get_image()

2. Implement reference handling through the existing image processing pipeline:

elif image_mode == ImageRefMode.REFERENCED:

    new_doc = self._with_pictures_refs(

        image_dir=artifacts_dir, reference_path=reference_path

    )

I think this would enable extensibility of pipelines using docling and very beneficial to do various kinds of post-processing on table images.

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Alternatives

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[wcool1]

Hello sir. I wonder that referencing images using URIs in markdown formatting, which has proven valuable for many data pipeline implementations? Why URIs are better than text/table in the output of markdown by OCR? Could you give me some cases or prove？