Figure 1. Earth, just 5% after Venus.

• Images can be automatically numbered. For example, the "Figure 1" at right wasn't manually typed — it was automatically generated, by setting the Auto-number pop-up to figure. This is the preferred method, since QDL will assign sequential numbers to all images visible, which might include an image of yours, as well as images in other people's posts, which you can't anticipate. If everybody uses automatic figure numbering, QDL will make sure that the numbers are unique.
• Once you've configured an image to get an auto-number, you can reference that image elsewhere in the text with the same mechanism. Simply create another link to the image, and in the Insert/Edit Link dialog, turn off everything except the auto-number (including the title, contents, etc.). For example, this "Figure 1" image reference wasn't manually typed — it's just another instance of the link, but it's set to just show the auto-number. Since it refers to the same image, it gets the same number.
• Image references (i.e., links with everything shut off except the auto-number) can be placed in any document, even posts that do not contain the image configured to display. If the image isn't displayed, the auto-number will get hyperlinked, and if you click it, a child window will open, showing the image. For instance, this figure... Figure 2 ...isn't otherwise displayed in the present post, so it's hyperlinked to the image post.
• Table and equation numbering work the same way — the only difference is the label. For example, here's a table auto-number: Table 1. And here's an equation: Equation 1.