Page Links and Email Links Becoming Web Address Links

When you create a link using the Link Manager you have 3 options to choose from:  Web Address, Internal link and Email Link.

We have seen some issues with some links within our site where a link was created as an internal page and/or a "mail to" link and noticed that when we go back into edit the content the link is labeled as a "Web Address".  When a page is then translated, the link (ie.  /company/AboutUs) does stay relative, but the language domain (ie. /de-de/) is not added to the link since it is recognized as a "Web Address" link and not a internal page link.  This also has been an inconsistent behavior and does not happen every time.  Also, we have attempted to reproduce the issue and have done so unsuccessfully.  

Has anyone ever experienced the same issue?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Jared,

 I tested the functionality you describe but was not able to reproduce the issue in my environment. Can you please specify the steps you take in order to reproduce the issue. You say it happens randomly but still we cannot help you unless we reproduce it. Additionally, if you make a link to a site page, when translating the site the link should remain the same for all cultures. You have to manually change it.

We just found this issue this week from our editors and we ourselves have not been able to reproduce either.  Has a bug ever been documented where this could happen?  We are on Sitefinity 5.4 4040 currently.  For this to happen, would the link had to of been originally created as a Web Address?  Is it all possible that the system could convert a internal page link or email link to a web address link?

A common thing we found today was that page links that did not have the "sfref" attribute open as a "Web Address", but if the link has the "sfref" attribute it opens as a "Internal Page link.  Attached are the two examples.

What purpose does the "sfref" provide?

Hi Jared,

 The sfref tag is part our InternalLinkAttrebuteName that appears once our page resolution logic applies. The tag only appears if you change the link of an internal page more than once. Then the original value of altered attributes is preserved in additional attribute named sfref.