Multiple sets of footnotes in a single node

Hi silurius

In this case, how did you plan to output the footnotes then? Would you like to have the footnotes listed each after their own article or all at the end. If at the end, you'd probably still want some kind of headings between each list (like "Footnotes for Article 1" ... "Footnotes for Article 2" ...)

To add the ability to specify numbers is not a problem, I thought about it but nobody asked for it before now. (For example, you could define the footnote number as <fn number="5"> and also define the numbering style: <fn number="5" numbering-style="i"> for small roman numerals.)

But your idea of putting articles together into one page is more complex than that, because you presumably want to output footnotes in many places too. I can think of some ways to do that too, but I'm just asking here - is that really what you want to do and how specifically were you thinking?

Hi hingo. Thanks for the quick reply.

After posting my feature request above, I remembered that the word I should have used was Endnotes which appear at the end of a given chapter/section or at the end of a work. Footnotes are usually used on the bottom of each page of a work.

But semantics aside, yes exactly, the requirement is to present within a given page node one volume containing multiple articles, using both "References" (standard bibliography) and "Notes" (numeric, not roman, footnotes) at the end of each article.

Here is an example structure:

And so on. Using this example of the first two articles, I assume this would entail placing something like <fn section="1"></fn> into the first body of the article for each of its given references, and <footnote section="1"></footnote> at the end of the article body. Then, assuming Article #1 used ten footnotes, Article #2 would use <fn start="11"></fn> and so on.

If achieving something like this would be a significant effort, I may be able to go back to the table and try to revise the requirements, but right now the above scenario is exactly what I'm looking for.

One caveat: This is the first time I've developed for a customer who actually required such large individual nodes. It's possible the requirement is unreasonable and needs to be challenged more.

Oh and also, I should mention that I've looked over the Bibliography Module, and it seems way overkill for what I'm looking for, since I only need the reference functionality to exist within each given journal volume.

Hmm...

And so on. Using this example of the first two articles, I assume this would entail placing something like <fn section="1"></fn> into the first body of the article for each of its given references, and <footnote section="1"></footnote> at the end of the article body. Then, assuming Article #1 used ten footnotes, Article #2 would use <fn start="11"></fn> and so on.

Are you sure about this one? Just want to confirm... Are you sure that the footnotes of Article 2 should continue from the highest number of Article 1? In that case of course, it should happen automatically. A start attribute you would use to start over from one. If you want the footnotes separate anyway, why doesn't it start over from nr 1?

Another thing. I hope you realize there is also no support currently to have two separate sets of Footnotes alongside each other. Or is the References going to be something like [Ing2008] and not automatically numbered?

One caveat: This is the first time I've developed for a customer who actually required such large individual nodes. It's possible the requirement is unreasonable and needs to be challenged more.

To be honest, it sounds like one of those cases where your customer is doing his best trying to make the web look like a book. (It is very common, no need for anyone to be embarrassed or anything.)

I'd take some time to think about whether this is really what the customer wants, or just what he thinks he wants.

Even so, if you decide to stay on this path: I think you should rather look into thinking of
- Have each article as one node (that's a natural way to start)
- Then think of ways to show several nodes on one page. CCK does something like that, but I'm not personally familiar and it may in fact not be appropriate. For instance, hacking the Book module to show all nodes of a given subsection as one page would be an idea.
- Then the simple modules like Footnotes will just work - each node is its own thing and Footnotes has no idea there are more nodes showing on the same page. (This assumes it is ok to restart numbering from 1.)

Or: You always have the simplest option of all - just let all the footnotes be at the bottom - this is how it works now.

Oh and also, I should mention that I've looked over the Bibliography Module, and it seems way overkill for what I'm looking for, since I only need the reference functionality to exist within each given journal volume.

I was gonna ask :-)

Anyway. Your requirements seem interesting, so please keep on explaining. But I just wanna warn you right here that they also seem rather complex plus specific, which is not a good combination: I may end up reluctant to actually incorporate such functionality into Footnotes. (I have one idea in mind which wouldn't be too ugly, but still don't like that it is a very specific and uncommon use case.)

Ach, I got too little sleep last night and mixed my notes and requirements up a bit. I should not have specified continuation of a series, but rather the start of a new series. I believe at the time I posted that I was also thinking about others who might prefer their footnotes in one single series, and how one might address both requirements using one variable.

So yes, multiple groupings in one node is actually what I'm hoping for here.

Hingo,

You may disregard my feature request now. Turns out I can meet all my existing requirements using Views. I should have experimented more fully with that before posting here! Thanks for taking the time today.

@Silurius

Yes, Views is indeed what you want, not CCK. Thanks, and good luck!