Footnotes

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This page is an attempt to describe the creation of footnotes in 1.5.0svn. It mainly represents a series of observations on creating and editing footnotes.

Use Edit Contents Mode

This isn't just a recommendation, it's currently the only way to create footnotes. You will not find any method in Story Editor.

Elements of Footnote Creation

  • Edit > Styles – I am mentioning this first, since even though it's not central or absolutely required for creating footnotes, probably with few exceptions you will want to create a paragraph or character style for your footnotes, even if it's just a variant of your main text style.
  • Edit > Marks – this brings up the Marks Manager dialog. Until you actually have some footnotes (one kind of Mark), you won't see anything to do here.
  • Edit > Notes Styles – here is where you will be applying your paragraph and character styles to create Notes Styles.
  • Item > Welding – for the moment, don't worry about what welding has to do with Scribus or footnotes. We'll get there soon enough.
  • Insert > Marks – this as you might expect is where the action is in actually inserting a footnote mark somewhere in the text. You might just start at this point, by beginning to create footnotes, but it's still going to be important sooner or later to understand those other aspects of footnotes.

Insert > Marks

Footnotes.png Let's just quickly show what happens here, realizing that once you get an understanding of footnotes, your workflow may not necessarily begin here. Here is a two-column layout of some sample text we'll use for our examples. Remember that you need to be Edit Contents mode to insert a footnote – you will find Insert > Marks greyed out if you're not. So double-click at the point you wish to insert a footnote.

Now select Insert > Marks > Foot/End Note. Two things happen, only one of which you will be aware of. Your screen focus will change to the bottom of your frame, and you see this:

Footnotes2.png

What you can't see in this screenshot is that your cursor has moved here so that you can begin making your footnote entry.

Footnotes3.png

As text is added, this space enlarges to contain however many lines you type.

Footnotes4.png

The other part you're not immediately aware of, even though you're expecting it, is that you have added the references to your footnote where you initially placed your cursor to create them. Footnotes5.png