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NIRC
Inspiring
June 22, 2021
Answered

Formatting lost in footnotes to endnotes conversion

  • June 22, 2021
  • 1 reply
  • 1281 views

When I decided to shift from footnotes to endnotes, all the italics, small caps, and similar formatting was stripped. I tried to import a Word file with footnotes by indicating "endnotes" but the same thing happened. The only way I could solve the problem was to convert the Word file first to endnotes and then import as endnotes.

   This is fine... unless you have a file that has been heavily edited and no longer reflects the original Word file. I assume this is a bug that needs attention.

    (I have the latest Word and InDesign for Windows 10.)

 

 

 

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Correct answer Laubender

Hi NIRC,

how exactly did you convert footnotes to endnotes?

If you already have footnotes in a document, placed from a Word file or not, there are basically two options to convert to endnotes. The results regarding formatting could differ.

 

There is option [1] to convert a selected footnote text to an endnote with the context menu if your text cursor is in the footnote text, and there is [2] the menu where you define if all footnotes of a document should be converted to endnotes or only the footnotes in the selected text.

 

You may also try to shield the formatting with italics, small caps etc. by applying character styles before you do the conversion.

 

A sample document with a couple of footnotes would help to see into this case.

You could put it on Dropbox or a similar service and provide the download link.

Also set the endnote options before doing this.

 

Thanks,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

1 reply

L
Community Expert
LaubenderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
June 22, 2021

Hi NIRC,

how exactly did you convert footnotes to endnotes?

If you already have footnotes in a document, placed from a Word file or not, there are basically two options to convert to endnotes. The results regarding formatting could differ.

 

There is option [1] to convert a selected footnote text to an endnote with the context menu if your text cursor is in the footnote text, and there is [2] the menu where you define if all footnotes of a document should be converted to endnotes or only the footnotes in the selected text.

 

You may also try to shield the formatting with italics, small caps etc. by applying character styles before you do the conversion.

 

A sample document with a couple of footnotes would help to see into this case.

You could put it on Dropbox or a similar service and provide the download link.

Also set the endnote options before doing this.

 

Thanks,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

    N
    NIRCAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 22, 2021

    Thanks for your offer to help. I tried everyway I could think of to convert footnotes to endnotes (and back again) inside of InDesign (which I have been using since version 1.0), and the formatting is still lost. So I had to convert them first in Word, as I explained.

      As for tagging all the italics, etc.: that is precisely what I do not want to do. Aside from all the time involved, it clutters up a file with a surplus of unnecessary tags.

       Endnotes is still a relatively new feature to InDesign, so I will just have to wait for the kinks to get ironed out.

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