Endnotes at each section break.

[jbsj]

I am designing a book of annotated letters. Each letter appears in full across several pages in single columns, followed by notes, set in double columns. Then another letter appears and so forth for about 550 pages.

In Word, I have created section breaks after each letter. The endnotes follow right after each letter, re-numbered from 1 each time. But when I place the file in InDesign, all the notes are moved to the very end of the document, clustered together in one continuous string of numbers. Each new letter starts a new page, whereas in Word a letter follows right after the notes from the previous.

Is there a way to preserve section breaks in InDesign when placing the text? Or at least to re-create them in InDesign?

I could create separate files for each letter, but there are about three hundred of them, so it would be nice to just place it all at once.

Or maybe breaks aren't the answer at all. I'd be happy with any solution that allows me to run the main text of each letter in full, single columned, followed by split columned notes, and then a new letter with its own re-numbered notes.

Thanks.

[Eric Dumas]

It sounds like you need footnotes instead of endnotes.

Footnotes will locate at the bottom of each page, while endnotes collate at the end of a document.

In the past to create the Page Break, I used the styling of the text.

The Paragraph style of the letter/word you want at the top of a page (creating a break from the previous page) can format the 'look' of the text as well as being forced to start at the top of the next page, thus creating the break.

More details at:

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/how-to/add-endnotes-indesign.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/footnotes.html

[jbsj]

Thanks for your response. It sounds like what I need isn't quite possible with InDesign. Footnotes, unfortunately, display at the bottom of each page, but I need the notes only to go after the completion of the letter---so the letter might run uninterrupted for five pages, and then the notes will all run together, filling entire pages after, before the next letter begins. Footnotes also don't allow split columns.

In Word, I am able to use endnotes paired with section breaks, which allows exactly this arrangement of an entire letter, followed by clustered footnotes, followed by a new letter and so on. I was really hoping I could just place the entire document like this and then apply styles to the endnotes to render them in split columns, but it appears I will need to instead place each of the individual letters separately three hundred or so times.

Or am I missing something?

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

jbsj  wrote

…Or am I missing something?

Maybe.

The alternative I see is to have one single story for every single letter.

That story will consist of several text frames threaded over some pages.

In that scenario endnotes could be created per story.

It would not be an automatic solution. You'll need to break the whole story imported with Word at every section break in the text. That could do a script. The endnotes feature would add one page after every story to place the endnotes of the story before.

That's an option in the Endnotes Preferences.

Set the scope to Story instead of Document.

Regards,
Uwe

[jbsj]

Thanks for the reply. A story per letter is what I'd been fearing, but it appears that's the only way to go, and it's nice at least to have confirmation that there's not a simpler solution that I'm just missing.

Thanks.