Footnote help

[littlelady40]

I have a very large document and have linked text boxes only in sections. But the client now wants the footnotes to start at 1 at the begining and flow numerically. Why do they not automatically do that in the document - is it because its not one giant text thread? Dont want to do this manulally is there a fix?

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi @littlelady40 ,

if you want the footnote numbers continue automatically, you have to thread all text frames that contain footnotes.

That's how the feature is built.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[littlelady40]

I thought so but can nto do this in documents this size. thank you

[PREPRENSA5CC5]

Hi how do you thread frames? tnks

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Threading means that the text starts in one text frame and continues into another text frame.

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/threading-text.html

When a story is threaded, its text might appear in several frames but they are all linked together to form a continuous "thread."

[Susan Culligan]

Hi! This would be a little klunky, but you can use Document Footnote Options (in the Type tab) and set the starting number in the current thread using the Start At #. That would continue through the end of that thread, then set the new starting number in the next thread. 

[littlelady40]

Now I tried this, but when you set the number to start at lets says 4 in section two it effects the whole document so all the footnotes in each ection start at same number. I striped them all out and did them manually which is so painful when there is a change or text moves and you have to find them manually 😞

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

I'm with you on this one. We run into it on our clients' long tech documents.

InDesign's footnote utility, as good as it is, misses the mark on so many details.

• Restart footnote numbering at various points in the file.
• Have multiple footnote series/patterns, more than the standard ones there now. In some technical fields, they use 1,2,3 number footnotes AND also *, **, or a,b,c  in the same document.  Science documents especially use a, b, c for table footnotes and 1,2,3 for body text footnotes.
• Have custom patterns. Some authors have their own patterns, such as *, †, ‡, **  — whatever crazy sequence the author wants.

Consequently, we end up having some manual footnotes in long docs.

Sure wish Adobe would give us a 2.0 version of the footnote utility!

[Susan Culligan]

My apologies. I didn't test this fully and was mistaken in thinking that, as with numbered lists where you can set the numbering for each list, this would work with fottnotes. I should have been more thorough!

[Peter Kahrel]

You can set the start number only once in a document.

[littlelady40]

seems silly Peter if then that option effects the whole document and the footnotes only work on threaded text boxes not the whole document 

[Steve Werner]

There's an InDesign User Voice feature request for more flexibility in footnote  numbering. You can vote for it, as can others reading this thread. The popularity of the request makes it more likely it will be implemented:

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/42042229-re...

[Peter Kahrel]

> seems silly if then that option affects the whole document and the footnotes only work on threaded text boxes not the whole document 

Silly indeed, and that's putting it mildly. As Steve mentioned, please add your voice at https://indesign.uservoice.com