Problem with headings spanning columns and footnotes

[mikado99]

Hi there, I created a 2 column layout. The heading is set to span all columns. The text contains some footnotes before the heading and some after it.

The problem is that some of the footnotes appear above the heading instead of at the bottom of the page (see jpg). Is this on purpose or is it a bug? When I allow footnotes also to span columns, they gather nicely all together at the bottom of the page. 

But I need them all to sit at the bottom without spanning columns. Is there any way to solve the problem?

Thanks,

Petra 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

It's the same TextFrame, right? 

Then it looks like InDesign is treating this heading as a "section break"... 

[mikado99]

Yes, it's one single textframe. It really seems like InDesign treats span columns elements as a section break. 

But in this case it makes no sense at all setting footnotes above a heading on the middle of a page. 

I just learned that you can insert indeed a Section Marker in Indesign. But this is nothing I used here. 

Im Working with ID 2021 but the same happens in ID 2023.

[mikado99]

It gets even better: Create a single column document, fill it with some placeholder text. Add a footnote to the 1st and another to the 3rd paragraph. Allow the 2nd paragraph to span all columns. Footnote 1 sits now above this paragraph, footnote 2 at the bottom of the page (see PDF below). 

[Frans v.d. Geest]

It is ugly, as this seems to be 'by design' indeed with no work around except the 'old' way of a separate threaded text frame.

I guss not a bug but a poor programming choice...

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Simple checkbox somewhere - probably in the ParaStyle definition, next to the spanning option would be best - to decide if paragraph should act as a section break or not. 

[Frans v.d. Geest]

I've also mentioned this now in the pre-release forum, so maybe we will get some more insight on this.

[mikado99]

That's great, thank you! It would be nice to know if there will be any more to know. 

I don't believe that I'm the very first person running into that, but it does not seem to be a common problem. At least there isn't much to find online.  But I found that: https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/39799390-footnotes-appe...

 It is from 2020...

[Frans v.d. Geest]

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Thank Bevi Chagnon for testing and confirming this!

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Hi Frans, did you happen to officially log this in the prerelease bug base?

--Bevi

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Hi Frans, did you happen to officially log this in the prerelease bug base?

--Bevi

No, because I think it is 'by design' or a 'design limitation' and not a bug to be honest...

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com · Accepted solution]

I agree, it's lousy design.

But the engineering team still needs a formal bug to have it considered and authorized by the Adobe "powers". The engineners do not control what they work on.

If needed, you can grab any of my screen captures to augment yours in the bug report.

And post the bug numeber in the main prerelease discussion so we can chime in and confirm the problem.

[mikado99]

I know, that is the easy stuff. But I don't want the footnotes spanning across columns. 

My problem is footnote 1 on p.2.

[Laubender]

Hi @mikado99 ,

you cannot avoid it. One thing you could try is to work with a text wrapping object and a small text frame that ignores text wrap and is threaded to the main two column text frame. By far this is not ideal and can only work under certain circumstances:

This extra text frame ignores text wrap:

Sample document attached.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[mikado99]

Hi Uwe, 

This is a pretty clever trick. It might be a workaround for shorter documents. 

Thank you Frans, Robert, Bevy and Uwe for your time and expertise! That helped a lot. 🙂

Petra