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Conference vaxuum::document_ft

Title:DOCUMENT T1.0
Notice:**New notesfile (DOCUMENT.NOTE) now available (see note 897)**
Moderator:CLOSET::ADLER
Created:Mon Feb 09 1987
Last Modified:Thu Oct 31 1991
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:897
Total number of notes:4397

702.0. "Trouble with Footnote Symbols" by PSYCHE::ILSLEY (Yoyodyne consultant....) Thu Jul 23 1987 13:13

I'm having a problem using nonnumeric characters (asterisk, dagger, 
double dagger, etc.) for footnote symbols in tables. If I have only one
footnote, the footnote prints correctly (with the asterisk symbol).
If I have two footnotes, however, only the second footnote prints. The
<footref>s print correctly for both footnotes.

I'm using <footnote>(*\text) and <footnote>(<special_char>(dagger)\text).
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
702.1invalid coding not caught by translatorBOOKIE::GENTParty gone out of bounds -- B52&#039;sThu Jul 23 1987 15:1912
    You must use either digits or keywords to specify the footnote
    symbol within tables. I believe the keywords for dagger and
    doubledagger are:
    
    	<FOOTNOTE>(DAG\text)
    	<FOOTNOTE>(DDAG\text)
    
    (The fact that * and <SPECIAL_CHAR> work at all at footnote markers
    inside tables is spurious. They should generate an error and be
    forced to some default -- "1"? -- since they are not valid.)
    
    --Andrew
702.2Disagree on *PSYCHE::ILSLEYYoyodyne consultant....Fri Jul 24 1987 11:018
    
>    (The fact that * and <SPECIAL_CHAR> work at all at footnote markers
>    inside tables is spurious. They should generate an error and be
>    forced to some default -- "1"? -- since they are not valid.)
    
 
I'll try using DAG instead of <special_char>. I disagree that * should be
invalid -- unless there's another argument to create an asterisk.
702.3Yes, but...BOOKIE::GENTParty gone out of bounds -- B52&#039;sFri Jul 24 1987 13:118
    Sorry, I think I misrepresented my position. *IF* only 0-9 and
    certain keywords are valid (as is documented), then DOCUMENT 
    should signal an error and use some default if you specify 
    another character.
    
    Ideally, I agree that DOCUMENT should accept other characters. 

    --Andrew
702.4one mistake allowed, but not twoPSYCHE::ILSLEYYoyodyne consultant....Fri Jul 24 1987 17:3518
Re: .2

I used <FOOTNOTE>(*\text) and <FOOTNOTE>(DAG\text), and both 
footnotes printed correctly. 

________________________________________________________________

More on invalid symbols

You do get an error message if you use any "invalid" symbols. The 
error message says that Document is replacing your invalid symbol 
with the default -- 1. Actually, the symbol is not replaced. 
However, if you use two invalid symbols in different footnotes to 
the same table, only the second footnote will appear on all pages 
with a footnote reference. The footrefs will print correctly.

I wonder if this bug was necessary, to permit the use of an 
asterisk?
702.5one of those times when a bug is a featureCLOSET::ANKLAMWed Aug 12 1987 15:2413
    
    Rich is correct. There is a 'bug' that allows one table footnote
    that is not a special character keyword or a number; that's why
    only the first footnote is printed -- all references are assumed
    to be for the single note. The problem
    with allowing any random characters as the footnote character is
    that we have a real limit of 13 footnotes in a table, and the
    mapping of footnotes to references is based on specific numbers.
    
    I will look at whether there is a better way to do the mapping so
    that more characters can be allowed. 
    
    patti