A Footnote Query (EPUB vs KEPUB)

pgilster · 08-26-2020, 08:44 AM

I'm perplexed by one aspect of how my Kobo devices handle footnotes (I use both a Forma and an Aura One). Occasionally, I'll get a book with numerous footnotes, and I always appreciate the fact that with KEPUB, I can have these appear as a small window on the screen, rather than being sent to the back of the book, as EPUB seems to require.

Now and then, though, I get both behaviors. A book I've been reading started out, for its first third or so, giving me popup window footnotes, as I expect from KEPUB. Then suddenly, without warning, I got EPUB-style handling, being sent to the back of the book to the footnotes there.

Why the combination? I've seen this in multiple books and would expect either one or the other, but not both in the same volume. Can anyone help me figure this out?

icallaci · 08-26-2020, 09:08 AM

Sorry, I can't help you, but I've seen this behavior as well, and it drives me crazy. When I look at the code for the links, I can't see any difference in their structure. I haven't really tried to track this down, so I have not (for example) deleted and reloaded the book to see if the behavior happens at the same place each time, or reloaded and skipped directly to a chapter past where the problem first started. Anyway, I too would like to know what's going on and fix it, if possible.

davidfor · 08-26-2020, 08:27 PM

There has been plenty of discussion here about how footnotes work in kepubs. The official word is in https://github.com/kobolabs/epub-spe...kobo-platforms. And that is basically that the links and anchors have to be setup correctly. And, unless the book is using the epub3 syntax for the footnotes, the software is taking a guess as to whether the link is a footnote or not. From the experience here, it doesn't always work exactly as described, so there is probably more that hasn't been documented there.

geek1011 · 08-26-2020, 10:46 PM

This is why I wish you could long-press on a link to open it in the page preview mode. Long-press doesn't currently do anything, and the preview mode gives the best of both footnotes and going to the page itself.

08-26-2020, 08:44 AM	#1
pgilster Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 3888 Join Date: Aug 2020 Device: Kobo Aura One; Kobo Forma; Kindle Oasis 3	A Footnote Query (EPUB vs KEPUB) I'm perplexed by one aspect of how my Kobo devices handle footnotes (I use both a Forma and an Aura One). Occasionally, I'll get a book with numerous footnotes, and I always appreciate the fact that with KEPUB, I can have these appear as a small window on the screen, rather than being sent to the back of the book, as EPUB seems to require. Now and then, though, I get both behaviors. A book I've been reading started out, for its first third or so, giving me popup window footnotes, as I expect from KEPUB. Then suddenly, without warning, I got EPUB-style handling, being sent to the back of the book to the footnotes there. Why the combination? I've seen this in multiple books and would expect either one or the other, but not both in the same volume. Can anyone help me figure this out?

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08-26-2020, 09:08 AM	#2
icallaci Guru Posts: 771 Karma: 6528026 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Kobo Elipsa	Sorry, I can't help you, but I've seen this behavior as well, and it drives me crazy. When I look at the code for the links, I can't see any difference in their structure. I haven't really tried to track this down, so I have not (for example) deleted and reloaded the book to see if the behavior happens at the same place each time, or reloaded and skipped directly to a chapter past where the problem first started. Anyway, I too would like to know what's going on and fix it, if possible.

08-26-2020, 08:27 PM	#3
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,906 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	There has been plenty of discussion here about how footnotes work in kepubs. The official word is in https://github.com/kobolabs/epub-spe...kobo-platforms. And that is basically that the links and anchors have to be setup correctly. And, unless the book is using the epub3 syntax for the footnotes, the software is taking a guess as to whether the link is a footnote or not. From the experience here, it doesn't always work exactly as described, so there is probably more that hasn't been documented there.

08-26-2020, 10:46 PM	#4
geek1011 Wizard Posts: 2,762 Karma: 6990705 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Aura Edition 2 v1, Clara HD	This is why I wish you could long-press on a link to open it in the page preview mode. Long-press doesn't currently do anything, and the preview mode gives the best of both footnotes and going to the page itself.