Footnotes

[dicknskip]

I only have access to a Linux machine, a Mac and an iPad. To make footnotes work properly on "most" readers, skip to footnote and then skip back, should you always do anchor and link both ways?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by dicknskip

I only have access to a Linux machine, a Mac and an iPad. To make footnotes work properly on "most" readers, skip to footnote and then skip back, should you always do anchor and link both ways?

Yes!

[exaltedwombat]

It can be a bit 'belt & braces, when the reader HAS a Back button (does anything except ADE not?). But it does no harm. You could also consider moving footnotes inline, particularly when they are explanatory rather than just bibliographic references. We torture ourselves too much in attempts to copy printed layout rather than designing efficient ebooks.

[phossler]

You could also consider moving footnotes inline,

Could you explain a little more, please?

Maybe some CSS if appropriate.

We torture ourselves too much in attempts to copy printed layout rather than designing efficient ebooks.

Agreed.

Everything I do with Sigil and Calibre (both GREAT programs) is pretty much just for myself and family to make (very) poorly converted PD books into something readable on the Kindles.

The 'back and forth' linking for footnotes is tedious, and sometimes I'm not careful enough

If by 'inline' you mean click it and it expands (displays) in location and then click it and it 'shrinks' that's be a lot easier that manually doing all the footnotes manually

Paul

[dicknskip]

In many cases I will make the footnote text a 75% font size and enclose it in a box that is set at 80% width, giving an indent on both sides. I then place that box immediately following the paragraph that contains the reference.

I use Sigil for very similar purposes to yours and my family finds that to work well for them.

[DiapDealer]

You guy's are killing me.

Inline references in ebooks (other than short parentheticals like this one) drive me absolutely batsh!t crazy.

It seems to me that shoe-horning notes and references inline is more of an attempt to "copy printed layout" (think footnotes) than links and endnotes would be. If it's too important for the reader to miss out on, then it shouldn't be a reference or note at all. It should already be a part of the main text. If it's anything other than a short parenthetical... link it and get it the hell out of the flow, I say (and include a return link for devices/apps that lack a "back" feature). At least until we get pop(up|over) balloon notes.

[phossler]

...drive me absolutely batsh!t crazy.

Oh, come on .. tell us what you really think

The 'return link' is what I see in a lot of retail epubs, and I know that Sigil can make the necessary pairs.

I would be instructive if some one made a simple epub demonstrating the various approaches for us newbies

http://demosthenes.info/blog/69/Clas...-CSS-Footnotes

has what sounds interesting, but I'm having a hard time working through it

Paul

[dicknskip]

I'm not a professional epub creator. Just a guy who has created a few books for my own use. Some family histories and cook books and such. When copying a family history that someone else wrote I don't feel it's my job to re-write paragraphs to include footnotes that others have created. I just look for a way to make reading easier for my family. The approach of boxing a foot note directly after the reference paragraph works for them.

I know that the pros have definite opinions about this and as an old publisher I can respect that. But as an amatuer now, I just want a simple solution that works for my very limited audience. Modern technology that allows me to do this is amazing. Sigil is an awesome tool for both us amateurs and you pros.

[DiapDealer]

I'm not a pro by any means. I'm just a reader/hacker who truly believes that hyperlinks are the best solution for things like this (right now). By all means... if you're making an ebook for personal use, do what you like. But if you're making an ebook you want me to read (or pay money for)... don't go wedging a bunch of ancillary material into the normal reading flow.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm not a pro by any means. I'm just a reader/hacker who truly believes that hyperlinks are the best solution for things like this (right now). By all means... if you're making an ebook for personal use, do what you like. But if you're making an ebook you want me to read (or pay money for)... don't go wedging a bunch of ancillary material into the normal reading flow.

I loves me dem linked footnotes! Ah LOVES 'em!

Seriously, though--as an avid and voracious reader of all types of material, I truly love the linked footnote. As a bookmaker, I don't love making them--but as a reader/researcher, I'm very fond of them indeed in academic/non-fiction material.

So, I'm with Diap.

Hitch

[dicknskip]

I hear you and I will give your approach a try in the new year. It just seemed to me that the double link effort was pretty heavy for three or four possible readers.

[lrui]

This is my approach, it works in my NST.

<p>(honeycomb-structure)<sup><a class="Hyperlink" href="#id04a" id="id04">[4]</a></sup></p>

  <hr />
  <p class="FootnoteText"><a class="Hyperlink" href="#id04" id="id04a">[4]</a>　Vivienne Shue,The Reach of the state:sketches of the&nbsp;Chinese body politic,Stanford University Press,1998.</p>

CSS

Spoiler:

.FootnoteText {

border-bottom: 0;
border-top: 0;
display: block;
font-family: "微软雅黑", "ht", sans-serif;
font-size: 0.85em;
layout-grid-mode: char;
line-height: 130%;
margin-bottom: 0.5em;
margin-left: 1%;
margin-right: 1%;
margin-top: 0.5em;
padding-bottom: 0;
padding-top: 0;
text-indent: 2em;
}
.Hyperlink {
color: red;
cursor: pointer;
text-decoration: underline;
font-family: "宋体", "zw", sans-serif;
}

here is the sample.untitled sample.epub

if you use iBooks, you can try this way , it supports pop-up footnotes and only supports by EPUB 3.0 readers.
http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/20...pub-3-and.html