split footnotes

Question

split footnotes

I've got a problem with Pages.

Searching for solutions in the web, I found some but only for other word processors.

I've made a short body text and put a footnote quite long. The body text is a title and two paragraphs. In order to make the footnote be entirely in the same page with the word with the little number, Pages automatically splits the body text, making a first page almost empty, with just one paragraph, and a second page filled with the footnote and the paragraph with the word with the little number.

It' terrible to watch and I really would like to avoid this. I tried to copy-and-paste the whole document on libreoffice, and the system just didn't make the same error, correctly splitting the footnote half in the first page ( filling the page) and half in the second.

Of course I'v tried every widow-orphan and similar setup to be able to make the document ad I wanted to be, but I couldn't.

It is an impossible thing to do with Pages? Shall I switch to Microsoft Word? Please don't tell me that!

I have Pages 7.1 and a MacbookAir 13-inch Early 2015.

Thank You.

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015), macOS High Sierra (10.13.5)

Posted on Jun 28, 2018 3:19 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,945 points

Jun 29, 2018 4:30 AM in response to emanuelefromfirenze

Hi Emanuele,

If your examiners require a Word or a LibreOffice document, I strongly recommend that you use the software that they use. If you are exchanging documents with your PhD supervisor, use the software that they use. You will struggle to make Pages behave like Word or a Word clone. Export and import between Pages and Word is not flawless.

To answer your question:

Is it impossible with Pages?

With a task that is not a PhD thesis and is therefore not "mission critical", yes, but only if you cheat 😉.

Select and Cut the bottom part of the Footnote that forces the Footnote onto the next page.
Paste that text into the body text at the top of the next page.
Format the font style and size to mimic the real Footnote.

In this example (50% zoom for a smaller Screen Shot) Body text is Times New Roman.

Text in the real Footnote and dummy Footnote is Helvetica.

Keep that up your sleeve to amaze your friends after you gain your PhD. Your aim is to write a PhD thesis, not to waste time trying to force Pages to mimic Word.

Regards,

Ian.

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Answer 2

Jun 30, 2018 5:52 AM in response to emanuelefromfirenze

Emanuele,

You can send this suggestion to the Pages team at Apple via the menu: Pages > Provide Pages Feedback.

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Answer 3

Jun 29, 2018 3:51 AM in response to Yellowbox

Thank you.

But I think it won't solve my problem.

I'm making a thesis for my PhD and the notes are meant to be footnotes, not endnotes.

I just want the footnotes to be split in two pages. I repeat, Libreoffice does it automatically.

Is it impossible with Pages?

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Answer 4

Jun 29, 2018 5:58 AM in response to Yellowbox

Thank you, Ian.

But let me say one thing.

What I need to do is not a "Ph.D thing". It's normal, it's usual. Everyone uses footnotes and sometimes the footnotes are long. I think everyone would not like the page left white with the following one filled with just a footnote, instead of a footnote split in two or even more pages, as in every book I've ever read. It's simply unpublishable, unprintable.

It is a gap. It should be solved as soon as possible with a new version.

Thank you again.

Reply

Answer 5

Yellowbox

Level 7

21,945 points

Jun 29, 2018 3:47 AM in response to emanuelefromfirenze

Hi Emanuele,

I see the problem. Here is some "Lorem ipsum" nonsense text. Page 1 with the title and one paragraph. The rest of the page is blank.

Page 2 with the second paragraph and the long footnote.

And the footnote extends to the bottom of Page 2.

A suggestion: click in the Footnote (you may have to click twice to place the cursor there).

Format Panel > Footnotes > Type and choose either Document Endnotes or Section Endnotes.

You must choose a Type for the whole document. You can't mix Footnotes, Document Endnotes and Section Endnotes within a document.

With Document Endnotes chosen, all Footnotes will appear as Endnotes at the end of the document, on a new page. (Pages will insert a Section Break to start a new page for the Endnotes.)