Framers Digest, Vol 37, Issue 24

[Graeme R Forbes]

> While adding an extra space for footnotes helps, it is not a  
> foolproof method either. You might still see some footnote text  
> shifting?randomly?to the next page?while the footnote actually  
> apears on the previous page. This is?not a pleasant?situation  
> especially?if you are working on an academic project. I am hoping  
> Frame would pay attention to this problem.



It's not actually *random* shifting. Assuming that in the footnote  
properties dialog you have a large value for "Max height per column"  
-- I use 9" -- the footnote text jumps to the next page precisely  
when the length of the note exceeds the available space between the  
line the note number is on and the bottom of the text frame. So if  
you refuse to be bullied by FM's behavior and insist on the text  
breaking correctly across pages -- something Word could do on a Mac  
in 1986 -- you have to use the manual method I described. Or else you  
have to use reader-hostile endnotes, where, once again, you'll likely  
be stuck with a lot of manual fiddling (tho' the footnotes ->  
endnotes direction can be scripted).

I think that there is no chance that the problem will ever be fixed.  
I've been told by more than one person at Adobe and previously at  
Frame Tech that it would require massive rewriting of code, and there  
simply isn't enough customer pressure to make that worthwhile. Of  
course, that's because the footnote problem is fairly well known and  
most people who require proper handling of notes avoid FM in the  
first place. Plus, Mac users are probably overrepresented among the  
people who care, because they are overrepresented in academia, and  
Adobe has got rid of them by abandoning development of Mac FM.

I've yet to use footnotes in In Design but I'm assured by various  
people that they work properly there.

Graeme Forbes