References notes and floats/Footnotes/Tutorial

1. Aim of this tutorial

This tutorial introduces the basic note mechanism in ConTeXt by building a small document step by step.

By the end, you will know how to:

• create an ordinary footnote;
• add several footnotes;
• give a note a stable internal reference;
• print the same note mark again;
• refer to a note number or page;
• control how note numbers are displayed and reset;
• change the body font used for note entries;
• postpone notes and place them explicitly;
• combine these elements in a complete working example.

2. Create your first footnote

An ordinary footnote is created with:

\footnote{note text}

The command inserts a note mark in the running text and places the corresponding note entry at the bottom of the page.

2.1. MWE: an ordinary footnote

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \starttext
  
  This sentence contains a footnote.\footnote
    {This is the text of the footnote.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

3. Add several footnotes

ConTeXt numbers ordinary footnotes automatically.

3.1. MWE: automatic numbering

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \starttext
  
  The first statement contains a note.\footnote
    {This is the first note.}
  
  The second statement contains another note.\footnote
    {This is the second note.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

You do not need to assign the numbers yourself. If a note is inserted or removed, ConTeXt updates the sequence automatically.

3.2. MWE: formatting text inside a note

The note text may contain ordinary ConTeXt commands.

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \starttext
  
  This sentence contains a formatted note.\footnote
    {A note may contain \emph{emphasized text},
     {\bf bold text}, references, and other ordinary commands.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

Use local emphasis sparingly. A note should normally remain visually subordinate to the main text.

4. Give a note a stable internal reference

A footnote may receive an optional internal reference:

\footnote[reference]{note text}

The internal reference remains stable even if the printed note number changes.

4.1. MWE: naming a footnote

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \starttext
  
  This statement has a named footnote.\footnote[foot:example]
    {This note has the internal reference \type{foot:example}.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

The name foot:example is not printed. It is an identifier used inside the source.

5. Print the same note mark again

Once a note has a stable internal reference, its mark can be printed again with:

\note[reference]

5.1. MWE: repeating a note mark

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \starttext
  
  This statement has a shared note.\footnote[foot:shared]
    {This note is attached to more than one place in the text.}
  
  The same note mark appears again here\note[foot:shared].
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

The second occurrence prints only the mark. It does not create a second note entry.

For variations and more complex cases, see:

• Referring to a footnote more than once ;
• Separating a note mark from its text .

5.2. Refer to the note number or page

A stable internal reference may also be used with ordinary cross-reference commands:

\in{footnote}[reference]
\at{page}[reference]

5.3. MWE: referring to a note

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \starttext
  
  This statement has a note.\footnote[foot:reference]
    {This is the referenced footnote.}
  
  The note is numbered \in{footnote}[foot:reference]
  and appears on \at{page}[foot:reference].
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

The commands serve different purposes:

Command	Result
\note[reference]	Prints the note mark again.
\in{footnote}[reference]	Refers to the printed note number.
\at{page}[reference]	Refers to the page on which the note appears.

6. Control note numbering

The printed numbering of footnote entries is configured with:

\setupnotation
  [footnote]
  [...]

Two keys are especially useful at this stage:

• way , which determines when the counter is reset;
• numberconversion , which determines how the current counter value is printed.

6.1. Reset the counter on each page

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \setupnotation
    [footnote]
    [way=bypage]
  
  \starttext
  
  First note.\footnote
    {The first note on this page.}
  
  Second note.\footnote
    {The second note on this page.}
  
  \page
  
  A note on the next page.\footnote
    {The numbering starts again on the new page.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

Other reset levels may be useful in structured documents:

way=bychapter
way=bysection
way=bytext

Choose the reset level according to the structure of the publication.

6.2. Change the printed form of the number

The following example uses a traditional sequence of footnote symbols.

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \setupnotation
    [footnote]
    [way=bypage,
     numberconversion=set 2]
  
  \starttext
  
  A note marked with a symbol.\footnote
    {The first note.}
  
  Another note.\footnote
    {The second note.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

The two keys control different aspects of numbering:

Key	Function
way	Determines how the counter progresses and when it is reset.
numberconversion	Determines how the current counter value is printed.

7. Change the body font of note entries

The body font used for the entries of a note series can be changed with \setupnote.

7.1. MWE: smaller note entries

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \setupnote
    [footnote]
    [bodyfont=small]
  
  \starttext
  
  The main text uses the normal body-font size.\footnote
    {This note is typeset with the smaller body font.}
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

At this stage, it is useful to distinguish the principal roles of the two setup commands introduced in the tutorial:

Command	Principal role in this tutorial
\setupnote[footnote][...]	Configures properties of the note series, including its body font and placement.
\setupnotation[footnote][...]	Configures the numbering and typographical presentation of the note entries.

More detailed formatting—such as number position, alignment, interline spacing, columns, and paragraph form—is covered in:

• Formatting footnotes .

8. Postpone notes and place them explicitly

By default, entries in the predefined footnote series are placed at the bottom of the page.

To store them and place them later, set:

\setupnote
  [footnote]
  [location=text]

Pending footnotes can then be printed with:

\placefootnotes

8.1. MWE: postponed footnotes

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \setupnote
    [footnote]
    [location=text]
  
  \starttext
  
  This sentence contains a postponed footnote.\footnote
    {This note is stored until it is placed explicitly.}
  
  The main text continues before the note is printed.
  
  \subject{Notes}
  
  \placefootnotes
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

This method can be used to place pending notes:

• after a paragraph;
• at the end of a section;
• at the end of a chapter;
• at another deliberate point in the document.

For automatic or repeated placement at structural boundaries, see:

• Placing footnotes at the end of a section or chapter .

9. Complete example

The following MWE combines the principal techniques introduced in this tutorial:

• ordinary footnotes;
• a stable internal reference;
• a repeated note mark;
• a smaller note body font;
• explicit placement of pending notes.

9.1. MWE: a small document with postponed footnotes

• \setuppapersize[A6]
  
  \setupbodyfont
    [libertinus,10pt]
  
  \setupnote
    [footnote]
    [location=text,
     bodyfont=small]
  
  \setupnotation
    [footnote]
    [numberconversion=numbers]
  
  \starttext
  
  \startsection[title={A short example}]
  
  This sentence contains the first note.\footnote[foot:first]
    {This note has a stable internal reference.}
  
  A second sentence contains another note.\footnote
    {This note belongs to the same footnote series.}
  
  The mark of the first note appears again here\note[foot:first].
  
  \startsubject[title={Notes}]
    \placefootnotes
  \stopsubject
  
  \stopsection
  
  \stoptext
  

• 

Compile the example and check that:

1. the two note entries are collected under the heading “Notes”;
2. the first note mark is printed twice;
3. only one entry is created for the first note;
4. the note entries use the smaller body font;
5. both entries belong to the same note series.

10. What this tutorial has established

You have now used the basic elements of the ConTeXt note mechanism:

• \footnote creates a note mark and its corresponding entry;
• an optional reference gives the note a stable internal name;
• \note prints an existing note mark again;
• \in and \at refer to the note number and page;
• \setupnotation controls numbering and number conversion;
• \setupnote controls properties such as the note body font and placement;
• location=text postpones placement;
• \placefootnotes prints the pending footnote entries.

These commands are sufficient for many ordinary documents.

More specialized requirements—multiple note series, margin notes, local notes, conditional output, bidirectional notes, and scholarly apparatuses—are treated in the how-to guides and related documentation.

11. Next steps

11.1. Continue with a practical task

• Refer to a footnote more than once
• Separate a note mark from its text
• Place footnotes at the end of a section or chapter
• Define and manage multiple note series
• Format footnotes

11.2. Consult the documentation

• Consult the note-command reference
• Understand the note mechanism
• Check the terminology used in the footnote documentation