19

I have a number of short footnotes that form a column and make my paper look pretty crappy, and so I'd like to have LaTeX put multiple footnotes on one horizontal line. I've tried using the [para]{footmisc} package, but that bunches them all up on one line with no space between them and makes it unreadable. Really, I just want a maximum of three footnotes on a line, depending on their length (I have a mix of very short footnotes ("DM 13") and long, self-indulgent ones).

Also, footmisc's para gets rid of my favourite options from footmisc like hang, flushmargin and my \skip\footins.

I'm sure the manyfoot package can do this, but I don't really have time to read through and understand the documentation at present. I'm very new to LaTeX (please go easy on me!).

Does anyone have any ideas?

azetina
  • 28,884
SuddenMoustache
  • 291
  • 5
    bigfoot is the footnote package you want: it represents an improvement over many (not all) features of manyfoot. In particular, it will judge when to leave footnotes on a line and when to put them on a new line. However, features like 'hanging' footnotes usually do not make sense when you are also using the 'para' option (at least in LaTeX). But if you want something like what you can see on page 137 of this Google books link, no one has managed to make this work (automatically) in any kind of TeX (as far as I know). – jon Sep 25 '13 at 01:15
  • 9
    The dblfnote package enables two-column footnotes in a single-column document – cgnieder Sep 25 '13 at 07:48
  • 2
    Also have a look at Is a three-column footnote layout possible? – cgnieder Sep 25 '13 at 08:00
  • Brilliant, thanks guys. Exactly what I was after. – SuddenMoustache Sep 26 '13 at 20:52
  • 2
    In the end I've decided to go for the dblfnote package. Now, a quick follow up question, if I may? Is there any way to make the package intelligent enough to decide when to invoke columns and when to spread longer footnotes across one column? See for example this: http://i.imgur.com/2B9Pf6K.png It would be ideal if the last footnote spread across the entire page. Any ideas? I may be asking the impossible, and I don't want to sound ungrateful or that I'm being rude by asking too much! I'm really grateful for all the help you've offered so far! – SuddenMoustache Sep 26 '13 at 21:26
  • I opened a new question to this follow-up-question here. – Kubo Jul 17 '18 at 15:29

2 Answers2

15

Since it seems that my comments at least in parts solved the question I'll add a real answer:

The dblfnote package allows for two-column footnotes in a singe-column document which may be an alternative to “para” footnotes.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{dblfnote}
\DFNalwaysdouble % for this example

\usepackage[nopar]{lipsum}% dummy text

\begin{document}

\lipsum[4]\footnote{Foo}\par
\lipsum[4]\footnote{Foo}\par
\lipsum[4]\footnote{Foo}\par
\lipsum[4]\footnote{Foo}\par
\lipsum[4]\footnote{Foo}\par
\lipsum[4]\footnote{Foo}

\end{document}

enter image description here

The question Is a three-column footnote layout possible? and its answers discuss how to obtain more than two columns for footnotes.

Community
  • 1
cgnieder
  • 66,645
1

I had the same problem, yet somehow dblfnote and bigfoot did not work for me. However, one possibility which worked for me was 

\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{report}

\usepackage{reledmac}
\usepackage{setspace}
\usepackage{etoolbox}
\arrangementX[A]{twocol}
\colalignX{\justifying}
\makeatletter
\bhooknoteX[A]{\setstretch {\setspace@singlespace}}
\bhookgroupX[A]{\setstretch {\setspace@singlespace}}
\makeatother
\let\footnote\footnoteA

\usepackage{microtype} % I guess this one is optional

\begin{document}

This is\footnote{Left side footnote} a dummy text. Let us find out\footnote{Second left side footnote} if it worked well \footnote{Right side footnote} or not\footnote{Second right side footnote}.

\end{document}
Gyalten Jigdrel
  • 155
  • 1
    I added the setspace package to your code so it compiles. It works producing two columns of footnotes, but the order is not what your text would indicate! – Andrew Swann Feb 11 '17 at 13:51
  • dblfnote did not work for me either, until I put the \usepackage command right at the end of the preamble, then it loaded and worked fine. – Euan Wall Mar 15 '21 at 08:23