[Solved] Restarting Footnote Numbers for Each Chapter

[kenmorgan]

I'm combining chapters to make a single manuscript. Each chapter is a separate odt document with footnotes staring at 1. I used Insert ---> File for a test run on two chapters. The footnotes should start at 1 for each new chapter appended, but of course attaching a second document like this made the footnotes for the second chapter begin where the first chapter left off. I need to reset each first footnote for each chapter to 1. I found a thread from 2010 on this forum about this issue, and apparently at that time there was no way to do it, although the originator said Microsoft Word had a simple way to do this very thing. I am hoping that OpenOffice/LibreOffice now can do it too. How can I reset a footnote number to start a new sequence?

Thanks.

Bill

[JohnV]

Tools > Footnote/Endnote > Footnote tab. Set Counting to Per Chapter.

[kenmorgan]

Thanks, John.

But I did do this. It doesn't recognize the beginning of a new chapter.

I also read the Help page, "Inserting a Chapter Name and Number in a Header or a Footer." I followed every step. The result was that "Chapter 1" appeared in the headers of every page on both chapters, so there was no way of telling whether the footnote setting would have worked or not. And of ocurse, the chapter number and title must not appear on EVERY page. Plus, who wants "Chapter 1" plus its title in a HEADER? Most published books have it even lower than the point where the first line appears on normal pages.

[JohnV]

It doesn't recognize the beginning of a new chapter.

Did you use the Heading 1 paragraph style for your chapter titles? If you are using a master document then did you do Tools > Footnote/Endnote > Footnote tab. Set Counting to Per Chapter in the master doc?

[RGB]

It doesn't recognize the beginning of a new chapter.

Writer defines a "Chapter" as something started by a first outline level heading: if you use a second outline level for your chapters this (and other thing, like TOCs for chapters) will not work.

[kenmorgan]

Okay, here's where I am right now.

(1) I've combined two chapters, each an odt file, to create one single odt file.
(2) I removed the header.
(3) The footnotes currently form one sequence, starting at 1 for chapter 1 and 11 for chapter 2.
(4) These chapters already have the lines "Chapter 1" and "Chapter 2" as the first line of the first page of each chapter, respectively.
(5) I went to Tools ---> Footnotes/Endnotes and set "Counting" to "Per Chapter."
(6) I highlighted the line "Chapter 1" and then went to Format ---> Paragraph and clicked the tab "Outline & Numbering." In that window I set "Outline level" to read "Level 1." Then I repeated the process for the line "Chapter 2" in the first page of chapter 2.

I had high hopes! It was such a simple routine. But it didn't work. The footnotes still run in a single sequence from 1 to 56, where chapter 2 still starts with footnote 11 instead of 1 for a new sequence.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks so much.

Bill

[RGB]

It seems this do not work if you set the outline level as direct formatting. But if you use a paragraph style that have an outline level associated (for example, under Tools → Outline numbering you have Heading 1 as level one and then use that paragraph style for your heading) it works without problems.

In general it is a bad idea to use direct formatting for such matters (IMO, it is always bad idea to use direct formatting... )

[Bill]

Okay, here's where I am right now.

(1) I've combined two chapters, each an odt file, to create one single odt file.
(2) I removed the header.

Headers don't determine where a new chapter starts.

(3) The footnotes currently form one sequence, starting at 1 for chapter 1 and 11 for chapter 2.
(4) These chapters already have the lines "Chapter 1" and "Chapter 2" as the first line of the first page of each chapter, respectively.

This tells a reader where a new chapter starts, but Writer uses a particular paragraph style to determine where a new chapter starts.

(5) I went to Tools ---> Footnotes/Endnotes and set "Counting" to "Per Chapter."
(6) I highlighted the line "Chapter 1" and then went to Format ---> Paragraph and clicked the tab "Outline & Numbering." In that window I set "Outline level" to read "Level 1." Then I repeated the process for the line "Chapter 2" in the first page of chapter 2.

Directly setting the Outline level should never be necessary. The paragraph style applied to chapter titles should automatically set the level to Level 1.

I had high hopes! It was such a simple routine. But it didn't work. The footnotes still run in a single sequence from 1 to 56, where chapter 2 still starts with footnote 11 instead of 1 for a new sequence.

What am I doing wrong?

The paragraph style associated with Outline level 1 in Tools > Outline numbering must be applied to the first line (the chapter title) of a new chapter. By default, the Heading 1 paragraph style is associated with Outline level 1. If a different paragraph style is associated with Outline level 1, then you must apply that style to the chapter titles.

[kenmorgan]

Thanks for the perseverance, RGB. I got it working--and made an amazing discovery. What I described in my steps above actually does work, but not until you close and then reload the file. Then the footnotes for chapter 2 are renumbered and start with 1.

However, if you reverse my steps (5) and (6) above, then the footnotes in chapter 2 renumber immediately without closing and reopening the file.

I started this new experiment from scratch by recombining the original two files to make sure I was starting with "fresh game." All this worked without ever going to Tools → Outline Numbering. Also, I DID have some direct formatting on the lines "Chapter 1" and "Chapter 2" when I highlighted those lines: before the two files were combined, these two lines had direct formatting consisting of centering and a different font and font size from the rest of the chapter.

Isn't that interesting!?!?!

Bill

[DavideAndrea]

Solution.

1. Place each chapter into its own section
- menu Insert / Section...

2. Edit each section to restart endnote numbering
- menu Format / Sections ...
- Edit sections dialog opens
- Click Options... button on the right
- Select Footnotes/Endnotes tab
- Endnotes section (bottom half of dialog)
- Check Collect at end of section
- Check Restart numbering