Hello there
I do scores of compiles to word and PDF per day for my own work and for editing clients. Sometimes all chapters, sometimes only a few chapters. How can I put a page break before the footnotes pls? I don’t want to have to insert it manually every time I compile.
I’m surprised that even Word does this. I am having troubles seeing how that would work. So let’s say the page you are reading has one footnote on it, you would have to flip to the next page to read the footnote? So the notes for the page would be on the following page, above the text they don’t relate to? Or would there only be one footnote on the entire page, it otherwise being empty—so each page with notes inserts a separate notes-only page after it?
Well, Scrivener has nothing like that at any rate!
I didn’t think Scrivener could do that, as @AmberV said above. I was curious about Microsoft Word as it has some features maybe making this unusual request possible.
Being a curious sort and a heavy user of Microsoft Word for many years in the last century, searching Google for “How can I get a page break before my footnotes” brings up some hits and ideas which may (or may not) work. Try.
I have my footnotes in all books set as end notes. I need a page break before the book’s endnotes is probably what I should have said
I want to be able to set it with a forced page break before the endnotes (what I have possibly mistakingly called footnotes) in Scrivener so that when it compiles I don’t have to go to the end of the book or end of the chapters I am compiling in word (or PDF) and insert one manually
Ah, that makes a lot more sense!
Yes, that is something you would be able to set up so that there is no need to manually insert a page break after compiling. For one thing, the right combination of settings should do that on its own. For example, the way that Manuscript (Times) is set up, should have a page break before endnotes begin. You can double-click on that in the Format sidebar to take a look at its settings, in the Footnotes & Comments tab.
If the options for RTF/DOCX/ODT look very different from what you are used to, then back in your main Format, go into the Compatibility tab and make sure Flatten footnotes and comments into regular text is disabled (unless you really need that for some reason, it usually better to have real endnotes).
But if for some reason endnotes are continuing directly after the last paragraph (there are combinations of settings that might do that, particularly if they are flattened), then you could take advantage of how that very thing happens, and make sure the last thing in your Draft folder is basically an empty section with a heading, maybe “Notes”, that is set to a section type that will give it a page break and heading. Now the notes will combine with that last section, which already has a page break. You would in that case want to disable the Insert separator before endnotes option, and set placement to “End of document”.
Lastly, maybe Word doesn’t actually push endnotes to a new page automatically though? I’m just looking at the results in LibreOffice when I see how this seems to work by default. If so, the above trick for flattened endnotes may also work for regular “real” endnotes, too. With LibreOffice that would cause the heading “Notes” to be on a page all by itself since the endnotes then page break after it, but if Word doesn’t do that naturally, then in theory it should do what you want.
glad that cleared it up!
need to point out too that i have created my own version of manuscript so settings are probably changed but i will have a look
trouble with your suggestion is that the last thing in my draft folder varies with each compile. sometimes i am compiling chapters 1-5 and sometimes chapters 1-30 so the last folder always vaies
i cannot find insert separator before endnotes option anywhere! that is what i have been looking for.
i don’t understand your last paragraph by the way 
trouble with your suggestion is that the last thing in my draft folder varies with each compile. sometimes i am compiling chapters 1-5 and sometimes chapters 1-30 so the last folder always vaies
The Back Matter feature might serve you well then. That is a setting you can make in the Contents tab on the right side, which selects something that should always come after the last thing in the content list (whether it be the whole Draft or just parts of it).
i cannot find insert separator before endnotes option anywhere! that is what i have been looking for.
Probably not though, because (a) it means not using real endnotes and (b) all that does is insert a horizontal rule, since in this mode of use there specifically isn’t a page break and you would want some visual marker to indicate you’re done with content and moving on to notes. But, that you cannot see the setting at least confirms you aren’t using the setting that converts endnotes to raw, formatted text, so we can rule that possibility out.
Well, at any rate, it hurts nothing to try compiling with the default Manuscript (Times) format, and see if that works (your regular Format, or how the project uses it, won’t go anywhere). It would at least let you know whether it is a Word thing that you have to work around or not.
just checked and Flatten footnotes and comments into regular text is disabled
so i just did as you suggested and compiled using the default manuscript times and it is still putting footnotes straight after text at the end of the document
Ah, yes, that sounds sensible…is that were endnotes live by default in the binder?
strangely, i can’t find the back matter folder in the document i’m working in. all my non-fiction clients have back matter but this fiction novel does not. Back Matter: is it usually in the non-fiction template? or do i have to create one…this book is unusual as it is fiction but a kind of humourous social history and has a mock set of footnotes citing cultural, historical references
Okay, give this sample project a try then. It has things set up the way I described above:
endnotes_on_newpage.zip (176.2 KB)
Of note:
strangely, i can’t find the back matter folder in the document i’m working in.
That’s not too strange, there is no such thing. Sure, some templates may come with a folder named that, that you can use, but all that really matters is what you pick in your compile settings, as demonstrated above.