Footnotes and tables - suggestions for inclusion in version 4
I use MMC all the time. Among the several Markdown editors it is my favourite as it strikes just the right balance between including features to help the user to format documents and is not too feature heavy. Also it does not have particular view as to how to handle the processing of documents (such as Ulysses).
However, there are 2 features which it lacks:
1. Footnotes. With MMC, this is still an entirely manual process. Not only in inserting the footnote, but having to remember the last number of the footnote I insert. Other apps automate this (such as Ulysses and Texts).
When I need to insert footnotes (not all of the time), I normally have quite few.
Perhaps I am missing a feature or a way to do so, but when I need to add footnotes I normally use Texts.
2. Tables. MMC is good at formatting and cleaning up tables inserted manually (i.e. the codes being added manually). An app such as Texts has basic features on automatically creating tables, and inserting/deleting columns and rows.
There is also TableFlip, although I am not sure whether there will be any further development (some time since the last update).
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Support Staff 1 Posted by Fletcher on 17 Aug, 2017 01:59 PM
Victor,
Why do you use numbers for footnotes? You can, of course, but as you mention it requires you to remember arbitrary numbers. You can use any text that makes sense to you. Alternatively, just use inline footnotes and then you don't have to worry about it at all! ;) I was initially resistant to inline footnotes, but now I really like them.
MMD v3 has support for pasting CSV/TSV (e.g. copied from Excel) as table rows. I am still experimenting with ideas for the best table handling for Composer -- more to come.
Thanks for your feedback!
Fletcher
Fletcher closed this discussion on 17 Aug, 2017 01:59 PM.
vwc re-opened this discussion on 18 Aug, 2017 08:27 AM
2 Posted by vwc on 18 Aug, 2017 08:27 AM
Fletcher,
Thank you for the information.
Inline footnotes, as you write, avoids the issue I raised within MMC.
But, if it is necessary to use another editor, then the other editor may not support inline footnotes. For example, occasionally I may use an editor on an iOS device, such as 1Writer/Editorial.
Neither appear to support inline footnotes.
3 Posted by Vince on 18 Aug, 2017 04:19 PM
What are inline footnotes? I know about
This is some text[^1].
[^1]: And this is the footnote text
But that's the only form of footnote I've ever seen in MD. How are inline different? (I did a search here and general web search and couldn't find anything.)
Support Staff 4 Posted by Fletcher on 18 Aug, 2017 04:33 PM
This may sound pedantic, but it's important.
Markdown doesn't support footnotes.
Several Markdown variants, including MultiMarkdown, support footnotes.
Most (all??) of them use the same syntax, thought the output may vary
slightly.
Some of them, including MMD (and I believe pandoc was one of the
earliest???) support inline footnotes:
<http://fletcher.github.io/MultiMarkdown-5/footnotes.html>
(There are a few changes between MMD 5 and MMD 6, but between the v5
user guide and the v6 quick start guide everything should be covered):
<https://github.com/fletcher/MultiMarkdown-6/tree/master/QuickStart>
Support Staff 5 Posted by Fletcher on 18 Aug, 2017 04:34 PM
Victor -- ask them why your editors don't support MultiMarkdown???
;)
6 Posted by Vince Rice on 18 Aug, 2017 06:48 PM
Yes, I'm aware that "stock" Markdown doesn't support footnotes. (I'm new to MMD, not new to MD. I have three other MD-specific editors. What can I say, I'm not crazy about any of them.) And at least all the editors I've encountered support the same syntax ([1] and [1]:). I've just never heard of inline footnotes, in any MD context. That's … interesting. I'm curious if any of my other editors support them. Something to do this weekend. :)
Support Staff 7 Posted by Fletcher on 19 Aug, 2017 02:12 AM
Not sure which editors support them. Those that are built with MMD can (there are a couple). Not sure that there are any editors built around pandoc.
Fletcher closed this discussion on 19 Aug, 2017 02:12 AM.
vwc re-opened this discussion on 19 Aug, 2017 07:56 AM
8 Posted by vwc on 19 Aug, 2017 07:56 AM
There are a few points:
^1
I do not know whether they are purely Markdown or MultiMarkdown or another flavour.
However, the real focus of my initial post is not which type of footnote I use in MMC but the mechanics of inserting the footnote.
To repeat: both Texts and Ulysses support, via a menu option, the automatic insertion of the code for the footnote. Since they both appear to use the traditional method for footnotes, they must have code which 'remembers' the numbers used for other footnotes.
I can see the advantages of inline footnotes - as it reduces the amount of code one needs to insert - but currently, if you need to edit a file in both macOS and iOS it is not compatible. Persuading other app developers is not a short (or even medium) term solution.
9 Posted by Vince Rice on 19 Aug, 2017 06:22 PM
Yes, that was a rhetorical question. :) The "something to do this weekend" was for me, not you, sorry I wasn't clear.
Fletcher closed this discussion on 19 Aug, 2017 06:24 PM.