Footnotes in tables

[Pam]

When I put a footnote in a table that has repeating
headers, the footnote inserts a section break and screws
up the table. Is this a bug in Word?

 

[Anne Troy]

I wouldn't even bother trying to put footnotes into a table unless and until
I was completely finished my document. Like a table of contents that you
want to have be different than the one generated electronically, your
formatting will get wiped out when the fields update. Wait until you're done
your document, or manually create your footnotes.
<-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*->
Hope this helps!
Anne Troy (better known as Dreamboat)
Web: www.VBAExpress.com
<-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*-><-*->

 

[Stefan Blom]

All I can think of is that the table is wrapped, which could cause odd
behavior as far as footnote placement is concerned. But if the table
is wrapped, it won't flow to the next page, either, which I assume is
what you want (since you mentioned the repeating headings). You didn't
mention that as being part of the problem, though.

Anyway, you can do the following to ensure that the table isn't
wrapped: On the Table menu, click Table Properties. In the dialog box,
make sure "None" is selected under "Text wrapping", and click OK.

Does this make a difference?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I haven't actually tested this (I'm not familiar with any footnote problems
that arise in tables, though something similar happens in newspaper-style
columns), but I would agree with Stefan's assessment. The reason I don't
have any knowledge about or experience with this problem is that I don't
ever use Word's Footnote feature for table footnotes. Because such footnotes
properly belong at the bottom of the table rather than at the bottom of a
page (and usually use distinctive reference marks), I usually create them
manually and put them either just below the table or (more often) in the
(merged) bottom row of the table.

 

[Stefan Blom]

I'm not familiar with a footnote problem that causes a page break or a
section break in a table either. The problem I was referring to
is the fact that in a wrapped table, if footnote placement is set to
"Beneath text" rather than "Bottom of page", you might end up with the
footnote text appearing behind the table (at least this is the case in
Word 2000). For example:
___________
| |Text "following" the wrapped table is here. Note: Adding
| |more text
| Typing |here, of outside the table, will move footnote down and
| text here|eventually below the table (of course, it depends on table
| so that |height how much text is required).
| the |
| table |<-- [Footnote whose placement is set to "Beneath text"
| grows | hiding behind table here.]
| downwards|
| Note: |
| Table is |
| wrapped |
|__________|

Of course manual insertion of footnotes would be the easiest in a
table, but how do you handle that in a table that spans multiple
pages, and that has no "natural" last row whose cells you can merge
and whose borders you can hide? If you use the very last row (which
seems "natural" enough) of the table it might get tricky to keep track
of the numbering, at least for large tables with many footnotes. And
if you do it on a page-by-page basis, you risk that what was once the
last row of page 1 moves to page 2.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I put all the footnotes at the end of the table. Yes, it would be preferable
to put them at the bottom of the relevant page, but since this is, as you
point out, difficult-to-impossible to do, I just take the line of least
resistance and haven't had any complaints from clients. OTOH, I rarely
create a table longer than two pages, and most are confined to one. And the
number of footnotes rarely exceeds three, either.

I'm not familiar with a footnote problem that causes a page break or a
section break in a table either. The problem I was referring to
is the fact that in a wrapped table, if footnote placement is set to
"Beneath text" rather than "Bottom of page", you might end up with the
footnote text appearing behind the table (at least this is the case in
Word 2000). For example:
___________
| |Text "following" the wrapped table is here. Note: Adding
| |more text
| Typing |here, of outside the table, will move footnote down and
| text here|eventually below the table (of course, it depends on table
| so that |height how much text is required).
| the |
| table |<-- [Footnote whose placement is set to "Beneath text"
| grows | hiding behind table here.]
| downwards|
| Note: |
| Table is |
| wrapped |
|__________|

Of course manual insertion of footnotes would be the easiest in a
table, but how do you handle that in a table that spans multiple
pages, and that has no "natural" last row whose cells you can merge
and whose borders you can hide? If you use the very last row (which
seems "natural" enough) of the table it might get tricky to keep track
of the numbering, at least for large tables with many footnotes. And
if you do it on a page-by-page basis, you risk that what was once the
last row of page 1 moves to page 2.

--
Stefan Blom

I haven't actually tested this (I'm not familiar with any footnote problems
that arise in tables, though something similar happens in newspaper-style
columns), but I would agree with Stefan's assessment. The reason I don't
have any knowledge about or experience with this problem is that I don't
ever use Word's Footnote feature for table footnotes. Because such footnotes
properly belong at the bottom of the table rather than at the bottom of a
page (and usually use distinctive reference marks), I usually create them
manually and put them either just below the table or (more often) in the
(merged) bottom row of the table.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Thank you for your comments.

--
Stefan Blom

I put all the footnotes at the end of the table. Yes, it would be preferable
to put them at the bottom of the relevant page, but since this is, as you
point out, difficult-to-impossible to do, I just take the line of least
resistance and haven't had any complaints from clients. OTOH, I rarely
create a table longer than two pages, and most are confined to one. And the
number of footnotes rarely exceeds three, either.

I'm not familiar with a footnote problem that causes a page break or a
section break in a table either. The problem I was referring to
is the fact that in a wrapped table, if footnote placement is set to
"Beneath text" rather than "Bottom of page", you might end up with the
footnote text appearing behind the table (at least this is the case in
Word 2000). For example:
___________
| |Text "following" the wrapped table is here. Note: Adding
| |more text
| Typing |here, of outside the table, will move footnote down and
| text here|eventually below the table (of course, it depends on table
| so that |height how much text is required).
| the |
| table |<-- [Footnote whose placement is set to "Beneath text"
| grows | hiding behind table here.]
| downwards|
| Note: |
| Table is |
| wrapped |
|__________|

Of course manual insertion of footnotes would be the easiest in a
table, but how do you handle that in a table that spans multiple
pages, and that has no "natural" last row whose cells you can merge
and whose borders you can hide? If you use the very last row (which
seems "natural" enough) of the table it might get tricky to keep track
of the numbering, at least for large tables with many footnotes. And
if you do it on a page-by-page basis, you risk that what was once the
last row of page 1 moves to page 2.

--
Stefan Blom

I haven't actually tested this (I'm not familiar with any

footnote
problems

that arise in tables, though something similar happens in newspaper-style
columns), but I would agree with Stefan's assessment. The reason

I
don't

have any knowledge about or experience with this problem is that

I
don't

ever use Word's Footnote feature for table footnotes. Because

such
footnotes

properly belong at the bottom of the table rather than at the

bottom
of a

page (and usually use distinctive reference marks), I usually

create
them

manually and put them either just below the table or (more

often) in
the

(merged) bottom row of the table.



All I can think of is that the table is wrapped, which could

cause
odd

behavior as far as footnote placement is concerned. But if the table
is wrapped, it won't flow to the next page, either, which I

assume
is

what you want (since you mentioned the repeating headings).

You
didn't

mention that as being part of the problem, though.

Anyway, you can do the following to ensure that the table isn't
wrapped: On the Table menu, click Table Properties. In the

dialog
box,

make sure "None" is selected under "Text wrapping", and click OK.

Does this make a difference?

--
Stefan Blom


When I put a footnote in a table that has repeating
headers, the footnote inserts a section break and screws
up the table. Is this a bug in Word?