Re: org-footnote renumbering

[Kyle Meyer]

Sharon Kimble <address@hidden> writes:

> I'm using 'C-u C-c C-x f r' and it isn't changing the footnote
> numbering! I am adding file-2 to file-1 and then using the key mantra,
> but the footnotes are not changing. In file-1 the last footnote is 756,
> and in file-2 the first footnote is 670 (I've no idea why it suddenly
> starts at 670, but it does.)

Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't think
renumbering will help in the situation you describe.  If you're
concatenating two files with overlapping footnotes, I don't see how Org
would know which reference belongs to which definition.

My understanding is that renumbering is useful in cases where the
references are no longer an ordered, unbroken sequence.  Say you have
this file:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Pellentesque dapibus.  Aliquam feugiat [fn:1] tellus.  Nulla
facilisis.  Phasellus in [fn:2].

* Footnotes

[fn:1] Vel tortor sodales tellus ultricies commodo.

[fn:2] Proin quam nisl, tincidunt.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

With point after "Nulla", you insert a footnote ('C-c C-x f'):

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Pellentesque dapibus.  Aliquam feugiat [fn:1] tellus.  Nulla [fn:3]
facilisis.  Phasellus in [fn:2].

* Footnotes

[fn:3] Nullam libero mauris.

[fn:1] Vel tortor sodales tellus ultricies commodo.

[fn:2] Proin quam nisl, tincidunt.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

By default, the numbering isn't auto-adjusted.  This is where
renumbering with 'C-u C-c C-x f r' comes in.  Calling that gives:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Pellentesque dapibus.  Aliquam feugiat [fn:1] tellus.  Nulla [fn:2]
facilisis.  Phasellus in [fn:3].

* Footnotes

[fn:2] Nullam libero mauris.

[fn:1] Vel tortor sodales tellus ultricies commodo.

[fn:3] Proin quam nisl, tincidunt.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---


Back to your problem of combining files.  My approach would be

  * Do a regexp search in file A and replace all "[fn:N]" with
    "[fn:aN]", making them named references.

    Repeat with file B, creating "[fn:bN]" references.

  * Combine file A and file B.  Then convert the references into numbers
    by normalizing with 'C-c C-x f n'.

But perhaps others can suggest a better solution.