Footnotes

My personal take on the state of footnotes in DITA ... Your
      mileage might vary. Please post to the list; this was a general
      action item for everyone coming out of last week's call.

    

    
      
Coverage in the spec is poor. There is only the element
        reference topic, which I doubt has been updated since DITA 1.0:
        

http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/dita/v1.3/errata01/os/complete/part3-all-inclusive/langRef/base/fn.html#fn

        

        If you are not familiar with the DITA footnote implementation,
        the topic probably doesn't make much sense. The example (which
        actually is three examples jumbled together) is not robust; it
        also does not demonstrate the use of @conref on <fn>.

        

      

      
In my experience, users do not understand this model unless it
        has been carefully explained and alternate company-specific
        documentation has been provided.

      

      
This model is hard for users to author using the use-by-reference footnote.

        

    
    
Re #3, users struggle to figure out WHERE to place the
      <xref> elements; they are fine with placing the <fn>
      elements at the point in the text where the super scripted
      footnote indicators will appear -- That makes sense to them,
      although some chafe over the way the <fn> element disrupts
      the visual flow of the topic in the authoring environment. And
      others struggle withe the need to use conref to reference common
      footnotes.

    

    
But the fact that the <xref> elements can go anywhere in
      the topic that contains the <fn>; many writers really
      struggle with that. And then they forget to specify type="fn".

    

    
-- 

      Best,

      Kris

      

      Kristen James Eberlein

      Chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee

      Principal consultant, Eberlein Consulting

      www.eberleinconsulting.com

      +1 919 682-2290; kriseberlein (skype)