Footnotes

Footnotes allow you to add references, citations, or additional information without cluttering the main text.

Basic Footnote Structure

Footnotes consist of two parts:

1. Reference marker [fn] - Placed in the text where you want the footnote number
2. Footnote content {{{#fn}}} - Contains the actual footnote text

This statement needs a citation[fn].

{{{#fn This is the footnote content providing the citation. }}}

Defining Footnotes

Use {{{#fn}}} to define footnote content:

{{{#fn This is a footnote with additional information. }}}
{{{#fn Source: Wikipedia, accessed January 2024. }}}
{{{#fn See Smith, J. (2023) for more details. }}}

Footnote References

Use [fn] to insert a footnote reference marker:

This statement requires citation[fn] and further explanation[fn].

{{{#fn Citation for the first reference. }}}
{{{#fn Additional explanation for the second reference. }}}

The footnote markers are automatically numbered in order of appearance.

Complete Example

# Research Paper

SevenMark is a powerful markup language[fn] designed for wiki systems[fn].

## Implementation Details

The parser uses winnow combinators[fn] for efficient parsing.

## References

{{{#fn SevenMark was first released in 2024. }}}
{{{#fn It powers the SevenWiki platform and related tools. }}}
{{{#fn winnow is a Rust parser combinator library. See: https://docs.rs/winnow }}}

Footnotes with Formatting

Footnote content can include other SevenMark elements:

Main text with a reference[fn].

{{{#fn
See **Smith, J.** (2023). *Advanced Markup Languages*.
Available at [[#url="https://example.com" example.com]].
}}}

Rich Footnote Content

The algorithm has O(n log n) complexity[fn].

{{{#fn
Time complexity analysis:
- Best case: {{{#tex O(n) }}}
- Average case: {{{#tex O(n \log n) }}}
- Worst case: {{{#tex O(n^2) }}}

See algorithm textbook for proof.
}}}

Multiple Footnotes

# Documentation

SevenMark[fn] supports various elements[fn] including footnotes[fn].

{{{#fn A Domain Specific Language for wiki systems. }}}
{{{#fn Text styles, lists, tables, code blocks, and more. }}}
{{{#fn This very feature you're reading about! }}}

Footnotes in Complex Structures

In Lists

{{{#list #1
[[First item with citation[fn]]]
[[Second item with reference[fn]]]
[[Third item without footnote]]
}}}

{{{#fn Citation for first item. }}}
{{{#fn Reference for second item. }}}

In Tables

{{{#table
[[[[Feature]] [[Status]]]]
[[[[Parser[fn]]] [[Complete]]]]
[[[[Serialization[fn]]] [[Complete]]]]
}}}

{{{#fn Uses winnow parser combinators. }}}
{{{#fn Supports JSON output via serde. }}}

In Headers

## The SevenMark Language[fn]

{{{#fn Created by the SevenWiki team in 2024. }}}

Academic/Technical Writing

Citations

Recent studies[fn] have shown that parser combinators[fn] provide
excellent performance characteristics.

{{{#fn Johnson et al. (2023). "Performance Analysis of Parser Combinators".
Journal of Programming Languages, 15(3), 234-256. }}}

{{{#fn See Wadler (1995) for the original monadic parser combinator paper. }}}

Multiple References

The technique is well-documented[fn][fn][fn] in the literature.

{{{#fn Smith (2020), Chapter 5. }}}
{{{#fn Jones (2021), pp. 45-67. }}}
{{{#fn Brown (2023), Section 3.2. }}}

Footnote Numbering

Footnotes are automatically numbered:

First footnote[fn], second footnote[fn], third footnote[fn].

{{{#fn Footnote #1 }}}
{{{#fn Footnote #2 }}}
{{{#fn Footnote #3 }}}

Numbers (1, 2, 3...) are assigned in the order that [fn] markers appear.

Long Footnotes

Footnotes can contain multiple paragraphs:

See the detailed explanation[fn] for more information.

{{{#fn
This is a long footnote with multiple paragraphs.

The first paragraph provides the main point.

The second paragraph adds additional context and examples.

The third paragraph summarizes and provides references.
}}}

Footnote Placement

Inline (Adjacent)

Important statement[fn].
{{{#fn Immediate footnote definition. }}}

Next statement[fn].
{{{#fn Another immediate definition. }}}

End of Section

# Section Title

Content with references[fn] and citations[fn].

More content here[fn].

## References

{{{#fn First reference. }}}
{{{#fn Second reference. }}}
{{{#fn Third reference. }}}

End of Document

# Article

Content throughout the document[fn] with various references[fn].

## More Content

Additional sections with more footnotes[fn].

---

## Footnotes

{{{#fn First footnote at document end. }}}
{{{#fn Second footnote at document end. }}}
{{{#fn Third footnote at document end. }}}

Technical Restrictions

No Nested Footnotes

Footnotes cannot be nested inside other footnotes:

<!-- Valid -->
Main text[fn].
{{{#fn Footnote content. }}}

<!-- Invalid -->
{{{#fn Footnote content[fn] with another footnote. }}}

Parser Behavior

The parser prevents footnote nesting:

• [fn] markers inside {{{#fn}}} content are treated as literal text
• This prevents infinite recursion and keeps footnotes simple

Best Practices

When to Use Footnotes

 Good uses:

• Citations and references
• Additional explanations that would break text flow
• Source attributions
• Technical details for interested readers
• Asides and tangential information

L Avoid:

• Essential information (put it in main text)
• Very long footnotes (consider an appendix)
• Too many footnotes (clutters the text)

Writing Style

<!-- Good: Concise footnotes -->
SevenMark uses parser combinators[fn].
{{{#fn Built with winnow 0.7.13. }}}

<!-- Less ideal: Too verbose -->
SevenMark[fn] is great.
{{{#fn SevenMark is a domain-specific language created by the SevenWiki
team in 2024, designed for wiki systems, implementing a sophisticated parser
using winnow combinators with comprehensive error handling... }}}

Styling

Footnote content supports parameters:

See reference[fn].

{{{#fn #style="font-size: 0.9em; color: #666"
Styled footnote content.
}}}

Technical Notes

• Footnote references use [fn] syntax (square brackets)
• Footnote definitions use {{{#fn}}} syntax (triple braces)
• The reference marker ([fn]) can appear anywhere in the text
• Footnote content can contain most SevenMark elements
• Footnotes cannot be nested (no [fn] inside {{{#fn}}})
• Numbering is automatic and based on order of appearance
• During preprocessing, footnotes are collected for processing by the wiki system