Re: Extracting footnote text

[David auerbach@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from Martin J. Osborne
 09/11/95 5:19pm -0400

> I have an XPL program in version III that I use very frequently
that, > among other things, translates every ≪FN1Footnote
text.≫ into > \footnote{Footnote text.}. The technique the
program uses is to  search > for ≪FN1 in expanded mode,
locating the start of the footnote, then  to go > to draft mode
and move the cursor right, and then to go back to  expanded >
mode, where there cursor is now at the end of the footnote. A }
can  now > be inserted, and one can search back for ≪FN1 and
insert the  \footnote{.  > [etc...]

I wrote a program years ago that is now just a keystroke to me,
but it  does the following. Type   sef /ralph/  on the
command line, in  formatted mode, and it will find an occurence
of "ralph" in a footnote  and open up the footnote using the EF
(edit footnote) command. It is  fast.  A similar technique
should work for you. Search in formatted mode  for ≪FN, then
cursor left, then EF, then DF, then BottomFile, then  DF, then
save that away (in my program I obviously then do a string
search), then close the edit window, destroy the footnote, put
out  /footnote and then spit out the saved text.  MUCH faster
than going in  and out of expanded mode.  I remember fondly
repeated calls to Dave Erikson, back in 1981 or 82,  begging for
some sort of edit footnote command..... I am overcome  with
nostalgia (or is it neuralgia?).


___________________________________________________________

David Auerbach
  auerbach@xxxxxxxx
Department of Philosophy & Religion
NCSU     Box 8103
Raleigh, NC 27695-8103