When should I use symbols instead of numerals?

When a page carries only a few notes and no long sequence. The conventional set runs asterisk, dagger, double dagger, section and pilcrow, which gives five markers before it has to repeat. Past that, the reader loses track of which mark belongs to which note, and numerals become the only workable choice.

Why is the rule only part of the column width?

Because the notes block is apparatus rather than body text. A short rule separates it from the text without implying a second column, and the conventional widths sit between a quarter and a half of the measure. The tool lets it run anywhere from a tenth to the full column for cases where a heavier separation is wanted.

What is the hanging indent for?

It keeps a reference that wraps onto a second line aligned with the note text rather than under its number. Without it, a two-line reference looks like two separate notes. The generated CSS does it with a left padding on the note and a negative text indent of the same value.

Why does the reference mark have a negative margin?

So it hangs outside the measure instead of pushing the word it follows. A superscript numeral takes up horizontal space at the end of a line, and without the small negative margin the line spacing shifts slightly wherever a mark appears. Hanging it is the same correction applied to optical punctuation.

Can I set endnotes differently from footnotes?

The tool formats one notes block, so endnotes use the same block with a different position in the document. What does change in practice is the marker numbering, which is why the sequence start is adjustable: a chapter of endnotes typically continues the numbering rather than restarting it at one.

Footnote & Endnote Formatter

Notes

Note text (one per line)

Reference marker

Numbering starts at

Note sizept

Body sizept

Note leadingpt

Rule width% of column

Reference markers

Note	Marker	Closed-up form	Used when
1	1	1 — Bringhurst, R. The Elements of Typographic Sty…	default for text with figures
2	2	2 — Tschichold, J. The Form of the Book, chapter 3…	—
3	3	3 — Oxford Style Manual, section 12.4 (notes and r…	—
4	4	4 — Kindersley, D. Optical letter spacing, Journal…	—

Notes block preview

The argument in the text carries a reference¹, and a second note follows shortly after².

1Bringhurst, R. The Elements of Typographic Style, 4th ed., p. 71.
2Tschichold, J. The Form of the Book, chapter 3.
3Oxford Style Manual, section 12.4 (notes and references).
4Kindersley, D. Optical letter spacing, Journal of Typography 2(1).

css output

.footnotes {
  font-size: 8.5pt;
  line-height: 11pt;
  border-top: 1px solid currentColor;
  width: 30%;
  padding-top: 0.6em;
  margin-top: 1.5em;
}

.footnotes ol { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
.footnotes li { padding-left: 1.4em; text-indent: -1.4em; }

/* in-text reference mark */
.fn-ref {
  font-size: 0.65em;
  line-height: 0;
  vertical-align: super;
  /* the mark hangs outside the measure, like optical punctuation */
  margin-left: -0.12em;
  padding-left: 0.12em;
}

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The footnote and endnote formatter sets the notes block that runs under a rule at the foot of a page, together with the reference markers that connect it to the text. The marker style is the decision with the most downstream effect, so the tool states what each one is for before you commit to it.

What is Footnote & Endnote Formatter?

The footnote and endnote formatter takes one note per line, a reference marker style and four measures, then returns the notes block, the in-text reference marks and the CSS that produces both.

Four marker styles are offered: superscript numerals, bracketed numerals in square brackets, symbols, and an inline parenthetical form.
The symbol set cycles through asterisk, dagger, double dagger, section and pilcrow, which is the conventional sequence for a page carrying only a handful of notes.
Note size runs from 6pt to 12pt, the body size from 8pt to 14pt, the note leading from 8pt to 18pt, and the footnote rule from 10 to 100 percent of the column width.
Numbering can start anywhere from 1 to 99, which is how a chapter that continues a sequence is set without renumbering by hand.
The marker table reports the marker, the closed-up form and the case each style suits, so the choice is made against a stated reason rather than by habit.

The rule above the notes is a fraction of the column rather than the full measure, which is the convention that keeps a notes block from reading as a second column of text. The notes themselves use a hanging indent, so a reference that runs over more than one line starts its continuation aligned with the note text rather than under the number, and the CSS does that with a left padding and a matching negative text indent. The in-text mark is set at 65 percent of the body size with a line height of zero and a superscript alignment, and it is given a small negative left margin so the mark hangs outside the measure the way optical punctuation does, which keeps the spacing of the line it sits in from shifting.

The symbol set runs out after five notes and cycles, so a page with more notes than that needs numerals instead.
The notes block is set directly beneath the preview text rather than positioned at the foot of a page, since nothing here paginates a document.
Notes are taken as typed, one per line: the tool does not detect markers in the body text and pair them with notes automatically.
There is no support for cross-references, repeated references or shortened forms after a first full citation.
The rule is a single hairline at one width, so a two-weight rule or a bracketed notes block is outside the tool.

Use it when the notes area of a page is being set and the marker style is still open, since the choice between numerals, symbols and inline references is the decision that everything else follows from. Superscript numerals are the convention for a text with figures, bracketed numerals survive being copied into plain text, and symbols are reserved for a page carrying only a few notes. Where the notes sit inside a page geometry, the book interior layout preview reports the text block and margins they have to fit, the print type specification sheet records the note size in points for the printer, and the index page layout preview covers the other apparatus page at the back of the book.

How to use Footnote & Endnote Formatter

Paste the notes one per line, then choose the reference marker style and the number the sequence starts at.
Set the note size, the body size it sits under, the note leading and the width of the rule as a share of the column.
Read the marker table to confirm the closed-up form and the case each style suits, since the mark appears in the text as well as in the block.
Copy the generated CSS, which carries the rule, the hanging indent and the in-text reference mark styling.

When to use Footnote & Endnote Formatter vs related tools

Reach for it when a document's notes area is being set, when a book is moving from a word processor to a typeset layout and the markers need standardising, or when a page carrying many notes has to be made legible without shrinking the text. For the page around the notes, the book interior layout preview gives the text block and margin proportions, the print type specification sheet records the sizes in points, and the index page layout preview covers the apparatus page that sits at the other end of the book.

Privacy & Security

This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data ever leaves your device. There is no server round-trip, no upload, no logging, and no account required. Your input is processed locally using client-side JavaScript and is never stored, transmitted, or accessible to anyone else. When you close the tab, everything disappears.