**SPIP**
# Article validated
The article "**Insert a footnote**
(https://www.spip.net/en_article6484.html)" was validated by
<multi>[ar]جورج[fr]George [en]George</multi>.
* * *
## Insert a footnote
Saturday 19 January 2019 , by [naema](.././?page=auteur&id_auteur=8207&)
## General principle
SPIP provides a typographic shortcut to insert a footnote, such as :
"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely
players."[[William Shakespeare]]
which will display the following text :
"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players." [1]
SPIP automatically generates:
* the superscripted number
* the direct link to the footnote
* the display of the footnote text and the link to part of the text where
the footnote was inserted.
## Specific case
As mentioned in the SPIP online-help [2] , you can also insert a footnote
by using a syntax that will override the numbering of the footnote into any
other symbol or text of your choice. At the beginning of the footnote,
insert the reference in-between < >, eg. :
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet[[<*>dummy text.]].
will display the following :
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet [*] .
This syntax could be particularly useful when you wish to insert a footnote
that already appears somewhere else in your text \[3\] (you only want to
re-call the footnote without duplicating it).
This syntax could be particularly useful when you wish to insert a
footnote that already appears somewhere else in your text [[<3>]]
## The HTML generated code
`<span class="spip_note_ref"> [<a href='#nb2' class='spip_note'
rel='footnote' title='William Shakespeare.' id='nh2'>2</a>]</span>`
and further below:
`<span class="spip_note_ref">[<a href='#nh2' class='spip_note' title='Notes
2' rev='footnote'>2</a>] </span>William Shakespeare`
## Footnotes and Templates
Beware, footnotes will only appear in your text if the #NOTES tag is
specifically set in the template for this article.
**P.S.**
According to Wikipedia a footnote
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note_(typography)) can be used to provide :
* additional information pertaining to the subject of the text,
* attribute a quote or a viewpoint,
* as an alternative to parenthetical references to acknowledge
information gained from another source, or
* to escape the limitations imposed on the word count of various academic
and legal texts which do not take into account notes. Aggressive use of
this strategy can lead to a text affected by "foot and note disease" (a
derogation coined by John Betjeman). At SPIP, we’re not fond of
typographic or writing diseases — try and make sure to limit the risk !
[1] William Shakespeare
[2] typographical shortcuts
(https://www.spip.net/aide/?exec=aide_index&aide=raccourcis&frame=body)
[*] dummy text.
— Sent by SPIP (https://www.spip.net/)
