footnotes and abbreviations

Here's a quick script I wrote that can do this, if you know how (or want) to run a python script:

---

#! python3
#
# Finds abbrev. text with footnotes and relies on the
# coarse nature of docx module to strip the style. Other
# formatting that is attached to the modified runs (e.g.,
# bold) will probably also be removed.

import docx

doc = docx.Document('name_of_your_doc_here.docx')  # Keep quotes, full file path
alpha = ('a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'i', 'j',
         'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't', 
         'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 
         'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N',
         'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S', 'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X',
        'Y', 'Z',)
for par in range(len(doc.paragraphs)):
    for run in range(len(doc.paragraphs[par].runs)):
        check = doc.paragraphs[par].runs[run].text
        try:
            next_run = doc.paragraphs[par].runs[run + 1].text
        except IndexError:
            pass
        if check.endswith(alpha) and next_run.startswith(alpha):
            combine = check + next_run
            doc.paragraphs[par].runs[run].text = combine
            doc.paragraphs[par].runs[run + 1].text = ''
            print(combine)
doc.save('name_of_output.docx')  # Save as different file to be safe

---

PS: docx is a third-party module that you'll have to install with pip install --user python-docx.

PPS: And I know this is a very hacky method... so don't judge me. [:D] I didn't want to take time to do it through regex or messing with the xml. If you wanted to do that, I think you could do so by looking for footnoteReference in the xml and then a look-ahead statement to find '>' followed by [a-zA-Z] group. This assumes that all the legitimate footnotes will follow '>' with a numeric character. (Though I guess one should double check for how punctuation is handled.). And I only tested this with one example, so there might be cases which are missed.

I doubt it's a bug. My guess would be that making the sort of change you have in mind might require something like creating another data type or class which functions the same same as the other in all cases except exporting to Word. And it's probably just simpler to have them all as one since they function the same in Logos. (It was also a useful feature back when Logos had the send-to-kindle feature.)

I agree with you that it's an annoyance to have to go through and delete stuff like LXX from footnotes. But I'm suggesting that it may not be that "it doesn't work right" but rather that the way it works might actually have made the most sense for Logos's own environment and resources--and that might even include them being included as footnotes in Word--when they created it. The ability to toggle this feature on or off might not clear the bar of their cost-benefit analysis. What might seem like a small feature of the over all program could be a *ton* of work that risks introducing bugs and breaking other things.

But hopefully they listen to the suggestion.