What is the correct syntax for subfootnote?

Question

After upgrading from ConTeXt stable to beta, any code containing subfootnote does not compile. E.g.:

\definestructureconversionset [footnote] [numbers, Characters] [numbers]
\setupenumerations            [footnote] [numberconversionset=footnote]
\starttext
    \startlines
        This is some text.\footnote{This is a footnote.}
        This is some more text.\subfootnote{This is a subfootnote.}
    \stoplines
\stoptext

This code, adapted from How to set footnotes to use a combination of two numbering formats in ConTeXt?, fails to compile and returns an error on line 6, or essentially any line where \subfootnote is placed with the message "Missing number, treated as zero."

Similarly, \donote[subfootnote][]{} and \setnotetext[subfootnote][]{}, commands needed when placing subfootnotes inside mathmode environments, have problems compiling after this update.

• Has the syntax of \subfootnote been changed or entirely removed from ConTeXt beta? Is there a new way to typeset subfootnotes?
• Does the error "Missing number, treated as zero." indicate that I need to add a number somewhere to \subfootnote?

Answer 1

The syntax did not change. It is a bug and has been fixed in beta 2012.10.15 19:10 (see dev-context subfootnotes). An update should be enough to get subfootnotes working again.

However, you can use the MkIV syntax \startsubfootnote. So instead of

This is some text.\footnote{This is a footnote.}
This is some more text.\subfootnote{This is a subfootnote.}

you can write

This is some text.\startfootnote This is a footnote. \stopfootnote
This is some more text.\startsubfootnote This is a subfootnote. \stopsubfootnote

But this just as a side note, it is unrelated to the problem.

The syntax for the subfootnote numbering has changed. Instead of

\setupenumerations [footnote] [numberconversionset=footnote]

the new syntax is (more information on the Wiki - Footnotes)

\setupnotation [footnote] [numberconversionset=footnote]

and \definestructureconversionset changed to \defineconversionset

Here your full minimal example:

\defineconversionset [footnote] [numbers, Characters] [numbers]
\setupnotation       [footnote] [numberconversionset=footnote]

\starttext
  \startlines
      This is some text.\startfootnote This is a footnote. \stopfootnote
      This is some more text.\startsubfootnote This is a subfootnote. \stopsubfootnote
  \stoplines
\stoptext