Biblatex: Modify textcite for autocite=footnote

Question

Is it possible to redefine \textcite when using autocite=footnote so that it places the the authors' names in the text but places the rest of the citation in a footnote? As it stands now, \textcite prints the authors' names along with the year in the text. To me, the style I suggest seems like it would be more consistent.

For extra credit, would it be possible to omit the authors' names from the footnotes generated by this new version of \textcite?

Here is a minimal example:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[style=authoryear, autocite=footnote]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{biblatex-examples.bib}
\begin{document}
A citation\autocite{knuth:ct:a} in a sentence.
Important works are those by \textcites{bertram}{markey}.
Another important work is by \textcite{knuth:ct:b}.

\textbf{Instead, I would like the output to be:}
A citation\autocite{knuth:ct:a} in a sentence.
Important works are those by \citeauthor{bertram} and \citeauthor{markey}\autocites{bertram}{markey}.
Another important work is by \citeauthor{knuth:ct:b}\autocite{knuth:ct:b}.
\end{document}

Answer 1

The \textcite implementation of the verbose styles does something like that, so we can just copy the \textcite-related code from verbose.cbx.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[style=authoryear, autocite=footnote]{biblatex}

\makeatletter
\renewbibmacro*{textcite}{%
  \ifnameundef{labelname}
    {\printfield[citetitle]{labeltitle}}
    {\printnames{labelname}}}

\newbibmacro*{textcite:init}{%
  \citetrackerfalse%
  \pagetrackerfalse%
  \iffirstcitekey
    {\global\undef\cbx@lasthash}
    {}}

\newbibmacro*{textcite:count}{%
  \stepcounter{textcitetotal}%
  \ifnumgreater{\value{uniquelist}}{\value{maxnames}}
    {\ifnumgreater{\value{uniquelist}}{\value{textcitemaxnames}}
       {\setcounter{textcitemaxnames}{\value{uniquelist}}}
       {}}
    {\ifnumless{\value{labelname}}{\value{maxnames}}
       {\ifnumgreater{\value{labelname}}{\value{textcitemaxnames}}
          {\setcounter{textcitemaxnames}{\value{labelname}}}
          {}}
       {\ifnumgreater{\value{maxnames}}{\value{textcitemaxnames}}
          {\setcounter{textcitemaxnames}{\value{maxnames}}}
          {}}}}

\DeclareCiteCommand{\cbx@textcite}
  {\usebibmacro{textcite:init}}
  {\iffieldequals{namehash}{\cbx@lasthash}
     {}
     {\iffirstcitekey
        {}
        {\textcitedelim}%
      \stepcounter{textcitecount}%
      \usebibmacro{textcite}%
      \savefield{namehash}{\cbx@lasthash}}}
  {}
  {}

\DeclareCiteCommand{\textcite}[\cbx@textcite@init\cbx@textcite\footcite]
  {\usebibmacro{textcite:init}%
   \gdef\cbx@savedkeys{}%
   \DeferNextCitekeyHook}
  {\ifthenelse{\iffirstcitekey\AND\value{multicitetotal}>0}
     {\protected@xappto\cbx@footcite@args{%
        (\thefield{multiprenote})(\thefield{multipostnote})}}
     {}%
   \xappto\cbx@savedkeys{\thefield{entrykey},}%
   \iffieldequals{namehash}{\cbx@lasthash}
     {}
     {\usebibmacro{textcite:count}%
      \savefield{namehash}{\cbx@lasthash}}%
   \ifnumequal{\value{citecount}}{\value{citetotal}}
     {\protected@xappto\cbx@textcite@args{{\cbx@savedkeys}}%
      \protected@xappto\cbx@footcite@args{%
        [\thefield{prenote}][\thefield{postnote}]{\cbx@savedkeys}}%
      \iflastcitekey
        {\protected@xappto\cbx@textcite@args{\thefield{postpunct}}%
         \protected@xappto\cbx@footcite@args{\nopunct}}
        {}}
     {}}
  {}
  {}

% textcite has nested \DeclareCiteCommand definitions for textcite and we want to use
% the normal textcite context
\DeclareDelimcontextAlias{cbx@textcite}{textcite}

\newrobustcmd{\cbx@textcite@init}[3]{%
  \setcounter{textcitetotal}{0}%
  \setcounter{textcitecount}{0}%
  \setcounter{textcitemaxnames}{0}%
  \def\cbx@textcite@args{#1}\def\cbx@footcite@args{#2}#3%
  \cbx@textcite@args\empty\cbx@footcite@args\empty}

\DeclareMultiCiteCommand{\cbx@textcites}{\cbx@textcite}{}
\DeclareMultiCiteCommand{\textcites}
  [\cbx@textcites@init\cbx@textcites\footcites]{\textcite}{}

\let\cbx@textcites@init\cbx@textcite@init
\pretocmd{\cbx@textcites@init}{%
  \UseNextMultiCiteHook%
  \AtNextMultiCite{%
    \renewbibmacro{multiprenote}{}%
    \renewbibmacro{multipostnote}{}}}{}{}

\makeatother



\addbibresource{biblatex-examples.bib}
\begin{document}
\null\vfill % only for this example!

A citation\autocite{knuth:ct:a} in a sentence.
Important works are those by \textcites{bertram}{markey}.
Another important work is by \textcite{knuth:ct:b}.

\textbf{Instead, I would like the output to be:}
A citation\autocite{knuth:ct:a} in a sentence.
Important works are those by \citeauthor{bertram} and \citeauthor{markey}\autocites{bertram}{markey}.
Another important work is by \citeauthor{knuth:ct:b}\autocite{knuth:ct:b}.
\end{document}