User:Chapka/LOFE Updates
This page collects some observations on the example text and images in the current LOFE, to be considered for discussion and action once the new format is launched.
Content Freeze
Issues to address after migration content freeze:
- See 101-54A--add math hook to inline category?
General Updates
Replace character markup with Unicode
Where available, would it make sense to replace character markup like [=e] with Unicode equivalents? See e.g. Italics/48A.
Reorder and combine categories
Now that the categories aren't bound to numbers, we should consider the best order for the categories (for example, reordering them to keep all of the types of front and back matter together) and consider combining or reordering some of the categories (for example, combining Title Page and Front matter; combining Correspondence and Signatures; splitting out Dramatis Personae from Drama/Metrical Drama).
Several examples use the same images, or images from the same page, but in slightly different versions. Should these be standardised?
Revise the Drama examples
Right now the Drama examples show the _interrupted_ CHARACTER _model_ in stage directions; this is an added complexity for both the formatter and the post-processor. We should have a discussion about at least presenting an alternative model, and consider removing the statement in the current Examples that the broken-italics system is the "default."
Topics Needing Review
These are general topics covered on several pages that could benefit from being clarified or standardised.
Spacing of opening/closing no-wrap tags
The Examples consistently say that a blank line is optional between an opening blockquote and an opening nowrap. Should it be? Guiguts adds an extra space if there's a blank space between.
Relevant pages include:
- No-wrap/07A
- Block Quotes/10A
- Correspondence/01A "Currently (March 2011)"
Also, the Guidelines are inconsistent about how to handle an opening OOL tag at the top of a page:
- Block Quotes/12A says if it's continued, the blank line should go after the opening OOL tag. No-wrap/07A seems to agree.
- Index/03A says "Currently (April 2011)" OK to put blank line first or OOL markup first. (But F2s will consistently diff in my experience).
Attributions
- Italics/37A says it's (always) OK to put attribution in the same no-wraps.
- No-wrap/07A and Italics/12B (same image) say some prefer separate no-wraps.
Chapter Synopsis
These need consistent treatment.
- Italics/46A shows synopsis block quoted because of hanging indent
- Quotes/04A says they're part of the heading, but need to be block quoted because they're not centred
Complete Sentences
Is/should there be a single "Complete Sentence" overview that is linked to from the many examples that just say "Complete sentence, period inside" or similar?
Play Headings
What is and isn't part of the header of an act? See Drama examples 5A, 7A, 8A, etc.
Colouring of superscripts and subscripts
Should this be coloured as markup? Current system is inconsistent--mostly unmarked but see Italics 54A where it's marked in pink.
Semantic colouring issues
Footnote markers (e.g., [3]) are marked entirely in red, including numbers. Footnotes themselves mark only the work "Footnote", with number in black. Also, for Illustration tags, the colon is not in red--should it be, as part of the markup?
Blank line above full-page illustration
Many examples say this is optional; but Illustrations/11A says it's "highly recommended." Could this be clarified? In my experience F2 will nearly always add the blank line if it's missing.
Dropped lines
We should use more consistent terminology and language for dropped lines/hemistich/stichomythia.
Page-Specific Issues
Italics
06A
Mix of single and double quotes.
07A
"Part of what is italicised"--could be stated more clearly?
17B
Consider replacing this example with one where the abbreviation actually comes at the end of the sentence.
25A
The result here is right, but is the reasoning right? Consider rephrasing, and compare with Italics/38A which discusses a similar case very differently.
31A
Replace the last two discussion items with a link to the signatures section?
33A
Are there really different ways to format this? Don't the Guidelines elsewhere say you have to break the italics for upright small caps? Compare Small Caps 12A which says to break unless told not to.
45A
Discussion suggests leaving a note, but there's no note in the text--should there be?
51A
Confusingly phrased. Question marks go outside because "the italics are just for emphasis" and "are not questions."
Small Caps
08A
Should we suggest leaving a note here?
14A
Add a sentence explaining what a drop cap is in case someone hasn't encountered one before.
15A
Current text uses quotation marks for primes (correct at the time)--fix? Also, it is acceptable to use one set of tags for Fig. and caption--still OK? "Marked for different reasons" suggests not--should be more explicit either way. Could be simplified, says the same thing twice.
Boldface
10A
They are "different entities" but "it doesn't make sense to use two pairs of markups with just a space between"? How? Italics/17A uses two tags for different entities with one space. This is contrary to everything discussed before.
Gesperrt
00A
This first example, or the overview, would benefit from a brief definition of the terms Fraktur and Antiqua.
05A
Should the [sqrt] markup be in red, for consistency? Or is there a Unicode replacement? → √
09A
I'm not sure what this Example is trying to say--perhaps some feedback from the German forum threads might help?
10A
Remove question mark and make more consistent with general list advice.
11A
Consider finding an example of this point with another kind of inline--many people might not look at the Gesperrt section if they don't work on German texts.
No-wrap
01A
The other examples that share this image have less information. Maybe revise this into multiple headings, make it standard, add links?
02A
"At least one line of a no-wrap block...must be left-justified." Is this true in every case? Could it be stated more clearly?
Block Quotes
04A
Be more explicit about the status of the summary. It's part of the header block so spaces go after, but it's not a heading, so we mark font size changes.
06A
Says to leave a note for [**noindent] after a block quote--is this a guideline? Should we specify that it's optional? Also, the "correct" text shows the note after the paragraph; shouldn't it be at the beginning?
08A
Implies that absent special instructions this wouldn't be a block quote--but there's extra space after, so it probably would?
10A
"A letter; enclose in Block Quotes"--is this a general rule?
12A
Small caps is fine either way--is this correct under the current guidelines? F2s still diff for it in my experience.
- I doubt it. We have Small Caps/15A that shows figure identifiers demanding to include the number, even if it would look identical. --Acibant (talk) 18:44, 29 May 2026 (EDT)
13A
Should there be two or four blank lines before this? (Also applies to List/03A)
Chapters
Overview and 13A
Says that anything that is not centred must be in either block quotes or no-wrap. Is this right?
Sections
Several pages in Sections suggest looking at other pages, breaking the "one page rule"--should be rephrased to avoid this.
05A
Discussion says to ask how to handle sub-sections, isn't the general rule to use two blank lines unless the project comments say otherwise?
06A
Markup is wrong; top is metrical, bottom is not.
Illustrations
22A
Says to ask, then what to do if you "don't get an answer." Is this appropriate? See also Footnotes/06A
Sidenotes
03A
Inconsistent description of the section symbol (§); does it imply a new section or not, lacking project comments?
Index
04A
OK to not look at previous page and mismark sub-entry--still true?
- Whether it's retaining/removing table headers or knowing if text is larger/smaller (block quotes), I find it hard to believe F2 does anything without a holistic view. -- Acibant (talk) 10:51, 31 May 2026 (EDT)
05A
Image and text don't exactly match; crop image to fix?
- Also last sub-entry has no page number with no note. I recommend a different image/example entirely. -- Acibant (talk) 10:59, 31 May 2026 (EDT)
Correspondence
00A
"[W]hite space and context may make [it] apparent" whether to treat a letter as a section or chapter--is this true, or should we always be asking?
Typo, "complementary closing" should be "complimentary."
01A/01B
These are identical except for one change made due to a special instruction, and they contain the same notes but phrased slightly differently. Confusing and unnecessary. Just give the standard version and ignore the special instruction that was given in 2011.
02A
There is a [**bold?] note here that is probably a misprint--mention in text and/or add to bold section?
There's an explicit blank line shown between 1st and 2nd lines of closing--add one between 2nd and 3rd lines as well?
03A
This Example says in general, letters with header and footer should be block quoted, but 02A says the letter (with header and footer) wasn't block quoted because the PM didn't "request" it. Should one or both be clarified?
Signatures
05A
The discussion says if the last line wasn't in a smaller font it'd be in the same no-wraps. But it's indented normally, so wouldn't it not be in any markup?
Front Matter
02A
No-wrap or blank line--is there a preference? See also 05A.
04A
Trim some white space from image?
07A
Discuss wrappable title?
08A
Say a bit more about the lists?
Tables
05A
Column headings on same line as larger text imply small caps. Is the lack of them an error or should the headings be on the next line down?
09A
"symbols that do not appear on the page"--this section is a bit confusing. An example would help.
15A
Should mention explicitly that this breaks Preview, as in 17A? In general these two examples should be harmonised with each other and with 18A.
Poetry
04A
Mention that even though the poem is not on the left margin, we leave the leftmost lines at the margin.
Drama
09A/B
Example text doesn't include last line. Either it should be added or the image should be cropped.
11A
Referenced stage direction seems more inline with dialogue; should find better example with no further dialogue after stage direction. Also, this example says to ask how to treat small caps in italics, earlier it says breaking italics is the default.
12A
Fix this image by removing the right-hand garbled column. Also, should the line after the title have no-wraps and six spaces separating the genre and author?
13A
Original comments said right-justified stage directions had no agreement on formatting, but 09A says to use no-wraps.
Metrical Drama
01A
Shouldn't the character name ("Venus" etc.) be inside the no-wrap, as they usually are in metrical drama?
03A
Only part of the large image is used. Crop the image--or maybe replace with a less wall-o-text example?
Should the line after the title have no-wraps and six spaces separating the subtitle and author?
04B
Is this stage direction actually a hanging indent? It looks centred to me.
05B
This example instructs the formatter to look at the previous page--need to add alternative (leaving a note)?
05C
Says there is no standard--but there is, it's block quotes to show the change in indentation. Also, another example that shows a non-standard instruction; should we standardise it? Same issue in 6C.
07B/C
Crop image from A and include in previous example?
08B
Why is the stage direction not put into no-wrap to right-align it like on 04A? See below...
08C
...this is why (see above). Replace with standard formatting?
Advertisements
06A
"wasn't necessary"--should we have an example, then say "don't do it this way"? Maybe reformat or choose a different example?
11A
Line rejoined--not wrappable?
15A
Seems like there is an excessive use of no-wraps. Some lines do look wrappable.
17A
Why are we keeping the publisher on every page instead of treating it like a footer? In practice people usually remove these.
20A
The no-wrap tags on the paragraph in question seem counterintuitive if the main heading is considered wrappable. There's no rationale for particular content on each line to avoid wrapping.
35B/C
Part omitted to fit on screen in old format--should probably restore or crop differently.
38B
Colon between two sc paragraphs--is this still good advice? Also, this and the two following are another case of "special instructions" overriding the Guidelines.
38C
Logo caption may be too all-encompassing and perhaps should not include the music, which today would get its own tag and transcription.
Periodicals
07A
Can we state as a general rule that each top-level article is a major division and everything else is a minor?
Ideas for new examples
Unusual Inline Markup
Could use a few examples on <f>, , and maybe also math?
Italics
- See Italics 36B. Can we find an example that does include stealth small caps?
Illustrations
- Include a poetry example, like this page, where an illustration appears in the middle of a poem--treat a stanza of poetry like a paragraph of text?
Footnotes
- How to format a paragraph break at the beginning of a continued footnote. See https://www.pgdp.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=1385162#p1385162 and my response.
Poetry
- How to handle a possible (ambiguous) stanza break across a page or column--lots of examples in Wordsworth.
Drama
- What is part of the act/scene heading and what is part of the main text--where does the space go and when do we start using block quotes to show font changes, etc.