# complex number formatting

**URL:** <https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/complex-number-formatting/701>\
**Category:** CSL Development\
**Created:** [July 28, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/complex-number-formatting/701 "2009-07-28T21:52:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Bruce_D_Arcus1)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/complex-number-formatting/701/1 "2009-07-28T21:52:19Z")

</div>

So Frank has put it a feature request to support complex formatting of  
numbers. An example is to be able to have “2nd Edition” where “nd” is  
superscripted.

[https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=678021&aid=2828391&group\_id=117435](https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=678021&aid=2828391&group_id=117435)

To me this feels like borderline overkill, but I’m open to having my  
mind changed.

Any opinions for or against?

Bruce

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**Author:** ![Rintze\_Zelle](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/rintze_zelle/32/175_2.png) [@Rintze\_Zelle](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Rintze_Zelle)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/complex-number-formatting/701/2 "2009-07-29T05:20:28Z")

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For. It seems not so common in English, but more so in Roman languages:

> **[Subscript and superscript](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscript_and_superscript#Superscripts_which_typically_do_not_extend_above_the_ascender_line)**
>
> A subscript or superscript is a character (such as a number or letter) that is set slightly below or above the normal line of type, respectively. It is usually smaller than the rest of the text. Subscripts appear at or below the baseline, while superscripts are above. Subscripts and superscripts are perhaps most often used in formulas, mathematical expressions, and specifications of chemical compounds and isotopes, but have many other uses as well.
> In professional typography, subscript and super...

“Ordinal indicators are sometimes written as superscripts (1st, 2nd, 3rd  
rather than 1st, 2nd, 3rd), although many English-language style guides  
recommend against this use. Other languages use a similar convention, such  
as 1er or 2e in French, or 4ª and 4º in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.”

It’s a case of [citation needed] though, but if it’s on Wikipedia, it must  
be true.

Rintze

> So Frank has put it a feature request to support complex formatting of  
> numbers. An example is to be able to have “2nd Edition” where “nd” is  
> superscripted.
> 
> \<  
> [https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=678021&aid=2828391&group\_id=117435On](https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=678021&aid=2828391&group_id=117435On) Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 11:52 PM, Bruce D’Arcus\<@Bruce\_D\_Arcus1\> wrote:
> 
> To me this feels like borderline overkill, but I’m open to having my  
> mind changed.
> 
> Any opinions for or against?
> 
> Bruce

* * *

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> on

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Frank\_Bennett](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/frank_bennett/32/198_2.png) [@Frank\_Bennett](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Frank_Bennett)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/complex-number-formatting/701/3 "2009-08-02T22:10:27Z")

</div>

> For. It seems not so common in English, but more so in Roman languages:
> 
> [Subscript and superscript - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscript_and_superscript#Superscripts_which_typically_do_not_extend_above_the_ascender_line)  
> “Ordinal indicators are sometimes written as superscripts (1st, 2nd, 3rd  
> rather than 1st, 2nd, 3rd), although many English-language style guides  
> recommend against this use. Other languages use a similar convention, such  
> as 1er or 2e in French, or 4ª and 4º in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.”
> 
> It’s a case of [citation needed] though, but if it’s on Wikipedia, it must  
> be true.
> 
> Rintze
> 
> > So Frank has put it a feature request to support complex formatting of  
> > numbers. An example is to be able to have “2nd Edition” where “nd” is  
> > superscripted.
> > 
> > [https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=678021&aid=2828391&group\_id=117435](https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=678021&aid=2828391&group_id=117435)
> > 
> > To me this feels like borderline overkill, but I’m open to having my  
> > mind changed.
> > 
> > Any opinions for or against?

I won’t complain if the ticket is closed on this. The use case was  
flagged by Richard, and as I’d come up with an idea for a solution, I  
put it into tracker partly just to keep a record of the issue and  
discussion within reach for future reference.

As far as I know, superscripting of ordinal suffixes hasn’t ever been  
specifically requested by a user. The only note reference that I can  
find in the forum is a mention that Word (and possibly Open Office,  
although I haven’t checked) can superscript ordinal suffixes  
automagically in the document:

> **[Zotero Alternatives](https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/2082/zotero-alternatives/#Comment_9068)**
>
> I have been looking for a program like this for a very long time, and stumbled across it while looking at FF's campus edition.

So on second thought, I agree with Bruce that this is overkill. Feel  
free to close away.

Frank