Side Matter

Side Matter turns footnotes into sidenotes, magically aligning each note in the sidebar next to its corresponding reference in the text. Unlike hyperlinked footnotes, sidenotes don’t require jumping down the page to follow up on each reference; instead, they perch humbly and accessibly beside the material to which they refer.

To use, place the Side Matter widget in your sidebar, then enclose sidenote text in a page or post using the [ref] shortcode, like so:

Here's the text to annotate.[ref]Note text goes here.[/ref]

To change default settings, use the Side Matter options page linked under the Appearance menu on your admin screen.

Styling Side Matter with CSS

Changing the appearance of Side Matter elements—for example, editing your notes’ typeface or indentation—requires usin…