Folio Writer
Figures, equations &
cross-references
Numbering by hand is how figure references go wrong. In Folio Writer you label a thing once, refer to it by name, and the compile numbers everything — while the editor shows the figure, its caption and its typeset equation in place.
Labels
A figure is an ordinary Markdown image on a line of its own, with a label in braces:
{#fig:compression width=70%}
The alt text is the caption. width= takes a percentage of the text width or an absolute size (3in, 8cm, 400px) and is honoured in PDF, Word and HTML alike. A table takes its label in the caption line under it:
| Phase | P (GPa) |
|-------|---------|
| B1 | 0–400 |
: Phases of MgO {#tbl:phases}
An equation is display math followed by its label:
$$K_T = -V \left(\frac{\partial P}{\partial V}\right)_T$$ {#eq:bulk}
References
Refer to any labelled item with @ and its key — @fig:compression, @tbl:phases, @eq:bulk — and the compile prints “Fig. 1”, “Table 1”, “eq. 1”. Capitalise the prefix (@Fig:compression) at the start of a sentence; group several as [@fig:a; @fig:b]. Numbers follow the order of appearance across the whole manuscript, so moving a chapter in the binder renumbers everything correctly.
Numbering is done by pandoc-crossref: on the Mac it is installed with the other tools (Compile ▸ Set Up External Tools…), and the Folio Cloud server has it, so compiles from the iPhone and iPad number the same way. Without it, references print literally.
What the editor shows
With Render images on, a whole-line image is drawn as the picture, sized as it will export, with its caption and [fig:key] label beneath it. Equations are typeset in place — inline math sits on the text's own baseline, display math gets its own line with an (eq:key) tag beside it. Sub- and superscripts (H~2~O, x^2^) read as H₂O and x². The Markdown comes back the moment the caret enters that paragraph, so editing is never blind; tap or click a rendered figure and it opens as source.
On iOS these live under Settings ▸ Editor ▸ Rendering (images, equations, sub/superscripts, and how much Markdown syntax to hide); on the Mac under Settings ▸ Editor. The file itself is always plain text.
Inserting a figure
Drop an image file into the editor, paste one, or use Insert ▸ Image: the file is copied into the project's Research folder and the Markdown is written for you, with a label you can edit. Keep paths relative to the project, so the manuscript compiles anywhere.
The reference list
Cross-references are not citations: @fig:x is resolved before the bibliography runs, so it never looks for a key named “fig:x”. When the manuscript does cite something, the compiled file ends with a References section; to place it yourself, write
# References {.unnumbered}
::: {#refs}
:::
anywhere in the draft, and the formatted list fills that block.