Avoid multiple numbering schemes in sameword disambiguation

[stenskjaer]

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Version of reledmac / reledpar (if that is a devellopement version, please precise the branch)

2.24.2

Does the problem happens both in parallel typesetting and normal typesetting?

Yes

Description of the problem

This is spin-off from #767.

Some editors (i.e. me) might want to create \sameword{} annotations that contain more than one word. That is the case when an app note refers to a multi-word passage that occurs more than once in the proximity. This would then be expected to have this result in the apparatus:

1 two dollars² ] del.

If the editor annotates each single word separately, it could look like this in the apparatus:

1 two³ dollars² ] del.

It has been discussed (#649, #767) whether every single word in such a phrase should have a separate \sameword{} or should be collected in one. There might be arguments supporting both approaches, and maybe it should be possible for an editor to choose which approach he prefers.

If an editor chooses to use the multi-word annotations, there may be some cases where one or more words inside a \sameword{} itself has to have a \sameword{}. When that is the case, the apparatus note results in a lemma where both approaches are used, like so:

1 two³ dollars²² ] del.

I suggested whether the approach used for solving the problem of \lemmacommand where the edtext level where a sameword is relevant is indicated with the optional argument (e.g. \sameword[2]{dollars} refers to content in an \edtext{}{} inside another \edtext{}{}).

Take this MWE:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[series={A},nofamiliar,noeledsec,noledgroup,draft]{reledmac}
\begin{document}

\beginnumbering
\pstart
\sameword{\sameword{two} \sameword{dollars}} and
\edtext{\sameword[1]{two}}{\Afootnote{four}} cents and
\edtext{%
  \sameword[1]{%
    \sameword{two}
    \edtext{\sameword[2]{dollars}}{\Afootnote{cents}}
  }%
}{\Afootnote{del.}}
and more \sameword{dollars}.
\pend
\endnumbering

\end{document}

The idea is that here the content of \sameword[1]{...} is relevant for the last app note. So in printing the numbers it should ignore printing of numbers on all \sameword{}s that do not match that level (i.e. have \sameword[1]). This would mean that the sameword-annotation of \sameword{two} and \sameword[2]{dollars} should not result in a printing of a number, as the level argument does not match.

As this would require an editor to always use the optional argument in order to make this distinction, this would break backwards compatibility, which of course would be a big problem.
So this approach should be disabled by default. At least I guess that would be best for compatibility. But it should be possible to enable the feature by some initial configuration (e.g. \enableMultiwordSamewords or something similarly awkward sounding.

Is this a stupid idea?

EDIT: By the way, if we need to revise the documentation for this, I can of course help with that.

[maieul]

It is not a stupid idea. However, it is more complex that I thougt initially. I need to get time for that, and I have not.