\caption* command causes wrong reference in List of Figures for subfigures

captionssubcaptiontable of contents

I have created a custom \source command which places a second caption under a figure using the \caption* command (see Xavi's answer on this post). Also I have enabled the list option of the subcaption package to include subfigures in the List of Figures.

However, when using the \source command for a figures containing subfigures the caption of the subfigures are wrongly placed in the List of Figures, see the following example.

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage[list]{subcaption}
\usepackage[colorlinks]{hyperref}

\setcapindent{1em} 
\newcommand{\source}[1]{\caption*{ {\small Source: {#1}}} }

\begin{document}
\listoffigures

\section{Subcaption Test}
\begin{figure}[h]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.35\linewidth]{example-image}
    \caption{First Figure}
\end{figure}
Some text
\begin{figure}[h]
    \centering
    \begin{subfigure}{0.35\linewidth}
        \centering
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{example-image-a}
        \caption{First Subfigure}
        \label{fig:first}
    \end{subfigure}%
    \hfill
    \begin{subfigure}{0.35\linewidth}
        \centering
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{example-image-b}
        \caption{Second subfigure}
        \label{fig:second}
    \end{subfigure}
    \source{https://tex.stackexchange.com/}
    \caption{Second figure with two subfigures}
\end{figure}

Subfigures \ref{fig:first} and \ref{fig:second} have the correct reference but appear wrong in the list of figures.

\end{document}

The example produces the following output.

The two subfigures in the second figure are incorrectly listed under the first figure. However, the labels still correctly refer two 2a and 2b. Therefore I don't understand what causes the problem.

Can somebody explain this behaivour and tell me how to fix it? Or should I not be using \caption* command to create sources?

Note: I have also included the Koma-Script command \setcapindent{1em}, but I don't think that causes the problem.

Also, since this is my first question and I am fairly new to the Latex world I would be gratefull for any advice regarding asking questions on tex.stackexchange.com

Best Answer

This happens due to your defined \source command. If you place the source command below the \caption in the figure environment, then you will get expected output. However, if you want to put the source ahead of the caption, then you can use the \addcontentsline command (see section 2.3 of the LaTeX Companion 2nd edition for more info).

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage[list]{subcaption}
\usepackage[colorlinks]{hyperref}

\setcapindent{1em} 
\newcommand{\source}[1]{\caption*{ {\small Source: {#1}}} }

\begin{document}
\listoffigures

\section{Subcaption Test}
\begin{figure}[h]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.35\linewidth]{example-image}
    \caption{First Figure}
\end{figure}
Some text
\begin{figure}[h]
    \centering
    \begin{subfigure}{0.35\linewidth}
        \centering
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{example-image-a}
        \caption{First Subfigure}
        \label{fig:first}
    \end{subfigure}%
    \hfill
    \begin{subfigure}{0.35\linewidth}
        \centering
        \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{example-image-b}
        \caption{Second subfigure}
        \label{fig:second}
    \end{subfigure}
    %-----------------------------added---------------------------
    \addcontentsline{lof}{figure}{%
        \protect\numberline {\getrefnumber{fig:sec}}Second figure with two subfigures} 
    %--------------------------------------------------------------
    \source{https://tex.stackexchange.com/}
    \renewcommand{\addcontentsline}[3]{} % <-------- added
    \caption{Second figure with two subfigures}
    \label{fig:sec}
\end{figure}

Subfigures \ref{fig:first} and \ref{fig:second} have the correct reference but appear wrong in the list of figures.

\end{document}

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] custom sub-caption and refs format for subfigures

I don't think using three different formats for the numbering of subfigures is good. Anyway, here it is:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{caption}
\captionsetup[figure]{labelsep=period,justification=centering,singlelinecheck=off}
\DeclareCaptionLabelFormat{rightparen}{#2)}
\usepackage{subfig}
\captionsetup[subfloat]{labelformat=rightparen}
\showcaptionsetup[uniq]{subfloat}
\usepackage{xparse}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\seq_new:N \g_akj_subfloat_seq
\NewDocumentCommand{\xsubfloat}{ m m }
 {
  \akj_subfloat:nn { #1 } { #2 }
 }
\NewDocumentCommand{\makexcaption}{o}
 {
  \caption{\IfNoValueF{#1}{#1~}Subfigures:~%
  \seq_use:Nnnn \g_akj_subfloat_seq {;~} {;~} {;~}}
 }
\cs_new_protected:Npn \akj_subfloat:nn #1 #2
 {
  % initialize
  \int_compare:nT { \value{subfigure} = 0 }
   { \seq_gclear:N \g_akj_subfloat_seq }
  % do the subfloat
  \subfloat[]{#2}
  % store the subcaption
  \seq_gput_right:Nx \g_akj_subfloat_seq { (\exp_not:N\textit{\alph{subfigure}}) ~ \exp_not:n { #1 } }
 }
\ExplSyntaxOff
\renewcommand{\thesubfigure}{\textit{\alph{subfigure}}}
\makeatletter
\def\p@subfigure{\thefigure\,}
\makeatother

\begin{document}
\begin{figure}
\centering
\xsubfloat{subfigure A}{%
  \rule{100pt}{50pt}%
  \label{fig:subfig-a}%
}
\xsubfloat{subfigure B}{%
  \rule{100pt}{50pt}%
  \label{fig:subfig-b}%
}
\xsubfloat{subfigure C}{%
  \rule{100pt}{50pt}%
  \label{fig:subfig-c}%
}
\makexcaption\label{fig:figures}
\end{figure}

See Figures~\ref{fig:subfig-a}, \ref{fig:subfig-b} and~\ref{fig:subfig-c}.
\end{document}

The \makexcaption command has also an optional argument for text going before the list of subcaptions, so

\makexcaption[Some text.]

would produce

Figure 1. Some text. Subfigures: (a) subfigure A; (b) subfigure B; (c) subfigure C

Beware of unprotected end-of-lines in the arguments of \subfloat, that are the cause of your spurious spaces.

enter image description here

[Tex/LaTex] list of figures and tables when there are no figures or tables

Here is another approach. What it does is to check at the end of the document the values of the figure and table counters, and add to the .aux file a boolean flag setting depending on whether these values are zero or positive.

Then you have on next run \iffigures and \iftables which allow you to act conditionally.

In the code below, perhaps the \global are not really needed, I didn't check.

See also a variant at bottom which does not use the figure/table counters because they might well be reset to zero due to document sectioning (as pointed out by egreg in a comment).

\documentclass[10pt,twocolumn]{article}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage[margin=0.75in]{geometry}
\usepackage{float}
\floatstyle{boxed}

\restylefloat{figure}
\restylefloat{table}

\newif\iffigures
\newif\iftables

\makeatletter
\AtEndDocument {%
    \if@filesw
       \ifnum\value{figure}=\z@ % no figures
          \immediate\write\@mainaux {\global\string\figuresfalse}%
       \else
          \immediate\write\@mainaux {\global\string\figurestrue}%
       \fi
       \ifnum\value{table}=\z@ % no tables
          \immediate\write\@mainaux {\global\string\tablesfalse}%
       \else
          \immediate\write\@mainaux {\global\string\tablestrue}%
       \fi
    \fi
}
\makeatother 

% for the purpose of testing

% this will make a MWE without tables
\long\def\IGNORE #1\ENDIGNORE{}

% uncomment to make a MWE with tables
% \let\IGNORE\empty
% \let\ENDIGNORE\empty

\begin{document}

\tableofcontents

% 
\iffigures
   \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{List of Figures}
   \listoffigures
\fi

% 
\iftables
   \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{List of Table}
   \listoftables
\fi

\section{First section}
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\begin{figure}[H]\centering
\LaTeX\LaTeX
\caption{my figure}
\end{figure}
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\begin{figure}[H]\centering
\LaTeX\TeX
\caption{another figure}
\end{figure}
\section{Second section}
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\IGNORE
\begin{table}[H]\centering
\TeX\LaTeX
\caption{my table}
\end{table}
\ENDIGNORE
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\IGNORE
\begin{table}[H]\centering
\TeX\TeX
\caption{another table}
\end{table}
\ENDIGNORE
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\end{document}

Here is for a document with figures but no tables:

without tables

And if tables are present:

with tables

Three compilations needed.

Variant. I don't know to what extent patching \figure and \table as here is OK, depends perhaps on float related packages. At the worst I guess doing the patches immediately after \begin{document} should be enough (at the end of preamble might not be enough if some package does stuff during At Begin Document).

\documentclass[10pt,twocolumn]{article}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage[margin=0.75in]{geometry}
\usepackage{float}
\floatstyle{boxed}

\restylefloat{figure}
\restylefloat{table}

\newif\iffigures
\newif\iftables

\makeatletter

\let\OLDfigure\figure
\def\figure {\figures@in@document\OLDfigure }
\let\OLDtable\table
\def\table  {\tables@in@document\OLDtable }

\def\figures@in@document {%
    \immediate\write\@mainaux {\global\string\figurestrue}%
    \global\let\figures@in@document\empty
}

\def\tables@in@document {%
    \immediate\write\@mainaux {\global\string\tablestrue}%
    \global\let\tables@in@document\empty
}

\makeatother

% for the purpose of testing

% this will make a MWE without tables
\long\def\IGNORE #1\ENDIGNORE{}

% uncomment to make a MWE with tables
%\let\IGNORE\empty
%\let\ENDIGNORE\empty

\begin{document}

\tableofcontents

% 
\iffigures
   \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{List of Figures}
   \listoffigures
\fi

% 
\iftables
   \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{List of Table}
   \listoftables
\fi

\section{First section}
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\begin{figure}[H]\centering
\LaTeX\LaTeX
\caption{my figure}
\end{figure}
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\begin{figure}[H]\centering
\LaTeX\TeX
\caption{another figure}
\end{figure}
\section{Second section}
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\IGNORE
\begin{table}[H]\centering
\TeX\LaTeX
\caption{my table}
\end{table}
\ENDIGNORE
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\IGNORE
\begin{table}[H]\centering
\TeX\TeX
\caption{another table}
\end{table}
\ENDIGNORE
\lipsum[\inputlineno]
\end{document}

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] custom sub-caption and refs format for subfigures

[Tex/LaTex] list of figures and tables when there are no figures or tables

Related Question