SuttaCentral
Could the sutta number ranges be added in more places in the sidebar like they are for MN?
For example, here is the MN:
It would be helpful to have them in the Snp. For example here:
It would be good for the Udana as well.
Sorry if this has been asked before.
The difference is that in MN the ID numbers just have one level (MN 1, MN 123, etc.). In Udana and Sutta Nipata, etc., the numbers have two levels (Ud 1.1, Ud 3.7, Snp 2.8 …_).
In texts such as the Udana and Sutta Nipata, the number in the sidebar represents the first level in the sutta ID. This may be a vagga, a nipata, or a samyutta, etc.
So for example, in the Udana, the first chapter Bodhi Vagga has ten suttas, with ID numbers 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 … 1.10. Just by saying “1.” you know that any sutta in this book that has an ID starting with one must be in there.
If we were to represent all the numbers in the sidebar, we would have to say:
1.1–1.10 Bodhi Vagga.
That does not give us any more useful information. And it comes at a cost: more complexity, more calculations, longer to read and parse the information, and more cases where the titles end up being overlong.
Thanks! Now that I look at it again with your explanation it makes sense. I guess that for the Snp and Ud the consecutive numbering system is not common enough to support?
Ahh, well yes that’s another issue. Various texts have multiple modes of reference, and supporting them all is a nightmare. So for better or worse, we have to choose one system, based on what is commonly used and also what makes sense. We can maintain other systems for reference, but not for building the site navigation.