Hans Hagen wrote:
maybe \setupfloats[numbering=nocheck] does what you want
I think I want the opposite. The documentation for \setupfloats at http://texshow.contextgarden.net/ says New option: numbering yes nocheck (default yes) nocheck causes no renumbering so it preserves figure's source order My problem was that the source order (which is the order of first reference, probably) is not the order on the page. The wide figure floats to the top of the page (because it's wide) even though its source position is later than the narrower figure that fits in the margin. So 'numbering=yes' will number according to position on the page? -Sanjoy `Never underestimate the evil of which men of power are capable.' --Bertrand Russell, _War Crimes in Vietnam_, chapter 1.