diff --git a/tp/Texinfo/Convert/HTML.pm b/tp/Texinfo/Convert/HTML.pm
index 098b3c3c30..bdfdacbc34 100644
--- a/tp/Texinfo/Convert/HTML.pm
+++ b/tp/Texinfo/Convert/HTML.pm
@@ -2456,11 +2456,31 @@ sub _convert_heading_command($$$$$)
   }
 
   my $element_id = $self->command_id($command);
+  my $element;
+  if ($Texinfo::Common::root_commands{$command->{'cmdname'}}
+      and $command->{'parent'}
+      and $command->{'parent'}->{'type'}
+      and $command->{'parent'}->{'type'} eq 'element') {
+    $element = $command->{'parent'};
+  }
+  my $element_header;
+  my $page_footer;
+  if ($element) {
+    $element_header = &{$self->{'format_element_header'}}($self, $cmdname,
+                                            $command, $element);
+    $page_footer = &{$self->{'format_page_footer'}}($self, $command);
+  }
+
   my $section = $command->{'extra'}->{'associated_section'};
   if ($cmdname eq 'node' and $section) {
     my $level = $section->{'level'};
     $result .= join('', $self->close_registered_sections_level($level));
-    $self->register_opened_section_level($level, "</div>\n");
+    my $close =
+        "</div>\n";
+    if ($page_footer and scalar(@{$self->{'pending_closes'}}) == 0) {
+        $close = $page_footer . $close;
+    }
+    $self->register_opened_section_level($level, $close);
 
     $result .= '<div class="' . $section->{'cmdname'} . '"';
 
@@ -2475,16 +2495,8 @@ sub _convert_heading_command($$$$$)
   print STDERR "Process $command "
         .Texinfo::Structuring::_print_root_command_texi($command)."\n"
           if ($self->get_conf('DEBUG'));
-  my $element;
-  if ($Texinfo::Common::root_commands{$command->{'cmdname'}} 
-      and $command->{'parent'}
-      and $command->{'parent'}->{'type'} 
-      and $command->{'parent'}->{'type'} eq 'element') {
-    $element = $command->{'parent'};
-  }
   if ($element) {
-    $result .= &{$self->{'format_element_header'}}($self, $cmdname, 
-                                            $command, $element);
+    $result .= $element_header;
   }
 
   my $heading_level;
@@ -4767,7 +4779,7 @@ sub _default_format_element_footer($$$$)
   my $type = shift;
   my $element = shift;
   my $content = shift;
-
+ 
   my $result = '';
   my $is_top = $self->element_is_top($element);
   my $next_is_top = ($element->{'element_next'} 
@@ -4796,34 +4808,15 @@ sub _default_format_element_footer($$$$)
   }
 
   my $rule = '';
-  my $buttons;
-  my $maybe_in_page;
+  my $maybe_in_page = 1;
   if (($is_top or $is_special)
       and ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') or !$self->get_conf('MONOLITHIC'))
       and ($end_page 
          and ($self->get_conf('HEADERS') 
               or ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') and $self->get_conf('SPLIT') ne 'node')))) {
-    if ($is_top) {
-      $buttons = $self->get_conf('TOP_BUTTONS');
-    } else {
-      $buttons = $self->get_conf('MISC_BUTTONS');
-    }
   } elsif ($end_page and $self->get_conf('SPLIT') eq 'section') {
-    $buttons = $self->get_conf('SECTION_FOOTER_BUTTONS');
   } elsif ($end_page and $self->get_conf('SPLIT') eq 'chapter') {
-    $buttons = $self->get_conf('CHAPTER_BUTTONS');
   } elsif ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') eq 'node') {
-    if ($self->get_conf('HEADERS')) {
-      my $no_footer_word_count;
-      if ($self->get_conf('WORDS_IN_PAGE')) {
-        my @cnt = split(/\W*\s+\W*/, $content);
-        if (scalar(@cnt) < $self->get_conf('WORDS_IN_PAGE')) {
-          $no_footer_word_count = 1;
-        }
-      }
-      $buttons = $self->get_conf('NODE_FOOTER_BUTTONS')
-         unless ($no_footer_word_count);
-    }
   } else {
     $maybe_in_page = 1;
   }
@@ -4849,11 +4842,78 @@ sub _default_format_element_footer($$$$)
     $result .= &{$self->{'format_footnotes_text'}}($self);
   }
   if (!$self->get_conf('PROGRAM_NAME_IN_FOOTER') 
-      and !$buttons and !$maybe_in_page) {
+      and !$maybe_in_page) {
     # no rule in that case
   } else {
     $result .= "$rule\n" if ($rule);
   }
+  
+  return $result;
+}
+sub _default_format_page_footer($$)
+{
+  my $self = shift;
+  my $element = shift;
+
+  my $result = '';
+  my $is_top = $self->element_is_top($element);
+  my $next_is_top = ($element->{'element_next'} 
+                     and $self->element_is_top($element->{'element_next'}));
+  my $next_is_special = (defined($element->{'element_next'})
+    and $element->{'element_next'}->{'extra'}->{'special_element'});
+  # no 'parent' defined happens if there are no pages, and there are elements 
+  # which should only happen when called with $self->{'output_file'} 
+  # set to ''.
+  my $end_page = (!$element->{'element_next'}
+       or (defined($element->{'filename'}) 
+           and $element->{'filename'} ne $element->{'element_next'}->{'filename'}
+           and $self->{'file_counters'}->{$element->{'filename'}} == 1));
+  #my $end_page = (!$element->{'element_next'}
+  #     or (defined($element->{'parent'}) 
+  #         and $element->{'parent'} ne $element->{'element_next'}->{'parent'}));
+  my $is_special = $element->{'extra'}->{'special_element'};
+
+  if (($end_page or $next_is_top or $next_is_special or $is_top)
+       and $self->get_conf('VERTICAL_HEAD_NAVIGATION')
+       and ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') ne 'node' 
+            or $self->get_conf('HEADERS') or $is_special or $is_top)) {
+   $result .= "</td>
+</tr>
+</table>"."\n";
+  }
+
+  my $buttons;
+  my $maybe_in_page;
+  if (($is_top or $is_special)
+      and ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') or !$self->get_conf('MONOLITHIC'))
+      and ($end_page 
+         and ($self->get_conf('HEADERS') 
+              or ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') and $self->get_conf('SPLIT') ne 'node')))) {
+    if ($is_top) {
+      $buttons = $self->get_conf('TOP_BUTTONS');
+    } else {
+      $buttons = $self->get_conf('MISC_BUTTONS');
+    }
+  } elsif ($end_page and $self->get_conf('SPLIT') eq 'section') {
+    $buttons = $self->get_conf('SECTION_FOOTER_BUTTONS');
+  } elsif ($end_page and $self->get_conf('SPLIT') eq 'chapter') {
+    $buttons = $self->get_conf('CHAPTER_BUTTONS');
+  } elsif ($self->get_conf('SPLIT') eq 'node') {
+    if ($self->get_conf('HEADERS')) {
+      $buttons = $self->get_conf('NODE_FOOTER_BUTTONS');
+    }
+  } else {
+    $maybe_in_page = 1;
+  }
+
+  # FIXME the following condition is almost a duplication of end_page 
+  # except that the file counter needs not be 1
+  if ((!$element->{'element_next'}
+       or (defined($element->{'filename'})
+           and $element->{'filename'} ne $element->{'element_next'}->{'filename'}))
+      and $self->get_conf('footnotestyle') eq 'end') {
+    $result .= &{$self->{'format_footnotes_text'}}($self);
+  }
   if ($buttons) {
     $result .= &{$self->{'format_navigation_header_panel'}}($self, $buttons,
                                                      undef, $element);
@@ -4895,6 +4955,7 @@ my %default_formatting_references = (
      'format_navigation_header_panel' => \&_default_format_navigation_header_panel, 
      'format_element_header' => \&_default_format_element_header,
      'format_element_footer' => \&_default_format_element_footer,
+     'format_page_footer' => \&_default_format_page_footer,
      'format_button' => \&_default_format_button, 
      'format_button_icon_img' => \&_default_format_button_icon_img, 
      'format_contents' => \&_default_format_contents,