Lists

Organize items into ordered and unordered lists when documenting supported features or numbered annotations in a screenshot. Lists help emphasize important ideas and add visual structure similar to tables, admonitions, and tabs.

tip

To document a sequence of actions, use procedures.

To add a list, use the <list> element and <li> sub-elements for each list item. By default, Writerside renders an unordered list with bullet points. Use the type attribute to change the list markers:

• type="decimal": decimal digits (1, 2, 3, and so on) when the order or total number of items in a list is important

• type="alpha-lower": letters (a, b, c, and so on) for an ordered nested list

• type="none": for a list without markers

In Markdown, to create an ordered list, use numbers followed by periods. To create an unordered list, use dashes -, asterisks *, or plus characters +. Indent items to create a nested list. You can add list attributes in curly braces after an empty line.

<list type="decimal" start="2">
    <li>First item.
        <list type="alpha-lower">
            <li>First indented item.</li>
            <li>Second indented item.</li>
        </list>
    </li>
    <li>Second item.</li>
    <li>Third item.</li>
    <li>Fourth item.</li>
</list>

<list type="bullet">
    <li>Some list item</li>
    <li>Another list item</li>
    <li>Yet another list item
        <list type="bullet">
            <li>Indented item</li>
            <li>Indented item</li>
        </list>
    </li>
    <li>One more item</li>
</list>

1. First item.
    1. First indented item.
    2. Second indented item.

    {type="alpha-lower"}
2. Second item.
3. Third item
4. Fourth item

{start="2"}

- Some list item
- Another list item
- Yet another list item
    - Some indented item
    - Another indented item
- One more item

Here is the list produced from the previous example:

2. First item.

   1. First indented item.

   2. Second indented item.

3. Second item.

4. Third item.

5. Fourth item.

• Some list item

• Another list item

• Yet another list item

  • Some indented item

  • Another indented item

• One more item

note

Guidelines for lists

These are not strict rules, but it is better to keep the following in mind when adding lists:

• Write a paragraph before a list to introduce it. A list without an introduction can be unclear.

• Include between 2 and 8 items in a list. Having too many items can be overwhelming and you will emphasize nothing. If you need a long list of short items, consider using multiple columns.

• Limit the size of each item as much as possible. Do not expand a list item beyond its most basic idea. If you need to provide a lot of details for each item, consider using a definition list or splitting the content into chapters.

• Avoid overusing lists. Lists are a good way to add structure between paragraphs, but having all content as lists does not provide the necessary context. Also, consider other elements, such as tables and tabs.

<list columns="3">
    <li>this</li>
    <li>is</li>
    <li>a</li>
    <li>long</li>
    <li>list</li>
    <li>rendered</li>
    <li>in</li>
    <li>three</li>
    <li>columns</li>
</list>

- this
- is
- a
- long
- list
- rendered
- in
- multiple
- columns

{columns="3"}

<deflist>
    <def title="First Term">
        This is the definition of the first term.
    </def>
    <def title="Second Term">
        This is the definition of the second term.
    </def>
</deflist>

First Term
: This is the definition of the first term.

Second Term
: This is the definition of the second term.