Working with Lists
You can work with numbered and bulleted lists in your document if the associated tags have been configured in the document type's .dcf file. Besides the usual editing capabilities, Arbortext Editor enables you to perform the following additional operations with lists:
• Change other tags to and from different types of lists
• Promote and demote list items
• Join lists and list items
• Split lists and list items
The Application toolbar contains the following buttons that enable you to change other tags to and from lists:
• Numeric List
When you click this button, the tag containing the cursor is converted to a list item in a new numeric list. If the cursor is already in a numeric list item, it changes the item to a paragraph splitting the list containing the item if necessary. You can also select multiple paragraphs or other block tags and convert them to and from numeric list items in a single operation.
• Bulleted List
When you click this button, the tag containing the cursor is converted to a list item in a new bulleted list. If the cursor is already in a bulleted list item, it changes the item to a paragraph splitting the list containing the item if necessary. You can also select multiple paragraphs or other block tags and convert them to and from bulleted list items in a single operation.
If Arbortext Editor is unable to perform a list operation from some reason, an informational message appears on the status bar.
Promoting and Demoting List Items
The Application toolbar also contains the following buttons that enable you to promote and demote list items:
• Promote Item
This button is available either when an entire nested list item is selected or when the cursor is within the first paragraph or other block tag in a list item that is nested within another list item. When you click this button, the list item is moved to the next highest level in the list.
• Demote Item
This button is available either when the cursor is within a list item that is not the first item in the list or when such a list item is selected. When you click this button, the list item is moved to the next lowest level in this list. In this case, a new list is created to hold the item and that list is nested inside of the preceding list item.
You can also select multiple list items and promote or demote them in a single operation.
Joining Lists and List Items
You can use the BACKSPACE and DELETE keys to join lists, list items, and the content inside of list items. To use the BACKSPACE key to join list content, you must place the cursor at the very beginning of the tag you want to join with a preceding tag. To use the DELETE key to join list content, you must place the cursor at the very end of the tag you want to join with a following tag. In either case, pressing the key will join the content of tag containing the cursor with the preceding or following tag.
For example, if place the cursor at the very beginning of a list item and press the BACKSPACE key, the content of that list item is moved within the preceding list item. Similarly, you can join adjacent lists in your document including lists with different styles.
Using Quick Tags with Lists
When your cursor is placed inside of a list and you press ENTER to open the Quick Tags menu, the top of the menu contains choices that enable you to modify the list. Generally, you are able to perform the following actions:
• Split the list item containing the cursor into two items.
In this case, any text that occurs after the cursor becomes part of the new list item.
• Split the list into two lists.
In this case, any text that occurs after the cursor becomes part of the first list item in the new list.
• Split a tag containing the cursor within the list item into two tags.
In this case, any text that occurs inside of that tag after the cursor becomes part of the new tag.
If the cursor is inside of a list, but not within a list item, Quick Tags enables you to split the list into two lists. In this case, any list items that occur after the cursor become part of the new list.
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