Continue Sequence Error Question

[Josh101]

Hi Everyone,

I'm single sourcing a procedure across two documents. In both documents, the introductory content and the procedure is identical, except in one document I have two additional beginning steps in the procedure. Also, the introductory text includes a bullet list.

So how I dealt with this is I used the Continue Sequence setting on the snippet procedure. This works fine in the document with the two initial steps. But in the other document, because there is the bullet list, it continues numbering from the bullet list (even though it has no numbers). For example, I have three items in the bullet list, and the procedure starts at #4. If I remove the bullet list, the procedure starts at #1.

So, does anyone know why Flare is continuing my numbering from a bullet list? Maybe someone has a better method of single sourcing this procedure than the way I have done it so I can avoid this issue?


Thanks,
Josh

[JudyH]

Hi, Josh,

I was researching a similar question not long ago and found this write-up helpful:

http://flareforhelp.lauracjohnson.com/c ... ss/page/2/

It sounds as thoough you need to differentiate the number sequences. I hope the link helps. As the author said,

I added the H to separate this style from all other auto-numbering that I had established in the project. If you don’t do this, then Flare won’t know to separate numbering chapters from numbering figures and you’ll have a big mess ...

To expand on that logic, here is the relevant bit from Flare's help (7.0, at least):

â– Series labels are prefixes to a format (comprised of one or two letters and a colon) that provide a way to limit numbering sequences for different purposes.

example
If you are creating auto-numbers for procedures and figure captions in the same content flow, you do not want them to use the same numbering sequence. Otherwise, you might have something like:

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 6.

When what you really want is:

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.

To keep something like this from happening, you can add series labels to the format (e.g., start the step format with S: and start the figure format with F:).

Although Flare includes H: in the list of available commands, that is simply one example of a series label. The letter that you use as a series label is arbitrary. You can replace H and choose any letter of the alphabet, followed by a colon. The exception to this is a two-letter series label, in which the first letter represents a series that encompasses more than just one topic. For example, CH is an example of a series label that applies across an entire chapter. The H can be replaced with another letter, but you must keep the C in order to use this command.

Finally, it's important to note that a series label must always be the first element in an auto-number format.

[Josh101]

Hi Judy,

I've used that method for setting up captions, but I don't think I have to set up auto-numbering for lists that are made up of ol and ul html tags. Flare already numbers lists appropriately without having to manually set this up. I wouldn't even know what an auto-number for a ul tag would be since it's just a bullet. I think my issue is specifically with the Continue Sequence setting. Let me be a bit more specific about what is happening in my files:

File 1 (snippet is in red):
Introductory text with a bullet list:
* First item
* Second item

Here's the procedure:
1. Do this first thing.
2. Do this second thing.
3. Do this first snippet thing.
4. Do this second snippet thing.


File 2 (snippet is in red):
Introductory text with a bullet list:
* First item
* Second item

Here's the procedure:
3. Do this first snippet thing.
4. Do this second snippet thing.

So if you see the problem there, in the second file it begins numbering at #3 because of the bullet list preceeding it. In file 1 the numbering is fine because there are prior steps to the procedure.

Is there any way to make Flare behave without having to remove my bullet list?

[JudyH]

I would leave the bullets alone and use an auto-number control in a paragraph class for the snippet. That way, the snippet numbering is independent of other numbering. There may well be other ways to handle it.

[Josh101]

Hi Judy,

I don't think you're understanding what my issue is. I'm not doing anything with the bullets. But the fact that they exist is messing up my other numbering because Flare is too stupid to tell the difference between a numbered list and a bullet list. That's the problem.

[LTinker68]

So, does anyone know why Flare is continuing my numbering from a bullet list? Maybe someone has a better method of single sourcing this procedure than the way I have done it so I can avoid this issue?

If you properly constructed the lists, then this shouldn't be a problem. How are you creating the child list within the parent list? Here is how I do it. For this example, the parent list is a numbered list and it's interspersed with bullets. I don't have to do anything to the parent list to keep the numbering sequential. Note that this process works even if you want multiple numbered lists inside a bullet list -- the child numbered lists restarted at 1 each time.

1. Place your cursor in an empty paragraph, then in the Home tab, click the list icon drop-down menu and select Numbered List.
2. Type the text of the first numbered list item then press Enter to create a new numbered list item. Repeat this step as necessary.
3. To switch to a bullet list, repeat step 2 above to create a new numbered list item, then back in the Home tab click the Indent icon to create a child list inside the parent list. The numbered list item will indent and restart at number 1.
4. In the Home tab, click the list icon drop-down menu and select Bullet List. That child list's first line item will change from a number to a bullet.
5. Type the text for that bullet list item then press Enter to create a new bullet list item. Repeat this step as necessary.
6. To go back to the parent list, repeat step 5 above to create a new bullet list item, then back in the Home tab click the Outdent icon. The cursor will move to the left but won't appear to be either numbered or bulleted.
7. In the Home tab, click the list icon drop-down menu and select Numbered List. That blank line will change to a numbered list item and will automatically be set to the next number in sequence from where you left it at step 2 above.
8. Repeat the various steps above to continue adding list items, creating child lists and list items, returning to the parent list, and so on.

[Josh101]

Hi Lisa,

I've checked the html and they are constructed correctly. And there is no child list. See my example text from my previous reply. I have a bullet list, then later in the document I have a numbered list. Because this numbered list is single sourced, I have Continue Sequence set on it. The problem is that it's continuing numbering from the bullet list. There is nothing wrong with the lists themselves. The problem is some issue with Continue Sequence.

[Psider]

I think I'd class it as a bug. I wouldn't expect an OL to continue numbering from a UL, myself.

NumberingExample.png

[i-tietz]

I'd have expected that behaviour. What should it continue if there is no sequence before?
Then I'd have picked a different approach: Make the whole list a snippet and apply a condition to the items 1 and 2. On inserting the snippet: use the snippet conditions of the topics to include or exclude the first two items.

[LTinker68]

So how I dealt with this is I used the Continue Sequence setting on the snippet procedure.

Is the numbering is screwed up in the output, too? Sometimes the XML Editor displays something slightly wrong but everything is fine in the output. I could see it having a problem in this situation because the snippet is showing its content as it appears in the snippet -- it hasn't been fully incorporated into the topic until build time, so it may not pick up the continue sequence bit until the snippet is added to the topic at build time.

[Psider]

@i-tietz I don't think the ul list should have the value defined. It doesn't make sense to me to count bullets as numbers. If there's no prior OL, then it should just start at 1.

@LTinker68, my test topics show the incorrect numbering (starting at 3 instead of 1) in webhelp output. The code is the same as from the preview code I posted below.

[LTinker68]

In your screenshot above, the code-behind has <LI value=3...>. Is that value=3 actually specified in that LI tag (i.e., you entered that value)? I don't have Flare running at the moment, but normally you don't see the LI value in the tag like you do with mc-auto-number-formats. If you specifically entered value=3, then it will always have value=3, regardless if you have continue sequence specified or not. If you strip out the value=x from each LI line, in the topic and the snippet, then does it work? And you'd only need one continue sequence, for the block of numbers following the snippet.

[Psider]

I followed what Josh said he did. That is, just setting "Continue Sequence" on the list in the snippet.

The "value=3" is only added on compile (I also double-checked the source code, to be sure).

[i-tietz]

@i-tietz I don't think the ul list should have the value defined. It doesn't make sense to me to count bullets as numbers. If there's no prior OL, then it should just start at 1.

That's true. Just post a bug.
But that doesn't solve your problem - at least not in the near future ...