Paragraph styles with bullets and numbering

[stevenmundy]

Hi Everyone,
I have just started using Flare having used Robohelp previously. One of the things I am trying to get my head around is how numbered steps and bullets work in Flare.
In Robohelp, I did everything using paragraph styles, for example stepped instructions and bulleted lists.

Flare does not allow me to set bullets and numbering from a simple set of options on a paragraph style.

So what is the correct way to create stepped instruction paragraphs and bulleted lists please?
Also typically I would use a mixture of stepped instructions and then follow on paragraphs sent to indent to nest under the stepped instructions. How should one do this in Flare please?

For example:

1. In the xx window, click on yy.

The xx screen is displayed.

2. In the xx screen:

- sub step 1
- sub step 2
- etc.


It looks to me like I have to use the bullet button and then apply a style as well in some circumstances, if so this is a serious defect in comparison to Robohelp as I am doing two steps instead of one.

Thanks
Steve

[SteveS]

There are quite a few topics on numbering on this forum, including a very recent one. Have a quick search and you should find some good information.

There are basically three ways you can handle this:

You can create a normal ordered list (<ol>) and create paragraphs within the list for the unnumbered content.

You can finish the numbered list where the unnumbered content starts, then start a new list with the continue numbering option (or start numbering property set to the next number if the list continues in another topic).

You can use Flare's auto numbering feature.

Those options are listed from easiest to hardest, although I'd strongly suggest you investigate auto numbering because it is the most flexible approach and once set it is the easiest to use in normal workflow.

HTH

[stevenmundy]

There are quite a few topics on numbering on this forum, including a very recent one. Have a quick search and you should find some good information.

There are basically three ways you can handle this:

You can create a normal ordered list (<ol>) and create paragraphs within the list for the unnumbered content.

You can finish the numbered list where the unnumbered content starts, then start a new list with the continue numbering option (or start numbering property set to the next number if the list continues in another topic).

You can use Flare's auto numbering feature.

Those options are listed from easiest to hardest, although I'd strongly suggest you investigate auto numbering because it is the most flexible approach and once set it is the easiest to use in normal workflow.

HTH

1. How do you create a normal ordered list please?
2. How do you get bulleted lists to indent properly under a numbered step?

[devjoe]

To create multiple paragraphs in a list item, right-click the list item and click Create paragraph item. This wraps the list item in a paragraph tag. If you press enter in this paragraph now, you will create a new paragraph still inside the list item and indented the same way as the first paragraph.

To create a second level bulleted list inside a numbered list, two ways:
1. If you have already created the bulleted list, make sure the first-level list item preceding the second-level list is a paragraph item as above. Then you can click the structure bar for the ul tag and drag the whole list into the other list item.
2. If you are just now starting to create the bulleted list, create a new numbered item in your existing list, then in the Home ribbon in the Paragraph group, there is an indent button which will turn this item into a new indented list. Then use the list style button nearby to change the new list into a bulleted list.

For both of these, if the formatting of the result does not look right, you might need some stylesheet changes. This may happen, for instance, if you have left margin or padding specified for the p tag. You can use a complex selector to remove this spacing when the p tag is directly inside an li tag, with something like:

li > p {
margin-left: 0pt;
padding-left: 0pt;
}

[stevenmundy]

To create multiple paragraphs in a list item, right-click the list item and click Create paragraph item. This wraps the list item in a paragraph tag. If you press enter in this paragraph now, you will create a new paragraph still inside the list item and indented the same way as the first paragraph.

To create a second level bulleted list inside a numbered list, two ways:
1. If you have already created the bulleted list, make sure the first-level list item preceding the second-level list is a paragraph item as above. Then you can click the structure bar for the ul tag and drag the whole list into the other list item.
2. If you are just now starting to create the bulleted list, create a new numbered item in your existing list, then in the Home ribbon in the Paragraph group, there is an indent button which will turn this item into a new indented list. Then use the list style button nearby to change the new list into a bulleted list.

For both of these, if the formatting of the result does not look right, you might need some stylesheet changes. This may happen, for instance, if you have left margin or padding specified for the p tag. You can use a complex selector to remove this spacing when the p tag is directly inside an li tag, with something like:

li > p {
margin-left: 0pt;
padding-left: 0pt;
}

Many thanks
I have also been able to do same using options off of the List Actions button.
What I have also learned is that Flare wants you to make a procedure a list in a chunk then modify that chunk for any exceptions required.
For example in a bulleted list if you want a line without a bullet then use the list action or right click option to make it a paragraph.