Making bulleted and numbered lists in Write by Zaweba

Lists turn up in nearly everything people write, from meeting notes to policy documents and recipes. A good list editor stays out of your way: you type an item, press Enter and the next number appears. Write by Zaweba does that, and it also handles nested lists, outline numbering and lists that need to start somewhere other than one.

Starting and ending a list

Turn on bullets or numbering and start typing. Each time you press Enter, a new item begins with the next bullet or number. When you have finished, press Enter on an empty item and the list ends, leaving you in a normal paragraph. There is no need to hunt for a button to switch it off.

AutoFormat can start a list for you, too. Typing an asterisk, a number with a full stop, or a letter with a bracket at the beginning of a line turns it into a list as you go. If you meant those characters literally, undo straight after the change puts back what you typed, and the feature can be switched off in Tools > AutoCorrect options.

Levels and outline numbering

Lists in Write can have several levels. At the start of an item, press Tab to move it down a level and Shift+Tab to bring it back up. This is the natural way to write a plan with main points and sub-points, or a set of instructions where some steps have smaller steps inside them.

The Bullets and numbering library offers a choice of looks. There are several bullet styles, and number styles including 1. and 1) for plain numbers, a. and a) for letters, A. for capital letters, and i. and I. for Roman numerals. Mixing them by level gives the classic layout of numbers, then letters, then Roman numerals.

Outline numbering goes further with 1., 1.1. and 1.1.1. style numbers, where each level carries the numbers of the levels above it. That suits constitutions, club rules, terms and conditions and technical reports, where people refer to clause 3.2 rather than "the second point in section three".

Restarting and setting numbers

Sometimes a numbered list is interrupted by a paragraph of explanation and then carries on. Sometimes you want two separate lists, each starting from one. Write lets you restart numbering at any item, so a new list begins afresh.

Set numbering value goes further and starts an item at whatever number you choose. That helps when a document is split across files, when you are answering questions 7 to 12 of an exam paper, or when you are adding to an agenda that has already been circulated with earlier items.

Getting lists to look right

Keep items parallel. If one item starts with a verb, start them all with a verb. Readers scan lists, and a consistent shape makes them faster to take in.

Use numbers when order or reference matters, and bullets when it doesn't. A list of steps to set up a printer wants numbers. A list of things to bring to a picnic is fine with bullets.

Don't build numbers by hand. Typing "1." yourself and then pressing Tab gives something that looks like a list but won't renumber when you add or remove an item. A real list renumbers itself, keeps its indents tidy and survives the trip to .docx, so it looks the same when someone opens it in another word processor.

If a long list starts to feel unwieldy, consider whether parts of it should be headings instead. Headings appear in the navigation pane and the table of contents, and a list does not, so a structure that readers need to jump around is often better as headings with short paragraphs beneath.