Is it possible to create directly nested lists?

[Anselm_Schuler]

Is it possible to nest an ordered or unordered list inside another ordered or unordered list item? As far as I can tell, it is only possible to make deeper list items, which may be preceded by other list items, but not to actually nest lists inside lists.

Here are some examples:

Unfortunately, I can only upload one image, so I merged my screenshots into one. On the left, there are the desired list structures, and on the right are the closest approximation I was able to achieve in Writer.

[Top left]
As far as I understand, this is impossible to create. Writer seems to require that the outer “1.” is followed by text. The closest equivalent seems to be:
[Top right]
Unfortunately, this required me to first type something after the outer “1.” and “2.” and then delete it to be able to create the nested lists.

[Bottom left]
It also seems like this is impossible to create. I can write this:
[Bottom right]
But here, the third “Example” is not grouped with the text of the first “Example” and the nested list below it.

Is it somehow possible to create such lists, in a way that I have not been able to find?

[ajlittoz]

@Anselm_Schuler

[Bottom left]
It also seems like this is impossible to create. I can write this:
[Bottom right]
But here, the third “Example” is not grouped with the text of the first “Example” and the nested list below it.

Your “-nothing- Example” is in fact an *unnumbered list item. It is easy to create one:

• when typing, press Bksp before typing the text of the item
• afterwards: to turn a numbered item into an unnumbered item, put the ccursor at the very beginning of item text and press Bksp

@Anselm_Schuler

[Top left]
As far as I understand, this is impossible to create.

You are not “nesting” lists which is solved by applying different list styles. You want to format “heterogeneously” the number of a list, i.e. when the leftmost number changes, you want it displayed while if it is the same as in the previous line it should be hidden.

This means you need two numbering format/descriptor per level, but present Writer implementation allows for a single Show sublevels specification (and it is not context-sensitive). This could perhaps be simulated with frames, cross-references and carefully crafted paragraph styles. But this is no longer automatic and requires expert skills. Are you tempted and ready for the pain?

[Anselm_Schuler]

Thanks for the suggestions. I disagree with you assertion that I’m mistaken about what I want: the language I used is a way to interpret this visual layout.

But the suggestion of backspace does indeed achieve what I wanted, even if it is described with a different metaphor in LibreOffice than what I suggested. Thank you!

Note that the language I used to describe the layout was based on the structure that is used to create it in the program I used to create the desired samples, that being Typst (which is not WYSIWYG).

As far as I understand it, a LibreOffice list is of the form

list
 |
 +- list item
 |   |
 |   +- list item text
 |   |
 |   +- child items
 |
 +- list item
 ...etc

…and what I desire instead is

list
 |
 +- list item
     |
     +- content block
         |
         +- (what was previously) list item text
         |
         +- list
             |
             +- child items
...etc

As I understand your response this is not something that can be easily emulated or that has specific features supporting it. But I am ready to hear the expert answer, even though I do not consider myself to be a LibreOffice expert.

[ajlittoz]

I am busy today and won’t have time to create the “emulation”. Wait until tomorrow.

Meanwhile, tell me if I understand correctly your specification. Within Writer list definition, levels in your samples are:

     list
     |
1    +- list item
     |   |
2    |   +- list item text
     |   |
2    |   +- child items
     |
1    +- list item
     ...etc

…and your goal

    list
    |
1   +- list item
    |
1U  +- content block
        |
2       +- (what was previously) list item text
        |
        +- list
            |
3           +- child items
    ...etc

where 1U means “level 1 unnumbered”. I take for granted that numbering occurs within a single multi-level list so that numbering of “(what was previously)” and inner “list” is consistent with outer “list”, i.e. item number is reset to one when the “container” number changes.

EDIT: I found a simple solution (not the ugly hack I was thinking of). I’ll create a usable sample as soon as I am back.

[koyotak]

Maybe this is a solution?

CYT_LO-WRiTER_Listing_105128.odt (10.0 KB)

---

You can change the hierarchy level by level using the TAB key, or by using the key combination TAB + SHiFT keys — in each case at the beginning of the line, i.e., before the list content.

[ajlittoz]

This solution describes how to format inline list items.

But let’s start with an observation.

The fundamental tool used in list numbering is a number range counter. When several occurrences appear one after another, they are incremented in “reading order”, i.e. in LTR languages like Western ones left to right then top to bottom. This sequence ordering is kept event through “complex” constructs inside the main flow (consequently, frames are excluded).

What we need in OP’s example is a way to set a level-1 paragraph item on the same line as a level-2 paragraph item. This is done with a table, resulting in (without any visual hints):

And the structure is revealed in:

Each cell in a table is a “subdocument”. A table is read by Writer row after row (we have a vertical sequence from top to bottom). Within each row, cells are read from left to right (LTR language). Within each cell, we have the usual read order.

This read order controls the incrementation of the list.

In the first column, I insert level-1 items. To prevent spurious erasures of empty paragraphs, I make sure the item contains at least one space. I have use list style Numbering 123 with level-1 modified to align at 0cm, numbering followed by “nothing”. Column width can be adapted to desired spacing between level-1 and level-2 numbers. But don’t forget that level-1 numbers may count several figures. Consequently, don’t narrow too much the left column.

The second column cell contains everything related to the level-1 item. You could allocate one row per sub-clause but it is easier to stuff everything inside a single cell (Writer is not Calc) and the cell will grow to accommodate its contents.

Numbering 123 level-2 has been changed to align left at 0 cm (because level-1 is fully “jailed” in another column), tab stop and indent set at same distance.

AskLOInlineListItems.odt (15.1 KB) is a quick’n’dirty sample document. You need to customise paragraph styles to fit your needs. In particular, I didn’t change the default Table Contents style inside the table. Since this is a “fake” table (used only for layout effect), it does not show tabular data but text which should have been part of the main flow, you could as well apply Body Text inside the table.

Also, Numbering 123 has been applied directly. For full automation, this list style can be associated with a dedicated paragraph style.

Note: list items in the right column are at level-2. Since they are in a table, the usual Tab won’t work: it causes jump to next cell. Levels must be set with the buttons in the toolbar which appears at bottom of winfow.