Breaking up an Ordered List
An ordered list is one created with the HTML ol tag. Example:
- Red
- Blue
- Gold
The list numbering sequence can start at any point. Example:
- Red
- Blue
- Gold
A reason to use the technique is when an introductory paragraph (or several) describes a step or steps in a procedure. The rest of the steps are presented in an ordered list with a numbering sequence starting at the logical point.
Illustration:
The first thing to do when making cookies is to turn the oven on so it can preheat. Then, second, stir the ingredients together to make the cookie dough. After that,
- Put cookie dough on a cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies.
- Let them cool a bit.
- Eat them.
Another reason to use the technique is when a list of items are all related but an explanation at the point it's needed is placed within the list.
Illustration:
How to paint a wall:
- Open paint can.
- Dip paint brush into paint the depth of a finger width.
- Touch the brush to the inside edge of the can to catch any paint that might be dripping.
The way to stroke a paint brush onto the surface to be painted depends on the surface. If it's a wood surface, stroking with the grain generally does the best job. With manufactured surfaces, stroke with grooves or other surface changes.
- Stroke the brush onto the surface with a light hand.
- Repeat the dip-to-stroke steps as needed until the job is done.
- Close paint can.
- Clean the brush.
How to Do It
There is an attribute for the HTML ol ordered list tag called start. It specifies the starting number of the list items.
Example: <ol start="5">
This HTML:
<ol start="5"> <li>Respect</li> <li>Confidence</li> <li>Perception</li> </ol>
Renders as:
- Respect
- Confidence
- Perception
You may have heard that the start attribute is deprecated.
Here's the real story: HTML 4.01 deprecated start and HTML 5 brought it back.
So there has been some confusion — one person reads the HTML 4.01 specs and says start is deprecated, and another person reads the HTML 5 specs and says start is in the specs. (See https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/grouping-content.html#attr-ol-start.)
The fact is that major browsers never stopped supporting start. Therefore, it is generally OK to just keep on using it.
However, if you use HTML 4.01 and put your source code through a validator, the validator is likely to complain about start tags. If you use HTML 5, the validator won't flag start tags. (To specify HTML 5, use <!DOCTYPE html> as the first line of your HTML source code. Click for tips related to other HTML and XHTML versions.)
Now you know the simplicity of it. To start sequential numbering at a point other than the normal beginning, use the start attribute.
(This article first appeared with an issue of the Possibilities newsletter.)
Will Bontrager
