Lettered lists

Christopher Wood · 06-17-2011, 01:41 AM

--------------

A solution is posted below.
If you have a better solution, please post it!

--------------

Is there any way to create a list with letters instead of numbers? I have a list of two levels: 1, 2, 3 ... and then under 3 there's a i, ii, iii (indented double, of course).

Code:

     1. Bleh blah.
     2. Meh yada yada.
     3. Etc.
           i. More etc.
          ii. And so on ... but note
              the outdent (hanging indent).
    10. And all the nums right-aligned
        and outdented.

Is this possible at all in Mobi?

I could just hard-code the letters, but then they would not outdent and right-align like the numbers.

I can do it with tables, but some of the list elements are long, and the Kindle won't pagebreak in table cells, so some of the text might become impossible to read.

Christopher Wood · 06-17-2011, 01:51 AM

I should mention, I've tried hundreds of combinations, and scores of tricks that didn't work. I'm aware that Mobi ignores great swaths of CSS and HTML attributes.

I'm just hoping somebody has a work-around.

Christopher Wood · 06-17-2011, 02:07 AM

OMG -- I just solved it! LOL!

Days of bashing my brain, to no effect, then I post here, and lightning struck. LOFL!

AlexBell · 06-17-2011, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher Wood

OMG -- I just solved it! LOL!

Days of bashing my brain, to no effect, then I post here, and lightning struck. LOFL!

Please tell us what you did to make it work.

Regards, Alex

Christopher Wood · 06-17-2011, 10:09 PM

I certainly will! I'm fine-tuning the effort (it is not fully perfect), and then I will post code.

I see some guy is out there selling a book of "kindle formatting secrets" for $9.99. I wonder if he has good stuff in there. Obviously he's not the sort to share his discoveries for free.

Christopher Wood · 06-17-2011, 10:10 PM

Just out of curiosity, has anybody else got a solution? The more the merrier, you know.

Christopher Wood · 06-17-2011, 10:11 PM

Oh, I should mention: my solution is for the Kindle 3. I'm not trying to make it work on other Mobi readers. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, in various degrees. Why do all the Mobi readers render code so differently?

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 01:30 AM

Argh

disappointment! My solution is flawed in that the size of an em-space varies from font to font, and Kindle indents by em-spaces. Therefore, the size of a 4em indent is unpredictable. If the reader changes fonts, the alignment in my solution gets zonked.

I heard someone say "The more I work with Mobi, the more I like Epub." I'm really feeling the same way.

But let us (me) not turn this into a Mobi-bashing session.

Anybody got a solution that works more widely than just for the Kindle 3 default typeface?

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 01:51 AM

Wait a minute, I'm onto something else here ...

Bear with me while I post here by myself ...

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 02:21 AM

AAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAH w00h00, I nailed it. SNOOPY DANCE! A round of drinks on me.

Code to follow.

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 02:55 AM

Teaser ... a sample document! using my solution.

No fair deconstructing the Mobi, now. I'll post code in due course.

Hitch · 06-18-2011, 07:05 AM

Christopher:

Does this solution entail an actual LIST, or is it hardcoding? Looks good in Previewer...but size is not changeable hence not reflowable, so I suspect not an actual list (ol, ul) element?

Thx in advance for your response.

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 12:13 PM

It is fully reflowable. Try it! That's why I posted the .prc.

The numbering and lettering themselves are actually hard-coded, not generated at view time by an OL element. However, I am assuming that by the time a piece of text gets to the stage of formatting for the Kindle, it's pretty much finalized, and the numbers aren't going to change. So who cares if it's not an OL with on-the-fly numbering?

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 12:21 PM

The size of the list numbering itself is not changeable, true -- which is how I managed to get the indents & outdents to line up. But the text itself, you can set to any size you like.

Remember, though: this is for the Kindle 3. I'd love to see some screenshots from other readers, and see where/how this solution fails.

Christopher Wood · 06-18-2011, 12:25 PM

I gotta say, I don't know WHAT the Mobi developers are thinking! No support for multi-level lists? really? How is one to do an outline, or a detailed table of contents, etc.? I've scoured the interwebz and found not a single solution. Mine is the first I've seen.

If anybody has a different solution, PLEASE post it! Even if it doesn't work as well. I'd love to see it.

06-17-2011, 01:41 AM	#1
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Lettered lists -------------- A solution is posted below. If you have a better solution, please post it! -------------- Is there any way to create a list with letters instead of numbers? I have a list of two levels: 1, 2, 3 ... and then under 3 there's a i, ii, iii (indented double, of course). Code: 1. Bleh blah. 2. Meh yada yada. 3. Etc. i. More etc. ii. And so on ... but note the outdent (hanging indent). 10. And all the nums right-aligned and outdented. Is this possible at all in Mobi? I could just hard-code the letters, but then they would not outdent and right-align like the numbers. I can do it with tables, but some of the list elements are long, and the Kindle won't pagebreak in table cells, so some of the text might become impossible to read. Last edited by Christopher Wood; 06-19-2011 at 01:48 PM.

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06-17-2011, 01:51 AM	#2
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	I should mention, I've tried hundreds of combinations, and scores of tricks that didn't work. I'm aware that Mobi ignores great swaths of CSS and HTML attributes. I'm just hoping somebody has a work-around.

06-17-2011, 02:07 AM	#3
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	OMG -- I just solved it! LOL! Days of bashing my brain, to no effect, then I post here, and lightning struck. LOFL!

06-17-2011, 10:09 PM	#5
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	I certainly will! I'm fine-tuning the effort (it is not fully perfect), and then I will post code. I see some guy is out there selling a book of "kindle formatting secrets" for $9.99. I wonder if he has good stuff in there. Obviously he's not the sort to share his discoveries for free.

06-17-2011, 10:10 PM	#6
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Just out of curiosity, has anybody else got a solution? The more the merrier, you know.

06-17-2011, 10:11 PM	#7
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Oh, I should mention: my solution is for the Kindle 3. I'm not trying to make it work on other Mobi readers. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, in various degrees. Why do all the Mobi readers render code so differently?

06-18-2011, 01:30 AM	#8
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Argh disappointment! My solution is flawed in that the size of an em-space varies from font to font, and Kindle indents by em-spaces. Therefore, the size of a 4em indent is unpredictable. If the reader changes fonts, the alignment in my solution gets zonked. I heard someone say "The more I work with Mobi, the more I like Epub." I'm really feeling the same way. But let us (me) not turn this into a Mobi-bashing session. Anybody got a solution that works more widely than just for the Kindle 3 default typeface?

06-18-2011, 01:51 AM	#9
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Wait a minute, I'm onto something else here ... Bear with me while I post here by myself ...

06-18-2011, 02:21 AM	#10
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	AAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAH w00h00, I nailed it. SNOOPY DANCE! A round of drinks on me. Code to follow.

06-18-2011, 07:05 AM	#12
Hitch Bookmaker & Cat Slave Posts: 11,495 Karma: 158448243 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Phoenix, AZ Device: K2, iPad, KFire, PPW, Voyage, NookColor. 2 Droid, Oasis, Boox Note2	Christopher: Does this solution entail an actual LIST, or is it hardcoding? Looks good in Previewer...but size is not changeable hence not reflowable, so I suspect not an actual list (ol, ul) element? Thx in advance for your response.

06-18-2011, 12:13 PM	#13
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	It is fully reflowable. Try it! That's why I posted the .prc. The numbering and lettering themselves are actually hard-coded, not generated at view time by an OL element. However, I am assuming that by the time a piece of text gets to the stage of formatting for the Kindle, it's pretty much finalized, and the numbers aren't going to change. So who cares if it's not an OL with on-the-fly numbering?

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06-18-2011, 12:21 PM	#14
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	The size of the list numbering itself is not changeable, true -- which is how I managed to get the indents & outdents to line up. But the text itself, you can set to any size you like. Remember, though: this is for the Kindle 3. I'd love to see some screenshots from other readers, and see where/how this solution fails.

06-18-2011, 12:25 PM	#15
Christopher Wood Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 3	I gotta say, I don't know WHAT the Mobi developers are thinking! No support for multi-level lists? really? How is one to do an outline, or a detailed table of contents, etc.? I've scoured the interwebz and found not a single solution. Mine is the first I've seen. If anybody has a different solution, PLEASE post it! Even if it doesn't work as well. I'd love to see it.