Ordered list types.

Ordered Lists in HTML

General:

The TYPE parameter in the <OL> (ordered list) tag allows you to choose upper-case and lower-case Roman numerals (TYPE="I", TYPE="i", resp.), as well as letter ``numbering'' (TYPE="A", TYPE="a").

The VALUE parameter in the <LI> tag (not the <OL> tag) allows you to reset numbering.

The TYPE parameter can also be used in the <LI> tag, though it's hard to see why one would want to. [Changing TYPE in an <LI> tag of an unordered list (<UL>) is more useful.]

Roman numeral examples:

The HTML source

         <OL TYPE="I">
         <LH>Heading
         <LI>First
         <LI>Second<BR>
         .<BR>
         .<BR>
         .<BR>
         <LI VALUE="8">Eighth
         <LI>Ninth<LI>Tenth<LI>Eleventh
         </OL>

displays on your browser as

Heading

First

Second
.
.
.

Eighth

Ninth

Tenth

Eleventh

However, my browser (Netscape 4.5/U.S.) doesn't know how to count past 3999 in Roman numerals. Check yours with the following HTML:

         <OL TYPE="i">
         <LI VALUE="3998"><BR>--&gt;3998</P>
         <LI><BR>--&gt;3999</P>
         <LI><BR>--&gt;4000</P>
         <LI><BR>--&gt;4001</P>
         </OL>

-->3998
-->3999
-->4000
-->4001

If your Roman numerals are going to get long, as you can see above, the indenting may be inadequate. A simple way to get more space is to embed the ordered list within a definition list. HTML:

         <DL>
         <DT>|&lt;-- Left Margin (for definition head term)
         <DD>|&lt;-- Shifted Left Margin (for definition)
         <OL TYPE="I">
         <LH>Heading
         <LI VALUE="86">List Item #86
         <LI>List Item
         <LI>List Item
         <LI>List Item
         <LI>List Item
         <LI>List Item
         </OL>
         </DL>

|<-- Left Margin (for definition head term)

|<-- Shifted Left Margin (for definition)

Heading

List Item #86

List Item

Alphabetic example:

The HTML source

         <OL TYPE="A">
         <LH>Heading
         <LI>First
         <LI>Second
         <BR>.<BR>.<BR>.<BR>
         <LI VALUE="25">25 = 26 - 1
         <LI><LI><LI>
         <BR>.<BR>.<BR>.<BR>
         <LI VALUE="700">700
         <LI>701
	 <LI>702 = ((26 &#215; 26) + 26)
         <LI>703 (when I first wrote this, browsers typically
			crapped out at this point)
         <LI>704
	 <LI><LI TYPE="1">let's switch
         </OL>

displays on your browser as

Heading

First

Second
.
.
.

25 = 26 - 1

.
.
.

700

701

702 = ((26 × 26) + 26)

703 (when I first wrote this, browsers typically crapped out at this point)

704

let's switch

Notice that this scheme is not exactly the same as counting in base twenty-seven positional system, even if one allows an arbitrary starting offset: A cannot be regarded as having the value zero (or AA = A), and neither can any other letter (by identical reasoning). That means that no symbol for zero is used and Z (with the presumed value twenty-six) is followed by AA, which would have a value twenty-seven, rather than something like A0.

(Click here to return to the relevant AA entry in the SBF glossary.)
(Click here to return to the relevant OL entry in the SBF glossary.)