[Doc-SIG] reST ordered list syntax extension

[David Goodger]

[Andrew Harrington]
 > Desired feature change in restructured text (reST) ordered lists:
 >
 > Being able to add ordered list entries to the middle of a list
 > without renumbering would be very useful.

Yes, it potentially would.  It hasn't been implemented, but the idea
has been proposed before:
http://docutils.sf.net/docs/dev/rst/alternatives.html#auto-enumerated-lists.

 > I suggest that the first entry in a list start with the actual
 > format desired, but for later entries allow '#':

That's variation 2.

 > The parser already keeps track of what the next sequence identifier
 > would be and issues errors if they are wrong.  Why not just allow
 > the # with the same punctuation after it and indentation before as
 > in the first entry, and rather than declaring an error, substitute
 > in the next in the sequence?

I haven't needed it enough to ever implement it myself.  We did
receive a patch (for idea 3 in the link above), but I'm not keen on
that variation.

I'd welcome a patch for variation 2 and/or 1.

 > An extension could allow fully labeled sublist entries

That idea has been kicking around for a long time too (see
http://docutils.sf.net/docs/dev/rst/alternatives.html#compound-enumerated-lists).
Again, no one has ever needed it enough to implement it.

 > 1.  first
 > 2.  second
 >
 >       2.a. sub a
 >
 >            para
 >
 >       2.b. sub b
 >
 > 3. third

I wouldn't indent the sublists though.  It could introduce ambiguity,
as you pointed out in your examples combining the two ideas.

--
David Goodger <http://python.net/~goodger>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 253 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
Url : http://mail.python.org/pipermail/doc-sig/attachments/20050115/b0f6694c/signature.pgp