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Thomas_Calvin
Inspiring
May 12, 2025
Question

How do you get numbered lists to restart after a break?

  • May 12, 2025
  • 4 replies
  • 2716 views

I've never seen this behavior in software before: Numbered lists in InDesign just continue incrementing their numbers, even when the list has been interrupted by some other kind of paragraph (which, in the vast majority of cases, means you are now in a new list).

 

So... are we seriously doomed to the tedium of fixing the numbering on every first item of every list manually? And then, if we later want to add an item to the top of the list, we must not only set that entry to start at 1, but also go to the now-second entry and fix it so it isn't also #1?

4 replies

E
Community Expert
Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 13, 2025

I get it - it frustrates me too - no idea who thought you want a list numbering to continue from section to section - it should be optional and easier to setup.

 

I have a little cheat for this that I use regularly 

 

 

You can use any text style that interupts your lists - headings - or any other style. 

 

To get this I used the Body Style as a numbering but set it up like this

In the Number section delete all the entries and leave it blank

Then change to Start at 0

 

Then for the list style

 

 

Set your numbering as the way you want it in the Number Section

Then Continue from Previous Number 1

 

Note the List type is Default in Both - so no need to setup different lists.

 

You can test it out with the sample file attached

 

 

It may not suit all workflows, it's technically making the body text bullets and numbering which might translate to other software - epubs - or html etc. 

But it's a quick hack if for print or on screen. 

 

^^^****EDIT^^^^****
Forgot to mention 
I typically create the Body Text first

Then I use the Based On for all other styles

 

So making a Header style - I select Body Text - then click the + sign to create a new Paragraph Style (which then sets it as Based On)

 

Once you make the Body Text the numbering style of blank and Start at 0 

All other styles will be based on this - Headings Sub Headings (which are based on Headings which are based on Body Text) ---- all get the numbering style.

 

It's only when you make the List Paragraph style that you want to 'break' the link to the Body Text numbering - and then you need to also set the Format to None - forgot to mention

 

This way - Header and other styles get the same treatment of Numbering - so you don't have to setup for every style

 

When you make your List style

 

 

Make sure to set Start at to 1

 

Then change to continue from previous - because the field is not editable in that state 

 

 

    T
    Thomas_CalvinAuthor
    Inspiring
    May 13, 2025

    In my admittedly quick skim of that, I think it's the same solution Barb linked to. Thanks a lot for the effort there!

     

    You did add an additional valuable point, which is to set this on the base style of your collection. Mine are indeed all derived from a common style, so that should work well!

     

    Edit: Actually, this doesn't seem to work. I have a style called Heading, which inherits from Basic Paragraph. I have Basic Paragraph set up as documented here, but numbers don't restart after Heading.

     

    Update: See above. I found that a grandchild of a numbering-level-1 style, which is set at numbering level 2 and resetting after any other level, will not in fact reset if its immediate parent style (between it and the grandparent) has numbering turned off.

      E
      Community Expert
      Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 14, 2025

      Well it does work - it's just someting in your setup doesn't work. And if there's a rich connection between Grandparents Parents Child and Grandchild and Great Grand Child (for example) - then it might be a bit of entanglement there. 

       

      When the situation is complex, the solution is best kept simple. 

      Right click on the text and restart numbering

      Or define a new List to restrart the numbering. 

       

      I get it though, there should be a Soft Toggle in the Paragraph Styles to either restart when numbering is separated or continue lists across stories etc. 

       

      I guess it was implemented and left that way. 

       

       

      Willi Adelberger
      Community Expert
      Willi AdelbergerCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 13, 2025

      You can use a second list style, based on the other one, with a list starting number 1 with the same list name used. 

      Barb Binder
      Community Expert
      Barb BinderCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 13, 2025

      Welcome back @Thomas_Calvin!

       

      You can restart a numbered list manually or you can leverage your old FraneMaker logic and use another paragraph to restart the list for you. Based on how you worded your question, I think you want to go with option number two. 

       

      I detailed both in this blog post: https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-restart-numbered-lists-automatically/

       

      Come back and ask if you have any questions. 

      ~Barb

      ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
        T
        Thomas_CalvinAuthor
        Inspiring
        May 13, 2025

        Thanks Barb!

         

        This is an instance where I can mock the dumbness of InDesign's behavior while acknowledging that there's an effort here to make a really flexible and cool feature.

         

        To follow up on the method your link describes and that Eugene describes: It didn't work for me at first, but I think I found the issue:

         

        If you set up your base style (from which all your other styles descend) at numbering level 1 (I just left the list as "default"), and you set up descendant styles with numbering level 2 as described... numbers still won't start over in those descendants unless every parent between them and the base class also has numbering enabled (albeit blank). Although it looks like the number options from your base style are going to pass through to grandchildren (if you look at intervening styles, the numbering options are greyed out if numbering is off; but they show the options inherited from the parent style). But they don't.

         

        It looks like the immediate parent of your style must have numbering on, even if it's just inheriting the level-1 stuff from the ultimate parent. At first I though every parent between the base and the style on the numbered text had to have numbering on, but it seems that you can have a non-numbered ancestor in between the base style and the one you actually applied... as long as the immediate parent has it on...

         

        Actually, now I'm experimenting, and I have no idea what the rule is. But it appears that intervening ancestors can interfere if their numbering is off.

        Robert at ID-Tasker
        Robert at ID-Tasker
        Legend
        May 13, 2025

        Because Basic Indent inherits from Basic Paragraph, which is a level-1 style. It does not override any of its parent's numbering settings, since its own numbering is off.


        quote

        Because Basic Indent inherits from Basic Paragraph, which is a level-1 style. It does not override any of its parent's numbering settings, since its own numbering is off.


        By @Thomas_Calvin

         

        But turning OFF some property IS an override...

         

        Robert at ID-Tasker
        Robert at ID-Tasker
        Legend
        May 12, 2025

        You've two options - have higher level in between - or you can manually "start" list from 1. 

         

        https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/indesign/using/bullets-numbering.html

         

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