Sub-bullets need to be created?

It really sounds like you would prefer to be working in Microsoft Word. 😄

Hi @MaradrX:

I see you are new to the Community Forums. Welcome.

Defining styles is a best practice in InDesign, and this is very simple:

• After you add your top level bullets, save the fomatting as a paragraph style. I called mine Bullets1.
• Make a second paragraph style—I called mine Bullets2.
• Increase the left indent and change the bullet character, if desired.

I recorded the process in this 30-second video.

You can read more about bullets here: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/bullets-numbering.html

And more about using styles here: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/paragraph-character-styles.html

~Barb

Interesting... 

InDesign is not a word processor - it requires input from the designer. 

It can be scripted to create basic level indents and things 
Gets you started with a basic level of bullets - sure can be done for numbering too.

(function () {
    if (!app.documents.length) { alert("Open a document first"); return; }
    var doc = app.activeDocument;

    function getOrCreateStyle(name, basedOnStyle) {
        var s;
        try { s = doc.paragraphStyles.itemByName(name); s.name; }
        catch (e) { s = doc.paragraphStyles.add({ name: name }); }
        if (basedOnStyle && basedOnStyle.isValid) {
            try { s.basedOn = basedOnStyle; } catch (e) {}
        }
        return s;
    }

    var bulletChars = ["\u2022", "\u25E6", "\u2013", "\u25AA"]; // •, ◦, – , ▪
    var baseIndent = 12; // first level
    var indentStep = 12; // extra indent per level
    var hanging = -6; // hanging indent
    var baseName = "Bullet Level ";

    for (var i = 0; i < bulletChars.length; i++) {
        var level = i + 1;
        var parent = (i > 0) ? doc.paragraphStyles.itemByName(baseName + (level - 1)) : null;
        var style = getOrCreateStyle(baseName + level, parent);

        var leftIndent = baseIndent + (i * indentStep);
        var firstLineIndent = hanging;

        // Apply bullet properties
        style.bulletsAndNumberingListType = ListType.BULLET_LIST;
        try {
            style.bulletChar = bulletChars[i];
        } catch (e) {}
        try {
            style.bulletFont = "Arial";
        } catch (e) {}

        style.leftIndent = leftIndent;
        style.firstLineIndent = firstLineIndent;
        style.tabList = [{ alignment: TabStopAlignment.LEFT_ALIGN, position: leftIndent - firstLineIndent }];
    }

    alert("All bullet levels created with proper indents.");
})();

 
I'm trying to add a UI to it - but I'm not very good at this so I'm struggling ----> maybe a cool scripter could have fun with it and come up with even better. 

But it's a start for creating something from nothing - and then you can adjust as needed.

(function () {
    if (!app.documents.length) { alert("Open a document first"); return; }
    var doc = app.activeDocument;

    // -------------------------
    // Create the window
    // -------------------------
    var w = new Window("dialog", "Bullet & Numbered Style Builder");

    w.orientation = "column";
    w.alignChildren = ["fill","top"];

    // Number of levels
    var levelsGroup = w.add("group");
    levelsGroup.add("statictext", undefined, "Number of Levels:");
    var levelsInput = levelsGroup.add("edittext", undefined, "4");
    levelsInput.characters = 3;

    // Base indent
    var baseIndentGroup = w.add("group");
    baseIndentGroup.add("statictext", undefined, "Base Indent (pt):");
    var baseIndentInput = baseIndentGroup.add("edittext", undefined, "12");
    baseIndentInput.characters = 3;

    // Incremental indent
    var incIndentGroup = w.add("group");
    incIndentGroup.add("statictext", undefined, "Increment per level (pt):");
    var incIndentInput = incIndentGroup.add("edittext", undefined, "12");
    incIndentInput.characters = 3;

    // Hanging indent
    var hangGroup = w.add("group");
    hangGroup.add("statictext", undefined, "Hanging Indent (pt):");
    var hangInput = hangGroup.add("edittext", undefined, "-6");
    hangInput.characters = 3;

    // Bullet character
    var bulletGroup = w.add("group");
    bulletGroup.add("statictext", undefined, "Bullet Character:");
    var bulletInput = bulletGroup.add("edittext", undefined, "\u2022"); // • by default
    bulletInput.characters = 3;

    // Number type selection
    var numGroup = w.add("group");
    numGroup.add("statictext", undefined, "Numbering Type:");
    var numType = numGroup.add("dropdownlist", undefined, ["None","1,2,3","i,ii,iii","a,b,c"]);
    numType.selection = 0;

    // Buttons
    var buttonGroup = w.add("group");
    buttonGroup.alignment = "right";
    var okBtn = buttonGroup.add("button", undefined, "Create");
    var cancelBtn = buttonGroup.add("button", undefined, "Cancel");

    okBtn.onClick = function() {
        var levels = parseInt(levelsInput.text, 10);
        var baseIndent = parseFloat(baseIndentInput.text);
        var incIndent = parseFloat(incIndentInput.text);
        var hanging = parseFloat(hangInput.text);
        var bulletChar = bulletInput.text || "\u2022";
        var numbering = numType.selection.index;

        // -------------------------
        // Create styles
        // -------------------------
        function getOrCreateStyle(name, basedOnStyle) {
            var s;
            try { s = doc.paragraphStyles.itemByName(name); s.name; }
            catch (e) { s = doc.paragraphStyles.add({ name: name }); }
            if (basedOnStyle && basedOnStyle.isValid) {
                try { s.basedOn = basedOnStyle; } catch (e) {}
            }
            return s;
        }

        for (var i = 0; i < levels; i++) {
            var level = i + 1;
            var parent = (i > 0) ? doc.paragraphStyles.itemByName("Level " + i) : null;
            var style = getOrCreateStyle("Level " + level, parent);

            style.leftIndent = baseIndent + (i * incIndent);
            style.firstLineIndent = hanging;

            if (numbering === 0) {
                // bullets
                style.bulletsAndNumberingListType = ListType.BULLET_LIST;
                try { style.bulletChar = bulletChar; } catch(e){}
                try { style.bulletFont = "Arial"; } catch(e){}
            } else {
                // numbered list
                style.bulletsAndNumberingListType = ListType.NUMBERED_LIST;
                switch(numbering) {
                    case 1: style.numberingFormat = NumberingStyle.ARABIC; break;
                    case 2: style.numberingFormat = NumberingStyle.LOWER_ROMAN; break;
                    case 3: style.numberingFormat = NumberingStyle.LOWER_LETTERS; break;
                }
                style.numberingExpression = "^#.^t";
            }
        }

        alert("Styles created!");
        w.close();
    }

    cancelBtn.onClick = function() { w.close(); }

    w.show();
})();

In short, yes. It doesn't work like microsoft applications where - after one bullet is made, the next bulleted line can be tabbed and the microsoft application knows to indent this bullet line and change the bullet appearance as it is a sub-bullet.

It is my opinion that InDesign's formatting intent was aimed at content coming from elsewhere and being imported into InDesign, and then reformatted to the designer's taste, rather than entering in content directly into indesign from a keyboard.

Similarly, it's the same reason that typing a : and a D won't turn it into a smiley face, but it will in word or outlook.

If this is something that needs to be done regularly, I'd suggest making the necessary bulleted paragraph styles BUT do it when there are no documents open. Any new document from this point will now have these bulleted paragraph styles.

However, these styles won't appear in any older documents, or documents from a source other than your machine. To get around this, you can make paragraph styles that can be saved to CC libraries - then the style can be applied via the cc libraries panel to any open indesign document regardless of its source, and as a bonus, anyone that you've shared the library with will have this style too. It's perfect for maintaining brand integrity so that everyone is using the same stylesheets.