Knowledge Byte #4 - Make a list and check it twice

[Lucas Vieites]

The List feature is often overlooked when writing in the text editor, however, lists are present in almost all of the Knowledge Base articles we write. We use them to indicate a number of requirements for something to happen, to enumerate the options of a feature, or to detail the steps to reproduce a specific issue.

We can make Numbered lists and Bullet lists (or, ordered and unordered lists as they are called in HTML), and combine them in every way we can think of, for example:

1. Click on the Numbered list icon to start a list with regular numbers. You can click on the downward arrow to its right to select a different type of numbering:
   • Lowercase Alphabetic characters: a, b, c, ...
   • Lowercase Greek characters: α, β, γ, ...
   • Lowercase Roman numbers: i, ii, iii, iv, ...
   • Uppercase Alphabetic characters: A, B, C, ...
   • Uppercase Roman numbers: I, II, III, IV, ...
2. To skip to the next number, simply press Enter, the next number in the series will appear on the next line
3. If you need another level of indentation for a secondary list, press the Tab key (or use the Increase indent button):
4. This will create a new list, which you can configure with the same downward arrows of either the Numbered list icon, or the Bullet list icon. The following list uses bullets, there are three different types:
   • Discs (a filled circle)
     • Circles (an empty circle)
       • Squares
5. To shift a level backward, use the Shift+Tab combination (or the Decrease Indent button), this will bring you back to the previous level of indentation and will use the next number or letter of the list, or the appropriate list decoration.

Please note that you can not mix the types of numbering or bullets on the same level. If you change the type for a level item, it will change for the entire level

Using lists will avoid a common problem; missing a numbered step when you edit a document. I suggest you play around with this feature in your next KB article and get comfortable with its inner workings.

Happy listing, and be good for goodness sake!

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The Knowledge Bytes series are quick tips that can help you create better knowledge base articles. Read them all in the Knowledge Managers on ServiceNow!