When creating numbered lists in InfoPath, you might need to have the numbers of a second list continue where the first list left off. In Microsoft Word you can right-click the numbers of the second list and choose Continue Numbering. You cannot do this in InfoPath. Though not as convenient, InfoPath does provide a couple ways to do this.

In this task we will examine two approaches to continuing a numbered list: start numbering at a specific number and use line breaks. Each approach has an advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with a new blank form.

APPROACH 1 – START NUMBERING AT A SPECIFIC NUMBER

InfoPath provides an obscure feature at the bottom of the Bullets And Numbering task pane that allows you to specify a starting number for a numbered list. The advantages of this approach are that the content placed between the two lists can appear as a normal paragraph—meaning that it will not be indented, the content is not actually part of the list, and there are no restrictions to the content that can be used. The disadvantage is that the number chosen to start the second list is fixed and must be updated when items are added to or removed from the first list.

Create a ten item numbered list:

1. Click Numbering on the Formatting Toolbar to create a numbered list.
2. Add ten random items to the numbered list.

Specify the starting number for a list:

1. Click on the end of list item five to set the insertion point.
2. Press Enter, and then press Backspace to separate the lists.
3. Add some random non-list content.
4. Click on the start of the second list to set the insertion point.
5. Choose Bullets and Numbering from the Format menu.
6. In the Start Numbering At spin box at the bottom of the Bullets and Numbering task pane, specify the number 6.

One interesting thing to note is that although you can choose between Arabic, Roman, or Alphabetic number formatting, the Start Numbering At spin box always displays Arabic numbers.

APPROACH 2 – USE LINE BREAKS

Another obscure feature—part of rich text editing—is that you can press Shift+Enter on a list item to create a line break rather pressing Enter, which will create a new list item. The advantage of this approach is that the list is never actually broken. There is, therefore, no issue with continuing numbers becoming out of sync. The disadvantages are that line breaks are indented to left-align with the list item, the non-list content is actually part of the list item, and layout tables are forced onto a new list item. There are also certain formatting features that may not work as expected (or at all) in this approach.

Create a ten item numbered list:

1. Click Numbering on the Formatting Toolbar to create a numbered list.
2. Add ten random items to the numbered list.

Insert line breaks:

1. Click on the end of list item five to set the insertion point.
2. Press Shift+Enter to create a line break.
3. Add some random non-list content, making sure to use Shift+Enter instead of Enter to start each new line.

©2005 Greg Collins. All rights reserved. Licensed to Autonomy Systems, LLC for display on InfoPathDev.com.