Lists and Paragraphs

HTML defines five kinds of lists:

• Numbered, or ordered lists, typically labeled with numbers.
• Bulleted, or unordered lists, typically labeled with bullets or some other symbol.
• Glossery lists, in which each item in the list has a term and a definition for that term, arranged so that the term is somehow highlighted or drawn out from the text,
• Menu lists, for lists of short paragraphs (typically one line).
• Directory lists, for lists of short items that can be arranged vertically or horizontally.

All list tags have common elements:

• The entire list is surrounded by the appropriate opening and closing tag for the kind of list (examples: <UL> and </UL> or <MENU> and </MENU>).
• Each list item within the list has its own tag: <DT> and </DD> for the glossary lists, and <LI> for all other lists.

Numbered Lists

Numbered lists are surrounded by the Ordered List tags <OL> and </OL>. Each item within the list begins with the <LI> tag. The <LI> tag is a one sided tag, it doesn't need to be followed by a </LI>. Here is an example of a numbered list:

How to start a car:

1. Get into the car.
2. Put key in ignition.
3. While tuning the key, push on the gas.

And here is the code:

Unordered Lists

An unordered list is simular to a Numbered list except that the numbers are replaced by a "bullet" or marker. Unordered lists are surrounded by <UL> at the beginning and followed by </UL>. As in a numbered list each item is preceded by a </LI>. Here is an example of an unordered list:

Rooms in a house:

• Living room.
• Dinning room.
• Bedroom.
• Den.

Here is the code:

Glossary Lists

Glossary lists, or definition lists, are slightly different from other lists. Each list item in a glossary list has two parts:

• A term <DT>
• That term's definition <DD>

Here is an example of a glossary list:

Some HTML tags and there meanings:

H1

The largest of the Heading fonts.

H2

The next largest Heading font.

H3 thru H6

As the number gets larger, the font gets smaller.

And here is the code:

There is also a "COMPACT" version for the glossary tag. You mearly write COMPACT after the DL like this <DL COMPACT>. The tailing </DL> does not change. Here is the same example as above with the COMPACT attribute:

Some HTML tags and there meanings:

H1

The largest of the Heading fonts.

H2

The next largest Heading font.

H3 thru H6

As the number gets larger, the font gets smaller.

And here is the code:

Since I believe that Menu and Directory list are no longer supported by the HTML specification. I will not go into them. Most browsers treat them as unordered lists.

Menu List

Directory List

Nesting Lists

Lists may also be nested inside of each other. Here is an example of a nested list:

Departments on my seismic vessel

1. The Marine crew
2. The Instrument Department
   • Don
   • Jim
   • Lief
   • Eric
3. Machanics
4. Navigators

Here is the code: