Numbering with "display: list-item" + list item border size?

In CSS2, any item can be a list item. Nothing is said about how the
numbers for those elements are derived. I would assume that some default
auto-numbering can be done by checking the index of the item within a
parent. Then there is no need to look at sibling's values. 

However, in HTML the list numbering of an item is influenced by the
sibling's list index. If an item 4 decided to become number 9, then item 5
would have number 10. I don't see how this functionality will be moved
into generic stylesheet based rendering. In fact, if a list item rendering
is controlled by generic box renderer and not LI element itself, I do not
see how the information about the correct index will be passed on to the
renderer. 

Some good explanations are needed for this area of the draft.


Other issue is the exact placement of the bullet/numbers. The section that
deals with it, IMHO is hard to understand. Especially a case when the
numbering style is number/letters and not just bullets. 

I have checked how NS and IE treat numbered LI and they are very
different. IE does not do any global alignment at all, while Netscape
does. On another hand, Netscape approach seem to backfire when there is a
left float and the list items. (the numbers overlap the floating area -
looks strange)

CSS2 draft seem to indicate that list items must be aligned, but does not
explain how much space is allocated for bullets/numbers. On another hand,
if bullets/numbers are rendered in the margin space (it does not look that
way in the draft, but if I read wrong), then what happens when the list
index is very long and does not fit into the margins (eg. 999999)?

Regards,
   Alex.
Ps. I care about how it _should_ be done, not how it is done in NS &| IE,
because I am writing a web browser myself ..... :-}

Received on Sunday, 7 December 1997 03:23:22 UTC