HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition

Ordered Lists

Use an ordered list when the sequence of the list items is important. A list of instructions is a good example, as are tables of contents and lists of document footnotes or endnotes.

The <ol> Tag

The typical browser formats the contents of an ordered list just like an unordered list, except that the items are numbered instead of bulleted. The numbering starts at one and is incremented by one for each successive ordered list element tagged with <li>. [<li>]

<ol>

Function

Defines an ordered list

Attributes

class, compact, dir, id, lang, onClick, onDblClick, onKeyDown, onKeyPress, onKeyUp, onMouseDown, onMouseMove, onMouseOut, onMouseOver, onMouseUp, start, style, title, type

End tag

</ol>; never omitted

Contains

list_content

Used in

block

HTML 3.2 introduced a number of features that provide a wide variety of ordered lists. You can change the start value of the list and select any of five different numbering styles.

Here is a sample XHTML ordered list:

<h3>Pickled Kumquats</h3>
Here's an easy way to make a delicious batch of pickled 'quats:
<ol>
  <li>Rinse 50 pounds of fresh kumquats</li>
  <li>Bring eight gallons white vinegar to rolling boil</li>
  <li>Add kumquats gradually, keeping vinegar boiling</li>
  <li>Boil for one hour, or until kumquats are tender</li>
  <li>Place in sealed jars and enjoy!</li>
</ol>

Netscape renders the example as shown in Figure 7-2.

Figure 7-2. An ordered ...