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Fri 19 Feb 2021, 11:44 AM
Yesterday, I wrote a post called Getting the point(s) across with Domino, O365, and Outlook365, but while it is fascinating, it also related to Notes/Domino email which may be a distant memory for some companies. But last night, it occurred to me to try a similar test with Domino mobile and web development, surely a more pressing issue for many companies today who are upgrading Domino applications. I decided to make one change to the content first, which was to make the lists ordered rather than bullets, as it is easier to tell the levels apart.
 
Note: Before I start, I want to acknowledge that part way through writing this post, I started doubting myself, as I was sure nested lists couldn't be this bad. I realized that there are two ways to create nested lists in Notes, and while they may look identical, one renders more reliably than the other. The basic difference is how you create the indents for the list. Suffice it to say, you have no easy way of knowing which technique was chosen, so the rendering can only be considered unreliable.
 
I decided to start with classic Domino web development and move forward in time. I would have included the new AppDev stuff, but it doesn't really render rich text at all. Go figure. Anyway, let's first look at how this looks in the Notes client, and then how it looks retrieved by our Exciton Boost REST API, just to see what it should look like. In each case, take note of what Roman numeral is displayed for C is for Cantaloupe. In the Notes client, it was III.
 
Created in Notes 11.0.1 client
 
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Displayed by Genii Software's Exciton Boost 4.6.1
 
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Displayed by Domino 11.0.1 HTTP (Classic web design)
 
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Displayed by Domino 11.0.1 XPages
 
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Retrieved by Domino 11.0.1 Domino Access Services (retrieved as HTML with ?multipart=false)
 
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Retrieved by Domino 11.0.1 Domino Access Services (retrieved as MIME)
 
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Explanation of the two ways to create nested lists
 
Modern method: The current common way to created a nested list is to use either the Indent and Outdent toolbar icons or F8 and Shift-F8 to do the same thing. This will shift both the left margin and first line left margin. See the two middle icons below with the little arrows.
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But these were not always there as options, and an earlier way to create nested lists was to change margins via the ruler.
 
Older method: The older way to created a nested list was to use the ruler and change the margins. Older rich text, or text created by long time users, may be more likely to have nested lists created this way. If you look at the ruler below, this is the indentation for Granny Smith. Note that only the top margin (the first line) is indented. In Notes rich text, that first line margin is what determines a "new indentation", which is why the ordered lists start over. But for some reason, the different engines that drive Domino don't seem to recognize that simple fact, and treat the nested list as a single list, albeit with different list types.
 
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--> Request an Exciton Boost evaluation license today and give it a try. <--
 

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