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Sean Brierley reports: <<My bulleted lists can be three levels. My level-one
bulleted list is a traditional filled circular bullet. What should level two
and three be?>>
Eliminated? <g> If you do use multiple levels of bullet, it really doesn't
matter what symbols you use, so long as they're (a) visually distinct from
previous bullets and (b) not so interesting (e.g., ornate medieval
manuscript illuminations) that they distract the reader's attention. I have
a fondness for en dashes at level 2 (they are visually lighter than your
level 1 bullets and contrast nicely), then grey triangles at level 3 (darker
than the en dashes, but different enough in shape from the level 1 bullets
to be distinct).
Personally, I don't like multiple levels of indentation because you quickly
run yourself out of pagewidth, and the need for multiple bullets often
suggests a problem with your hierarchy. I'd seriously consider a different
approach. For example, the complete list of level 1 bullet points might work
very well as an introductory overview, with simplified (shortened) versions
of each bullet serving as headings for new sections that include the
sub-bullets. The need for sub-bullets suggests that the highest level of
bullet is trying hard to be an introductory paragraph for a complete
section, and isn't happy with the spartan life of a bulleted point. <g>
--Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
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