Programming listing in word

A bulleted list is a list with dots in the front and the same indentation for each item, while a numbered list with numbers in the front. Bulleted lists and numbered lists work much better than lengthy text content because, with a well-organized list, readers can easily get the structure and the point of each item. This article shows how to create lists from existing text in Word documents with Spire.Doc for Java.

Install Spire.Doc for Java

First of all, you’re required to add the Spire.Doc.jar file as a dependency in your Java program. The JAR file can be downloaded from this link. If you use Maven, you can easily import the JAR file in your application by adding the following code to your project’s pom.xml file.

<repositories>
    <repository>
        <id>com.e-iceblue</id>
        <name>e-iceblue</name>
        <url>https://repo.e-iceblue.com/nexus/content/groups/public/</url>
    </repository>
</repositories>
<dependencies>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>e-iceblue</groupId>
        <artifactId>spire.doc</artifactId>
        <version>11.3.11</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>
    

Create a Bulleted List and a Numbered List from Existing Text in a Word Document

Spire.Doc for Java provides two methods, ListFormat.applyBulletStyle() and ListFormat.applyNumberedStyle(), to create bulleted and numbered lists.

The detailed steps of creating bulleted and numbered lists are as follows.

• Create an object of Document class.
• Load a Word document from file using Document.loadFromFile() method.
• Get the first section using Document.getSections().get() method.
• Loop through the 4th to 6th paragraphs.
• Apply bulleted list style to these paragraphs using ListFormat.applyBulletStyle() method and set their position using ListFormat.getCurrentListLevel().setNumberPosition() method.
• Loop through the 10th to 12th paragraphs.
• Apply numbered list style to these paragraphs using ListFormat.applyNumberedStyle() method and set their position using ListFormat.getCurrentListLevel().setNumberPosition() method.
• Save the document using Document.saveToFile() method.

import com.spire.doc.Document;
import com.spire.doc.FileFormat;
import com.spire.doc.Section;
import com.spire.doc.documents.Paragraph;
import com.spire.doc.formatting.ListFormat;

public class CreateLists {
    public static void main(String[] args) {

        //Create an object of Document class
        Document document = new Document();

        //Load a Word document from file
        document.loadFromFile("C:/Samples/Sample2.docx");

        //Get the first section
        Section section = document.getSections().get(0);

        //Loop through the 4th to the 6th paragraphs
        for(int i = 3; i <= 5; i++){
            Paragraph para = section.getParagraphs().get(i);
            ListFormat listFormat = para.getListFormat();

            //Apply bulleted list style
            listFormat.applyBulletStyle();

            //Set list position
            listFormat.getCurrentListLevel().setNumberPosition(-10);
        }

        //Loop through the 10th to the 12th paragraphs
        for(int i = 9; i <= 11; i++){
            Paragraph para = section.getParagraphs().get(i);
            ListFormat listFormat = para.getListFormat();

            //Apply numbered list style
            listFormat.applyNumberedStyle();

            //Set list position
            listFormat.getCurrentListLevel().setNumberPosition(-10);

        }

        //Save the document
        document.saveToFile("CreateLists.docx", FileFormat.Docx_2013);
    }
}

Apply for a Temporary License

If you’d like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.

But this is a program that over time has not stopped evolving and growing. Thus, it has been receiving new updates and functions in order to meet the expectations and needs of its millions of users. Therefore and due to all this, at the moment we can find a multitude of functions, more or less useful or extended, but which try to cover all environments. At the same time we must bear in mind that here we are not only going to work with texts , but also that the application supports all kinds of additional elements. Here we find graphics, tables, images , videos, etc; many of them from the Insert menu.

To all that we have mentioned so far, another very interesting element as well as useful that we can add, are those called lists. In fact, in these we are going to focus on these same lines , a type of object as used and versatile as lists.

Surely, over the years, many of you have used these elements to add a plus to your documents. Well, that is why here we are going to focus on showing you in detail what these objects can offer us. We will also see the types of lists that we can use in Word , as well as the utility that they will offer us separately.

What is a Word list and what is it for?

First of all and as its own name lets us glimpse, the Word lists function allows us to carry out an accumulation of similar elements, and ordered properly. Thus, what we achieve is to generate our own personal lists that in the end will come in handy to show a set of elements, but in a structured way.

Of course, we must bear in mind that the advanced program of the Redmond , presents us with several ways, both to create those lists, and formats for them. For example, initially we have the possibility of accessing this type of elements directly from the Start menu option of Word itself. Thus, at the top of the section called Paragraph, we see the formats of the same that we can access and use below.

As we mentioned, a program of the potential of this Microsoft , presents us with several alternatives to choose from when dealing with its additional elements. Here come into play, as it could not be otherwise, the lists that concern us in these lines. That is why below we are going to talk about each of the types of lists that we are going to find here and that we can use. Each will be best suited for a type of use, or work environment.

Numbered lists

It is evident that the numbered lists are perhaps one of the most common ones that are often used when the time comes to make use of these elements. They could be considered as the most basic of the exposed formats, but perhaps they are also the most useful. These are represented, in the section discussed above, by a button with a series of numbers vertically. Therefore, to see what this format offers us, we will only have to click on it.

It is worth mentioning that despite being called Numbering Lists, here we can use other elements in the form of separators for the elements of the same. We will see these on the screen by clicking on the drop-down list to the right of the mentioned button. In this way, we can opt to use simple numbers , upper or lower case letters, numbers with a separator, etc. Say that when you click on the button directly, the list will begin to be classified by simple numbers.

But that’s not all, but at the same time we can specify our own custom classifier, all through the link Define new number format.

Here the program itself proposes a wide range of formats that will serve as classification elements for the list that we will create. Similarly, we will have the possibility to create a custom one by adding characters to the Number format field. Say that in this same window we have a preview to visualize how the numerical list that we are going to create will look like. As you can imagine, this function opens up a wide range of possibilities when creating basic and original lists in Word.

Before we finish this type, we will tell you that a shortcut to creating numerical lists here is, for example, writing a 1 followed by a -. Thus, when pressing the space bar, Word will directly create a list of this type for us to fill in and customize.

Bullet lists

On the other hand, a little more original than those previously reviewed, we find the Bullet lists. These we will find in the same section of the main interface of the program that we discussed earlier. But in this case, if we choose to use this specific format, say that it is represented by a button with a series of small squares. As in the previous case, when you click on the small arrow on the right of it, the corresponding drop-down list appears.

Here, as before, we are going to find a series of slightly more graphic elements or objects that will serve as cataloguers or separators for this new list. In this section, what we are going to find are a series of elements in the form of symbols that can act as separators for the elements of the new list. Thus, we find circles, squares, arrows, etc. But of course, as in the previous case, we can also define new ones. For this we click on Define new bullet from the mentioned drop-down list.

The most interesting thing about this is that here we can specify that we want to use some of the multiple symbols that we usually use throughout the operating system. But that is not all, we will also have the possibility to select an image that we have stored in the disk drives . Of course, we should be a little cautious, since this image will be repeated over and over again for each item on the list.

As in the previous case, we also have the possibility to shorten the process of creating a custom list. For this, it is enough that we write an asterisk on a new line, so that the bullet list starts automatically by pressing the space bar .

Multilevel lists

So far we have been able to see the main objective and how we can create both numerical and bulleted lists. Each format can serve us in an environment or type of independent use, we can also create both lists made up of generic classifiers, as well as more personalized and therefore original.

However, it is also worth taking a look at the so-called Multilevel lists. We will find these in the same section of the Word interface of the previous two. Of course, in this case they are represented by the levels of which they will be composed, in miniature. So, to start we will tell you these Multilevel are elements of this same type that we have seen, but they allow you to create a list within another. It is evident that for this the container must already exist, so within the primary list, we can create others. Say that these will keep the indentations that we added initially, as well as the numbering indicated in their design.

That is why it could be said that the use of these elements is like taking the use of the simple lists previously reviewed, one step further. In fact, if we deploy the corresponding drop-down menu on its button , we find designs similar to those we saw in the previous formats, but in this case, nested. In the same way we can create the design of our new multilevel list from the link Define new list style.

At the same time, we find another link in the same window that allows us to define a new, multilevel, personalized list. Here we will have the opportunity to specify various parameters of this nested list element. Among these we find the possibility of customizing the types of separators of the different lists, including the level number, the alignment of the elements, the distance of the indentation , etc.

How to sort a Word list

First, it must be clear that in order to sort the components of a Word list, we must first create an element of this type. For this we can use any of the types that we talked about previously, to later mark the list in its entirety.

Well, once we have marked it with the mouse, we return to look at the Paragraph section, but in this case we opted for the button called Order. This is represented by the letters A and Z with an arrow, where we can directly click. There are no drop-down lists here, as before. But of course, by clicking on the mentioned button that we discussed, we find a new window that will give us the opportunity to customize the order to use in the marked list, depending on the needs of each case.

In this way, the program offers us the possibility of sorting the lists marked by paragraphs or titles on the one hand. When it comes to placing the elements that are part of it, Word offers us to order them by alphabetical, numerical order, or by date. Thus, if we are a little tricky and create the source lists in a structured way, this function will allow us to order their elements in a few seconds. And it is that the correct use of these elements will help to better understand our created documents.