Using list box in word

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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.

On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Numbering or from the popup menu
(for more details see Creating numbered
lists) and then choose Set Numbering Value…:

When you open the box while the list is selected, these option buttons are enabled and one is selected:

• Start new list: Starts the numbering sequence over from 1. You might use this to place two
  numbered lists one after the other. Word will want to continue the second list with the next number
  in sequence from the previous list; this option tells it not to.
• Continue from previous list: Tells Word you want to begin your list where the last one left
  off. For instance, you may want to create a very long procedural description, with paragraphs of
  unnumbered text within the list. This allows you to create lots of individual numbered lists, but
  link them all together.
• Set value to: You can start or continue list this any value that you want.

Another way to use these commands is to right-click on the first entry in the list and select from the
pop-up menu Restart at 1 or Continue Numbering:

Note: More details are available
in the Numbered lists section
in the Work with bulleted, numbered and multi-level lists lesson
of the Create basic documents free course.

See also this tip in French:
Comment créer une liste en redémarrant et en continuant la numérotation.

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