#### 8.5.1 Understanding numbering properties

Your document might include more than one type of element whose output format should be numbered sequentially. Ordered lists are one example; footnotes are another. Chapters, figures, and tables might also be numbered.

Streams and counters

If several sequential-number series depend on other series (such as figure or table numbering restarting with each chapter), each such series requires a separate counter in the same numbering stream. For example, the numbers on ordered lists might form one stream. Numbers on chapter, figure, and table titles might each need a counter in a different stream, numbered independently of the ordered-list stream.

To organize streams and their counters:

1. Name each number stream, and assign properties to its counters; see §8.5.2 Defining number streams.
2. Define number format components (see §8.5.3 Defining number format components) in terms of streams and counters.
3. Assign a number format component to each paragraph format that needs numbering; see §7.6.6 Specifying block properties for paragraph formats.

Keep a counter from resetting

You can specify whether other counters should be left alone when a given counter is incremented. For example, if FigureTitle has counter 2 and TableTitle has counter 3, and both are in the same stream, you would not want each instance of FigureTitle to reset the TableTitle counter. To prevent unwanted resets, you assign a keep property to the counters that should be left alone for each format.

Restart stream numbering

To restart numbering for ordered lists, you must assign a different format to the first item in the list, so you have a way to trigger the restart. For example, assign NumberedFirst to each first item, and Numbered to all the other items; see §6.4 Mapping element paths to output formats. Both formats must be in the same stream. To force every instance of NumberedFirst to begin the numbering over again, you assign a Start property to NumberedFirst.

Cross references to numbered formats

For cross references to items in numbered formats, you can specify whether the cross reference should include a prefix (such as “Chapter”) before the number, a suffix (such as a period) after the number, and maybe a tab (for vertical alignment in RTF) or a space (for HTML). By default, DITA2Go includes only the number itself in cross references to a numbered item. You can add embellishments such as a prefix, a suffix, and tabs. See §8.7 Defining cross-reference output formats.

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Next Topic: 8.5.2 Defining number streams

Parent Topic: 8.5 Configuring output numbering properties

Sibling Topics:

8.5.2 Defining number streams

8.5.3 Defining number format components

8.5.4 Defining footnote numbering

8.5.5 Considering examples of numbering schemes