Bullets and Sub-Bullets
Which marker for a bullet, and which for a sub-bullet?
✅ NormativeSettled. The requirement holds as written.📄 Page ruleCan be applied from the page alone.Read §8.1 in the RFC ↗
A top-level bulleted item MUST be rendered with the * marker and a sub-item with the -
marker. The two markers carry the nesting and MUST NOT be interchanged.
When it applies
A printed list: items led by a bullet glyph or a number, sometimes with indented sub-items beneath them.
• Top-level item
– Sub-item beneath it
– Another sub-item
• Next top-level item
* Top-level item
- Sub-item beneath it
- Another sub-item
* Next top-level item
Reading the examples. Each one pairs a source page with the output the rule expects. ✅ Sample: the rule applies. ❌ Counter-sample: it looks like it applies and does not, or a rendering got it wrong. A non-conforming output, in red, is shown only for contrast. … marks content left out of an excerpt.
Ordered lists
- A printed numbering MUST be kept verbatim, including its style:
1.2.3.,a.b.c.,(i)(ii)and1)2)differ on the page and MUST differ in the output. The numbering is often cited elsewhere in the document.
Deeper nesting
- Where the page shows more than two levels, each further level MUST be carried by indentation.
- The relative structure MUST be preserved: a three-level list MUST NOT be flattened into two.
Lists inside table cells
A cell holding a vertical list is governed by Record Groups and Multi-Line Cells (§9.5.3): <ul><li>
and <br>• both conform inside a cell, and parallel lists across several columns of one row MUST
NOT be collapsed — they become one row per printed line.
Bridge text between lists
An unbulleted line printed between two runs of bullets, such as partially offset by, MUST be
rendered as a paragraph between the two lists. It MAY be rendered as indented continuation text
only when it belongs to one specific list item.
a line between bullets that is not a bullet
Four bulleted increases, then partially offset by on its own unbulleted line, then one more
bullet. The interjection is a paragraph between two lists.
Source page
Expected output · excerpt
…
GAAP diluted EPS for fiscal 2024 were $11.44, a 6% increase over $10.77 for fiscal 2023. Excluding a $0.51 and $1.28 decrease for business optimization costs in fiscal 2024 and 2023, respectively, and a $0.38 increase for a gain on an investment in fiscal 2023, adjusted EPS were $11.95, a 2% increase over $11.67 in fiscal 2023. The $0.28 increase in EPS on an adjusted basis reflects:
- a $0.19 increase from higher revenue and operating results;
- a $0.05 increase from lower share count;
- a $0.05 increase from a lower effective tax rate; and
- a $0.02 increase from higher non-operating income;
partially offset by
- a $0.03 decrease from higher noncontrolling interests.
Bullet glyphs that carry meaning
- A printed bullet glyph that carries meaning — a tick for acceptable, a cross for
unacceptable — MUST be kept as the first content token after the Markdown marker:
* ✓ Bank statement. - A decorative bullet shape (•, ◦, ▪, ➢) MUST be normalised to the Markdown marker and MUST NOT be transcribed.
bullet glyphs that carry meaning
Acceptable Financial Documents bulleted with ✓, Unacceptable Financial Documents bulleted
with ⊗, side by side. Each meaningful glyph is kept after the Markdown bullet; see
Iconography and Symbols (§7.3.4). The two captions are standalone subheads over their lists.
Source page
Expected output · excerpt
…
Acceptable Financial Documents
- ✓ Bank statement (checking or savings only)
- ✓ Bank letter on official letterhead
- ✓ Letter from organizational sponsor (company, government, scholarship)
- ✓ Loan sanction letter
- ✓ Letter from sponsor confirming you will have free room and meals
Unacceptable Financial Documents
- ⊗ Employment income or salary statement
- ⊗ Property valuations (real estate, jewelry, automobile, etc.)
- ⊗ Investments including stocks
- ⊗ Credit card account statements
- ⊗ Bank deposit slip
…
<!-- … -->
Acceptable Financial Documents
- ✓ Bank statement (checking or savings only)
- ✓ Bank letter on official letterhead
- ✓ Letter from organizational sponsor (company, government, scholarship)
- ✓ Loan sanction letter
- ✓ Letter from sponsor confirming you will have free room and meals
Unacceptable Financial Documents
- ⊗ Employment income or salary statement
- ⊗ Property valuations (real estate, jewelry, automobile, etc.)
- ⊗ Investments including stocks
- ⊗ Credit card account statements
- ⊗ Bank deposit slip
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