How to achieve numbered list of the type “Fig. 1, Fig 2., Fig. 3a, Fig. 3b”, etc.

[Janus Bahs Jacquet]

(InDesign CC 2017, macOS 10.12)

I am typesetting a natural science book with far too many figures, tables, and plates (yes, all three types interspersed).

A lot of these are sometimes numbered with a simple number (one figure/table/plate per number), and other times with alphabetical sub-numbers (several figures/tables/plates per number); thus, for example:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3a

Figure 3b

Figure 4

Figure 5a

Figure 5b

— etc.

There are also what feels like a hundred references to each of these figures, tables, and plates strewn throughout the entire document—all requiring not only the figure/table/plate number, but also the number of the page where it appears.

For this reason, I've initially set up paragraph styles for all three types of, erm, embedded content, each set up as its own numbered list with the appropriate prefix. I then use cross references to create the page-numbered references throughout the document, of the structure “[prefix] [number] on p. [page-number]”. This works like a charm.

The trouble is that I can’t figure out how to create the sub-numbered lists. Having a separate paragraph style for the abc-style sub-numbers is no problem, but they, being of a hierarchically lower level (i.e., list level 2 instead of list level 1), of course do not affect the counter of the higher-level paragraphs. So I end up with this instead, using the same sequence as above:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 2a

Figure 2b

Figure 3

Figure 3a

Figure 3b

— etc.

Is there some way of telling InDesign that on specific numbered paragraphs, I want a specific list level (a different one to the current paragraph, mind) to increase by one?

So far I’ve faked it by adding a text frame off the content board on the preceding page and just typing in a single space in the appropriate paragraph style, but this feels hacky and insecure for two reasons:

1. It is a hack, creating a paragraph that’s never used, especially in a figure list. If I want to generate a list of figures/tables/plates, I’ll then have to convert that to plain text and get rid of the empty paragraphs.
2. If I move things around (and with all this embedded stuff everywhere, things are moving around quite a lot), I’ll have to remember to move the empty-paragraph text frame from one preceding page to another preceding page, otherwise the caption numbering will change.

Isn’t there some simpler, less hacky way of doing this?

[Willi Adelberger]

2 different paragraph styles.

1. For the numbers only Level 1
2. For the numbers with letters Level 2

[Janus Bahs Jacquet]

How does that solve the problem? I already have different paragraph styles for each level, as mentioned in the question. That doesn’t solve the problem.

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

True! [I've said nothing else!] 

(^/)

[Willi Adelberger]

But I don't see, why it should make problems?

[Barb Binder]

Hi Janus:

Try this:

1. Make two paragraph styles. I called mine Fig Level1 and Fig Level2
2. Define the numbering for Fig Level1:
   
3. Then define the numbering for Fig Level2:
   

[Sandee Cohen]

Brilliant Barb!

I always knew it was possible, but never realized what that ^[level number] code would do.

[Barb Binder]

Good morning, Sandee! It just repeats the last number and doesn't increment it.

As a future resource for anyone trying to figure out long-doc numbering issues, here's a related post I wrote for a past student:

Adobe InDesign: Numbering Chapters, Subheads, Tables & Figures - Rocky Mountain Training

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

Hi Barb!

Read more carefully the question! 

(^/)

[Barb Binder]

Hi Obi-Wan! What did I miss?

The trouble is that I can’t figure out how to create the sub-numbered lists.

[Janus Bahs Jacquet]

That wasn’t the main question—I should have said that I can’t figure out how to make the sub-level lists so that they do what I want them to do (see previous reply).

[Janus Bahs Jacquet]

Yes, that is exactly how I have things set up. I know how to use multi-level lists, and just having two levels in a list is not what I’m asking about. (I obviously wasn’t clear enough in specifying what I am asking about, since two people so far have misunderstood—I should probably have included screenshots).

The problem with this solution is that adding a paragraph with style Fig_Level2 does not increment the number in Fig_Level1. This, in general, is a good thing, since it enables you to use lists for chapters and sections, where you first have a section 1, subsection 1a, then 1b, etc.

But in this particular case, it’s working against me, since I have no initial section 1 if there are subsections. In other words, for my figure-based purposes, the two list levels are mutually exclusive: if there is an item with only a number, there will never be an item with that number followed by a letter; and if there’s an item that has a letter (that is, number + letter, since all items always have a number), there will never be an item with the same number but without the letter.

The two lists in the initial question illustrate this: what I want is for those seven figures listed to end up having the counter of the numeric list at 5, not 3. Similar to the “Restart numbers at this level after [any previous level]” option, I am looking for something that would function like an option for “Increase numbers by 1 at previous level before [first of this level following any previous level]”, as it were.

[Barb Binder]

I should probably have included screenshots

As Obi-Wan knows from working with me for a while, I am better with visuals than detailed descriptions. Can you share screen shots? Even with your careful description, I'm still not clear.

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

Hi, I'm back! 

Janus,

Of course, it's just a matter of auto-numbering! … and a Javascript writing matter!

Let's take an example!

In "blue", "normal" numbering: "Fig. 1", "Fig. 2", "Fig. 3", …

In "red", what we finally want: "Fig. 4a", "Fig. 4b", "Fig. 4c"!

So, 1 click! Less than "Automatic" but just one click!! 

Of course, if you delete "Fig. 2 • bbbb" and "update":

Cool!  As I said, just a matter of auto-numbering!

… that could let you play nicely with cross-references!

(^/)

PS: As I've explained, this can be done directly into InDesign! … That will only take … a little more time!  😉  No irony!

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

A last comment: The idea is the same but playing with a "condition"!

The user will only need to apply (or disapply) the "Figure" condition placing the cursor in the figure caption ("Fig." para style).

I've personally written a small script for that: if no condition applied, one click to apply the "Figure" condition; if the "Figure" condition is already applied, one click to disapply!  Cool!

After applying all conditions, just play the main script!

(^/)

[AdamBulb]

I'm still a bit confused, and trying to accomplish the same thing (1a, 1b, 2, 3a, 4, 5, 6a, 6b, etc.) So there's a script involved...what's the script?

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

Hi,

As indicated in the video, No 0119! 

(^/)

[script not for free! // email: obiwankenobiearth@gmail.com]

[Sandee Cohen]

Janus,

Look at Barb's screen shots carefully. It's the setting of new "lists" with different levels in the two paragraph styles.

Then there's the code for "^1" which inserts the number from the plain figures into the code for the letter figures.

It's impressive.

[Barb Binder]

Nevermind. Now I see it.

[Barb Binder]

I was hoping Obi-Wan would have offered the solution by the time I came back to report my progress.

So here is where I am on your question, Janus: I can do this in Adobe's other page layout program— FrameMaker—with three styles, (which I worked through to make sure I had the logic down). But I can't recreate it in InDesign—I'm bumping into limitations that I don't see my way around. I love a good puzzle, but I'm stymied.

Obi-wan Kenobi​ what did you come up with?

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

Nothing! On vacancy!  =D

(^/)