Lists, tables and page setup

Real lists, tables used only for data, and page settings decided once at the start.

Use real lists

A list typed with dashes or “1)” at the start of each line looks like a list but is not one. Docs cannot renumber it when you insert an item, and a screen reader reads it as one long paragraph.

Use the bulleted or numbered list buttons. Then:

  • Use numbered lists when order matters (steps, rankings).
  • Use bulleted lists when it does not (options, reminders).
  • Keep each item short. If an item needs two sentences, it probably wants to be a paragraph under a heading.

Tables are for data, not layout

A table is right when every row is the same kind of thing and every column is the same kind of value: prices, dates, names, yes or no.

A table is wrong when you are using it to put a picture beside a paragraph or to indent something. That breaks on a phone and confuses screen readers. Use alignment, columns or simple image placement instead.

Habit Why
First row holds the column names Readers and assistive tools know what each column means
Pin the header row so it repeats on each page Long tables stay readable when printed
Keep cells short Phones show narrow columns
Never merge cells for decoration Merged cells break sorting and screen readers

The four cases side by side.

Four cards: a typed list with dashes that cannot renumber and reads as one block, a real list made with the toolbar button, a table of items, prices and quantities where every row is the same kind of thing, and a table used to squeeze a paragraph beside a picture, which breaks on phones and screen readers
Real lists and data tables are structure. A typed list or a layout table only looks like structure.

Decide page setup once

Margins, orientation, page size and whether the document has pages at all are document-level choices. Make them before you format anything else, because changing them later reflows every page.

  • Pages mode is for anything that will be printed or exported to PDF.
  • Pageless mode is for working documents read on screen; wide tables and images stretch to fit the window.

Headers and footers belong in the header and footer areas, not typed at the top of each page. Page numbers should be inserted as a field so they count themselves.

Pages and Pageless compared.

Pages mode drawn as a fixed page with margins, a footer and a page number, labelled for print or PDF, beside Pageless mode drawn as a borderless area where a wide table runs past the edge, labelled for on-screen working documents
Pages for anything that will be printed or exported; Pageless for working documents read on a screen.

Try it now

Find a document with a hand-typed list (dashes or numbers typed in). Select those lines and turn them into a real list with the toolbar button. If it is a numbered list, insert a new item in the middle and watch it renumber.

Remember: lists and tables are structure, not decoration. If a reader on a phone would struggle, it is the wrong tool.

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