reStructuredText: Bullet Lists

language: reStructuredText

There must be whitespace after the bullet marker.

*not a bullet item                 ->     *not a bullet ¦
              ¦                           item          ¦

Child content

A bullet item can have from the first line: a blank line, a line block, another bullet item, a (ignored) transition line, or a normal paragraph.

A bullet item can contain a sub bullet item on the first line.

+ + This is a sub-item             ->     + + This is a  ¦
               ¦                              sub-item   ¦

The text indent for the first line determines the base indent for all content.

*       Text can be indented any          *       Text can be indented¦
        amount from the bullet                    any amount from the ¦
        point as long       ¦      ->             bullet point as long¦
        as it's all         ¦                     as it's all indented¦
        indented the same amount                  the same amount     ¦

+ First paragraph    ¦                    + First paragraph    ¦
   This is a         ¦             ->        This is a separate¦
   separate paragraph¦                       paragraph         ¦

Content before

A bullet item can't come straight after a paragraph without a blank line inbetween. It will be treated as part of the paragraph.

paragraph text       ¦             ->     paragraph text * not ¦
* not a bullet       ¦                    a bullet             ¦

However, as always, that only applies if they're at the same indent. If the paragraph and list item are at different indents, then they're separate.

paragraph      ¦                          paragraph text ¦
text           ¦                   ->      - bullet in a ¦
 - bullet in a definition                    definition  ¦

Content after

- A paragraph        ¦                    - A paragraph in a   ¦
  in a bullet point  ¦                      bullet point       ¦
 but this is a       ¦                     but this is a new   ¦
 new paragraph       ¦              ->     paragraph           ¦
                     ¦                                         ¦

Sibling and sub-items

Multiple list items don't require a blank line between them.

* first     ¦                             * first item¦
  item      ¦                      ->     * second    ¦
* second item                               item      ¦

* first     ¦                             * first item¦
  item      ¦                      ->      * second   ¦
 * second item                               item     ¦

 * first     ¦                             * first item¦
   item      ¦                     ->     * second     ¦
* second item.                              item.      ¦

However when the bullet marker is at the same text indent as the first line, it will be treated as the same paragraph.

- Line one           ¦             ->     - Line one - This is ¦
  - This is the same paragraph              the same paragraph ¦

Except if the first line is blank

+                 ¦                       +                 ¦
 + This is a new paragraph                 + This is a new  ¦
                  ¦                          paragraph      ¦
*                 ¦                ->                       ¦
  * This is a new paragraph               *                 ¦
                  ¦                         * This is a new ¦
                  ¦                           paragraph     ¦