ID&D KB How-to Guide
Working together to enhance teaching & learning. If you need additional assistance, please reach out to the ID&D team.
You have the ability to customize the look of the lists and links that are in a content block. Whether your lists are ordered (numbered) lists or unordered (bulleted), you have the opportunity to manage how these lists are displayed. Your links to external and internal resources can also be styled in various ways using buttons.
This article provides guidance on features that allow you to make the following modifications:
Readability of Lists
You may have a list that has items that have longer statements and the way the information wraps makes it difficult to read. You have two options that will help improve the readability of your list: adding spaces between the list items and using hanging indents to make the items more visible. These are set in the Style panel of the list element.
Changing the Order of Items in a List
If you have existing pages that have lists, you may want to modify them using the DesignPLUS tools. These tools help you reorder the items in a list and change the indentation or nesting of the items in the list. To make modifications to your lists or links, you will need to make sure the DesignPLUS Sidebar is open.
Place your cursor in one of the list items in your content block; A new element will appear in the Edit tab (target) of the Sidebar based on the type of list you have (Unordered vs Ordered); and your list will appear under the content panel.
You can change the order of the items in the list by:
Using your mouse, drag the item you wish to move by selecting the "six dot" icon in front of it
Move the item to the place in the list you want it
The list will be rearranged on your page
Changing Bullet Styles
You have several options to create interesting, bulleted lists. The simplest method is to use one of the three standard bullet shapes.
Locate the list you wish to change.
Place your cursor at the beginning of the first item in your list on your page
Open the Style panel in the DesignPLUS Sidebar
Select the type of bullet style you want to use:
Solid circle bullet
Open circle bullet
Square bullet
Save your page
Tip!
If you want nested items to have a different bullet style, first change their indented position, then select them and change the bullet style.
Changing Numbering Styles
You have several options for the style of numbers you use on your lists. The DesignPLUS tool provides six basic styles to choose from.
Locate the list you wish to change.
Place your cursor at the beginning of the first item in your list
Open the Style panel in the DesignPLUS Sidebar
Select the type of numbering style you want to use
Decimal (Arabic Number) - e.g., 1, 2, 3
Decimal with Leading Zero (Arabic Number) - e.g., 01, 02, 03
Lowercase Alphabetic - e.g., a, b, c
Uppercase Alphabetic - e.g., A, B, C
Lowercase Roman Numeral - e.g., i, iv, xi
Uppercase Roman Numeral - e.g., I, IV, XI
Save your page
Changing the Nesting / Indenting of Items in a List
If your list has items that are sub-divided into sections, using nesting allows you to visually identify those relationships.
Locate the list that you want to have nesting
Place your cursor at the start of the item in the list that you want indented
Open the Content panel in the DesignPLUS Sidebar
Click on the Indent icon in the sidebar to move it to the left or right
The list on the page will reflect the shift in position
Using Icons for Bullets
You can make your lists visually interesting by using icons as your bullets.
Select your list on the page that you want to modify
Open the Style panel for your list element in the DesignPLUS Sidebar
Select the “none” style for your list
Place the cursor at the beginning of the first list item and search for the Icon element in the "Add New Elements" tab in the Sidebar, and select it.
In the Sidebar, the Icon tool will be opened in the Edit tab (target), under the Content panel, select an icon category from the pull-down list.
Select an icon you are interested in using. The icon will be placed in front of the text for the listed item.
Repeat the process for other items in the list.
Adding Icons to Links
You can change the display of the links you have within a page by adding an icon in front of your link.
Identify the link you want to modify.
- Place your cursor in front of the link text on the page
- The sidebar will open to the Link Tool in the Edit tab (target)
- Click on the Icon Picker button
- Place your cursor in front of the link text on the page
The icon picker will appear as a pop-up
Select the category or search for the type of icon you want
Select the icon
Repeat the selection for each link, moving your cursor to the link you want the icon located.
The icon will appear on your page in front to the link text
Using Buttons for Links
You can use buttons to display the links you have within a page.
Identify the link you want to modify.
- Place your cursor anywhere in the link text
- The sidebar will open to the Link Tool in the Edit tab (target)
- Open the Style panel
- Place your cursor anywhere in the link text
Next decide what the button "base" style will be: Solid or Outline
- Click on the style - solid or outline
- Select the color from the options in the pop-up
- Click on the style - solid or outline
The selection will be displayed on your page and in the preview panel below the style panel.
You have the option of having the button change when a mouse hovers over the button. This can be a change of solid color, or a change from solid to outline/ outline to solid.
- Click on the style - solid or outline
- Select the color from the options in the pop-up
- Click on the style - solid or outline
When a user hovers the button, they will see the change.
Related articles
- Advanced Styling and Design Techniques
- Multi-tool not populating module content into Due Date Modifier
- Conflicts between the Rich Content Editor and Cidi Design Tools
- The DesignPLUS Content Editor Sidebar
- DesignPLUS Multi-Tool
- Creating Content Pages with DesignPLUS
- DesignPLUS Upload/Embed Image Tool
Visit the DesignPLUS Training Series Tutorials for more videos. For more step-by-step guides, visit the DesignPLUS User Guide. (These links will overwrite this page.)