List editing and Undo: what each key does
A behavioural reference for starting and ending lists, nested items, line breaks, pasted paragraphs and undo boundaries.
Applies to Word 0.7.0 on doc.et.
The guide describes the pinned editing engine. Browser-reserved keys can take precedence over editor shortcuts.
Starting a list#
| Keys | Behaviour |
|---|---|
* item Enter Enter text | the second Enter ends the list; text is a Normal paragraph (no list indent left behind) |
| … Enter ×3, ×4 | each further Enter adds a blank Normal paragraph (never swallowed) |
| Enter on an empty nested item | moves it up one level; only a top-level empty item leaves the list |
* Enter (nothing typed) | list cancelled, Normal paragraph |
| Tab / Shift+Tab at the start of an item | demote / promote |
| Backspace at the start of an item | 1st: number removed, indent kept; 2nd: Normal paragraph — not joined to the one above |
| Enter mid-item / at item start | splits the item / inserts an empty item above |
| Shift+Enter in an item | line break inside the same item |
Paste: Keep Text Only A, empty line, B into an empty item | three paragraphs A, empty, B: pasted paragraph breaks are text, not Enter (they never end the list) |
* - 1. 1) a. a) A. i. I. + text | bullet, dash bullet, 1. 1) a. a) A. i. I. lists |
> -> => + text | bulleted list with an arrow bullet (➢ ➔ ⇨; Word takes them from a symbol font, we use the Unicode arrows) |
1. after other text | a new list restarting at 1 (never continues an earlier list) |
| ⌘Z right after an AutoFormat | undoes only the AutoFormat (* comes back as text) |
Undo and selection#
| Keys | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| type, select some of it, type over it | two undo steps: the first ⌘Z brings the selected text back (still selected), the second removes the typing. Uninterrupted typing stays one step |
| ⌘B with nothing selected, ⌘Z, type | the text isn't bold (Undo takes the waiting caret formatting back too); ⌘Y brings it back |
Keep editing predictable#
The list rules distinguish a typed Enter from a pasted paragraph break. Pressing Enter on an empty list item can end or promote the list, while pasting a blank paragraph does not imitate that key action. Use Undo immediately if automatic formatting produced a list you did not want.
A selection also matters to Undo. Replacing selected text is a separate operation from the typing that preceded it. When a change seems to have undone too much or too little, check whether you changed the selection or triggered an automatic formatting operation between edits.
Keyboard conventions#
The upstream reference uses Command on macOS for common application shortcuts. Windows and Linux typically use Control. A browser or operating system may reserve a shortcut; use the editor's visible ribbon commands when a key is intercepted.
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Sources and edition notes
Adapted for the browser edition from the pinned doc.et (based on WordCraft) 0.7.0 source. Upstream documentation may also describe desktop workflows.
- docs/typing-parity.md — Adapted from the upstream documentation for this pinned release.
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