I'm trying to create a styling for certain numbered lists where they are formatted as normal paragraphs; i.e., a paragraph indent before the label, with all subsequent lines of each item unindented. This matches the Chicago Manual of Style's recommendations for vertical lists in paragraph style (section 6.128):
When items in a numbered list consist of very long sentences, or of several sentences, and the list does not required typographic prominence, the items may be set in regular text style as numbered paragraphs, with only the first line indented, punctuated as normal prose.
I'm using the enumitem
package for (1) style numerals and other things. After checking out the excellent breakdown of list-related widths in the memoir
manual (esp. figure 8.2), I've got it working, but only by changing what I think is actually correct. (It's amazing how good the memoir manual is as a reference for normal LaTeX!)
What I think should work is:
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\arabic*),leftmargin=0pt,itemindent=\dimexpr\parindent+\labelwidth+\labelsep,listparindent=\parindent]
(See this other question for use of \dimexpr
.)
That is, have a zero left margin, and then set \itemindent
(first line of item indent) so that it represents a paragraph indent plus room for the label and its separator.
However, this actually adds slightly too much space for the first lines. If I get rid of the \labelsep
in the itemindent
sum, it works (or at least looks aligned properly visually).
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\arabic*),leftmargin=0pt,itemindent=\dimexpr\parindent+\labelwidth,listparindent=\parindent]
Can anyone explain what's going on here? I suspect it's something to do with how enumitem
is using labelwidth
internally... Also, let me know if you think this isn't the correct interpretation of the Chicago wording!
EDIT: If you want a full LaTeX document to see the issue, here's one I prepared earlier (Blue Peter style):
\documentclass[11pt,a4paper,twoside,notitlepage]{article}
\usepackage{enumitem}
\begin{document}
\section{Enumerate Layout Tests}
First \emph{with} use of {\textbackslash}labelsep in the itemindent sum:
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\arabic*),leftmargin=0pt,itemindent=\dimexpr\parindent+\labelwidth+\labelsep,listparindent=\parindent]
\item My first long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long item.
With a second paragraph!
\item My second long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long item.
\end{enumerate}
And a second paragraph to show the standard paragraph indent position. But with lots of text
text text text text text
text text text text text
text text text text text
text text text text text
text text text text text
to check multi-line paragraphs.
OK, now \emph{without} use of {\textbackslash}labelsep in the itemindent sum:
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\arabic*),leftmargin=0pt,itemindent=\dimexpr\parindent+\labelwidth,listparindent=\parindent]
\item My first long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long item.
With a second paragraph!
\item My second long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long
long long long long long item.
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}