If a heading starts with a digit, automatic numbering is activated. Existing heading numbers in the document are replaced. The numbering is updated continuously while editing.
- If the digit-sequence ends with ". ", all sibling headings receive a number (same hierarchy level and same parent heading). Numbering starts with the number given in the first sibling.
- If the digit-sequence ends with " " (no dot), all headings under the same parent heading are numbered automaticly. Numbering starts with the number given in the title. All headings below will show this number and all other numbers in number heirarchy, separated with a dot. If the numbering was not triggered in a hierarchy level, a number is added anyway. To choose the number, the starting number of the parent is reduced by 1.
Nice to have: table of content (TOC)
- If the title starts with an asterisk in front of the digit-sequence, an expandable section is inserted immediately above the first numbered title. The section contains an ordered list of all titles. The index is updated continuously while editing.
- The collapsible section receives the title «Table of content», in the users preferred language, according to his account pofile. Users may edit the section title and move the section to any position within the document (using copy-paste or cut-paste) without breaking the functionality. If multiple indexes are present in a document, all indexes are updated.
- In the print css, the toc is always shown (never collapsed). The TOC title will be placed on a separate page. Page-wrapping will only occur before a heading with children, but never within siblings unless none of the siblings has children.
- In a future release of the text-app, headings may always receive an anchor id. Starting with that release, the headings in the TOC will be hyperlinks.
Nice to have: Alternate numbering schemes
For the first type (non scientific Numbering), alternate schemes may be used instead of digits (a., A., i., I., non-latin, …)
Nice to have:
- On Screen, all numbered headings receive a triangle icon to the left. Clicking the triangle, the whole text may be collapsed.
- On large screens, when not using the full-with-editor, if there is enough width outside the text column (~20em, 10em on both sides), the space on the left of the column is used to display the TOC to navigate withing the document (CSS display: fixed). Users may collapse and expand Headings in the TOC.
If a heading in the TOC is clicked, the document is scrolled to the position so this very title appears in the middle of the window height. The text of this title in the editor is selected.
Examples:
- the first H2 starts with "1. ":
➝ H1 is not numbered (unless the first H1 sibling starts with a number)
➝ all H2 below the same H1 parent will be numbered
➝ H3 will not be numbered (unless the first H3 sibling below the H2 starts with a number) - the first H2 starts with "0 ":
➝ No H1 in the whole document is numbered
➝ All H2 below the same H1 parent are numbered sequentially, starting with 0.
➝ If a H4 heading below this H2 starts with "3 ", this number is replaced with “0.-1.3”. All sibling H3 headings are numbered accordingly.
➝ if a H5 heading below this H4 starts with "1. ", all H5 siblings are numbered as type 1 (non scientific) - The first H3 in a document starts with "*1 ":
➝ the TOC is added above this H3. Users may edit the title and cut-paste the TOC
Considerations:
- The numbering must be triggered manually on every level. While this cost minor effort, it seems tedious - at least in scientific numbering, users might want to omit this trigger. But: now and then, additional hierarchies are needed that won’t cite the numbering above.
- The functionality could be realized by using css class definitions implementing the numbering. However, inserting the numbers in the markdown source code seems more robust.
((edited 2026-07-17 08:20 UTC: description with less ambiguity))