Ordered list syntax.

[Michel Fortin]

> 1.  To make it hard to accidentally trigger a list.
> 2.  To make it possible to create a single-item list.

I would just say that I often use single item lists. In many contexts, 
this kind of list is not rare. On my software pages for [Black 
Light][1] and [Gamma Control][2] the version history contains one-item 
lists. In fact, on both pages there is a total of three (one is a 
sublist). They are unordered lists, so it would be difficult to trigger 
accidentally one because of text wrapping. In my opinion:

1. It should be difficult to accidentally trigger a list.
2. It should be easy and intuitive to create a single-item list
     (preferably the same way as a multiple item list).
3. The syntax for ordered and unordered list should be similar.

Here are some test cases:

     This is a paragraph containing the number
     1. This is the second phrase of the paragraph.

     This is a paragraph containing the number
     1. The second sentence contains number
     2. But it's still the same paragraph.

     This is a paragraph containing no number.
     1. This is a single item list.

     This is a paragraph containing the number
     1. The second sentence contains no number.
     1. This is the first item of a list.

How do you make sure what is a list and what is not in all these 
examples? Easy, just write the rule that way: "A list must be separated 
from the previous paragraph by a period or a colon at the end of the 
previous line, or by a blank line". What do you think of this rule?

Michel Fortin
michel.fortin at michelf.com
http://www.michelf.com/

[1]: http://www.michelf.com/software.php?black-light
[2]: http://www.michelf.com/software.php?gamma-control