Lists

Lists are a powerful way to organize information, but they don't always make for a pleasant reading experience. Keep these points in mind when you're writing a list:

• Always capitalize the first letter of the first word in each list item.
• Use ordered (numbered) lists for step-by-step procedures, where the order matters.
• Use unordered (bulleted) lists to make it easier for users to skim related information.
• Use OR on a separate line when there is more than one option for a numbered step or a bullet point.
• Use tables when your ordered or unordered list would benefit from some extra detail.

Here's an example of an ordered list as a table. Because each step is a row, the table helps to structure the levels of detail.

In-line lists

As an alternative to using bullet point lists, you can do an in-line list, like this: C SDK | Go | Java.

You might want to use an in-line list when:

• You're linking to further documentation.
• Customers will likely be selecting a single option.
• The list item can be displayed with a short word or phrase (like Java, or Infrastructure).
• You think a bullet point list takes up a lot of vertical space. This may happen in circumstances where a procedure must include several lists. Here's one example of this.
• There are only two or three potential options they'll be choosing from and a bullet point list seems unnecessary. Here's an example.