4.1.1   Docinfo and field lists based on definition lists (instead of tables)

• Reduced loading time for documents with long field lists.
• Enables CSS styling for:
  • label width (obsoleting the --field-name-limit option),
  • handling of long labels: truncate, wrap, ...,
  • label separator (default: ':').

4.1.2   Counter for enumerated lists

A counter for enumerated lists replaces the deprecated "start" attribute.

• Enables CSS styling for:
  • label style (including nested numbers),
  • label separator.

The complicated part was to find out a correct CSS rule-set to replicate the standard behaviour with hanging indent (list-style: "outside"). There is a W3C example to number nested list items, however, the result is similar to 'list-style: inside': subsequent lines start below the label instead of a hanging indent.

Most Internet resources come to the conclusion that "there’s no straightforward replacement mechanism" [tekkie], "the solution is buried so deep in CSS2 that there's no point in trying to do it in CSS for the foreseeable future" [webjunction], or "the main point to note is that there is no direct mapping from the previous behaviour to CSS" [codelair]. Taming Lists did give valuable advise but no working complete solution.

The advise is "Use 'HTML 4.01 Transitional' and keep the START attribute". [highdots], especially, since "There are arguments over whether the start attribute is presentational or not, and indeed HTML5 has declared that it is no longer deprecated in the current working drafts (at the time of writing)" [dev.opera].

However, a reasonable replacement of 'outside'-styled ordered lists with CSS is possible:

• The ordered list defines/resets the counter, the automatic numbering is suppressed:

  ol {
    counter-reset: item;
    list-style-type: none  ! important;
  }
  

• The label is defined as "before" pseudo element. The content consists of the counter and a separator (by default a trailing dot):

  ol > li:before {
    counter-increment: item;
    content: counter(item) ".";
  }
  

• The label is right aligned in a box. Both the label and the list content (which Docutils puts in a paragraph node) must be displayed as "inline-block" so that they line up:

  ol > li:before {
    display: inline-block;
    vertical-align: top;
    width: 2em;
    padding-right: 0.5em;
    text-align: right;
  }
  
  ol > li > p { display: inline-block; }
  

  However, subsequent paragraphs are to be set as nested block elements:

  ol > li > p + p {
    display: block;
    margin-top: 0em;
  }
  

• The hanging indent is realized via a negative "textindent" which must be reset for the list content to prevent over-striking:

  ol > li { text-indent: -2.5em; }
  ol > li > p { text-indent: 0em; }
  

The resulting list can be customized to a large extend

• Different label types and separators are possible, e.g.:

  ol.lowerroman  > li:before {
    content: "(" counter(item, lower-roman) ")";
  }
  

• nested counters (1, 1.1, 1.1.1, etc):

  ol.nested > li:before {
    content: counters(item, ".") ". ";
  }
  

• chapter/section prefix, continued lists, ...

4.1.3   Inline literal role pre-formatted

• simpler implementation and simpler/clean HTML code
• white-space handling and line-wrapping in inline literals configurable with the CSS.

4.1.4   Remove hard-coded formatting and deprecated arguments

• Attribute "align" not used for <img> and <div> element.
• No hard-coded border setting in the table head.