# Hypertext Help with LaTeX
list

     \begin{list}{label}{spacing}
     \item First item
     \item Second item
     ....
     \end{list}

The `label` argument specifies the default label for items in the list; it may be overriden with the optional argument of the `\item` command. It is a piece of text that is inserted in a box to form the label. This argument can and usually does contain other LaTeX commands.

The `spacing` argument contains commands to change the spacing parameters for the list. This argument will most often be null, i.e. `{}`. This will select default spacings, which depends on the document style and options, and which should suffice for most cases. However, the commands which can be put here are

- `\topsep` amount of extra vertical space at top of list
- `\partopsep` extra length at top if environment is prececed by a blank line (it should be a rubber length)
- `\itemsep` amount of extra vertical space between items
- `\parsep` amount of vertical space between paragraphs within an item
- `\leftmargin` horizontal distance between the left margins of the environment and the list; must be nonnegative
- `\rightmargin` horizontal distance betwen the right margins of the enviroment and the list; must be nonnegative
- `\listparindent` amount of extra space for paragraph indent after the first in an item; can be negative
- `\itemindent` indentation of first line of an item; can be negative
- `\labelsep` separation between end of the box containing the label and the text of the first line of an item
- `\labelwidth` normal width of the box containing the label; if the actual label is bigger, the natural width is used, extending into the space for the first line of the item's text
- `\makelabel{label}` generates the label printed by the `\item` command

- `\usecounter{ctr}` enables the counter `ctr` to be used for numbering items; it is initialized to zero and stepped when executing an `\item` command that has no optional `label` argument.

## An Example

An simple example of things that can be done with the List Enviroment will illustrate typical usage of the arguments. The following will make a list numbered by "Item-#", where the # is an upper case Roman numeral, and will indent the right margin the same as the left margin (it is not normally indented in most styles).

      %    define "Lcount" as a counter
      \newcounter{Lcount}
      %    set the "default" label to print counter as a Roman numeral
      \begin{list}{Item-\Roman{Lcount}}
      %    inform the list command to use this counter
        {\usecounter{Lcount}
      %    set rightmargin equal to leftmargin
        \setlength{\rightmargin}{\leftmargin}}
      %    we can now begin the "items"
      \item This is the first item
      \item And this is the second item
      \end{list}

Note that this would produce something like:

         Item-I  This is the first item
         Item-II And this is the second item

See Lists, Environments, Counters, Lenghts
See also `\item`
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