Wikimedia Bugzilla is closed!

Numbered lists are arguably the weakest feature in wikitext because they are so easily broken. Insert a <pre> tag, a set of images, or anything complicated into a numbered list, and the numbering starts over from "1". This is very common when creating (say) numbered instructions with examples in the middle. There are various hacks to avoid simple problems, but no general method for keeping consistent numbering in a complex article.

I propose one new wikitext symbol that means, "Continue the numbering at the given level."  Call it "#^".  For example:

# First item
# Second item
<pre>
CODE SAMPLE HERE
</pre>
#^ Third item

would produce:

1. First item
2. Second item
 CODE SAMPLE HERE
3. Third item

Likewise:

# First item
## First subitem
## Second subitem
# Second item
## Third subitem
<pre>Let's break the numbering!</pre>
##^ Fourth subitem
# Third item

would produce:

1. First item
 1. First subitem
 2. Second subitem
2. Second item
 1. Third subitem
 Let's break the numbering!
 2. Fourth subitem
3. Third item

The #^ symbol works within the current article, no matter how far away the previous numbering was. In parsing, it means keeping track of the most recent <ol> tag (or set of nested <ol> tags) and possibly reopening it.