Custom bullet symbol for elements in tha

Question

I realize one can specify a custom graphic to be a replacement bullet character, using CSS attribute:

list-style-image

And then giving it a URL.

However, in my case, I just want to use the '+' symbol. I don't want to have to create a graphic for that and then point to it. I'd rather just instruct the unordered list to use a plus symbol as the bullet symbol.

Can this be done or am I forced to make it a graphic first?

Answer 1

This is a late answer, but I just came across this... To get the indenting correct on any lines that wrap, try it this way:

ul {
  list-style: none;
  margin-left: 0;
  padding-left: 0;
}

li {
  padding-left: 1em;
  text-indent: -1em;
}

li:before {
  content: "+";
  padding-right: 5px;
}

Answer 2

My solution uses positioning to get wrapped lines automatically line up correctly. So you don't have to worry about setting padding-right on the li:before.

ul {
  margin-left: 0;
  padding-left: 0;
  list-style-type: none;
}

ul li {
  position: relative;
  margin-left: 1em;
}

ul li:before {
  position: absolute;
  left: -1em;
  content: "+";
}

<ul>
  <li>Item 1 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam</li>
  <li>Item 2 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam</li>
  <li>Item 3 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam</li>
  <li>Item 4</li>
  <li>Item 5</li>
</ul>

Answer 3

.list-dash li, .list-bullet li {
    position: relative;
    list-style-type: none; /* disc circle(hollow) square none */
    text-indent: -2em;
}
.list-dash li:before {
    content: '—  '; /* em dash */
}
.list-bullet li:before {
    content: '• '; /*copy and paste a bullet from HTML in browser into CSS (not using ASCII codes) */
}

<ul class="list-dash">
    <li>Item 1</li>
    <li>Item 2</li>
    <li>Item 3</li>
    <li>Item 4</li>
</ul>

Answer 4

So many solutions.
But I still think there is room for improvement.

Advantages:

• very compact code
• works with any font size
  (no absolute pixel values contained)
• aligns rows perfectly
  (no slight shift between first line and following lines)

ul {
	position: relative;
	list-style: none;
	margin-left: 0;
	padding-left: 1.2em;
}
ul li:before {
	content: "+";
	position: absolute;
	left: 0;
}

<ul>
  <li>Curabitur non nulla sit amet nisl tempus convallis quis ac lectus. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Donec velit neque, auctor sit amet aliquam vel, ullamcorper sit amet ligula. Pellentesque in ipsum id orci porta dapibus.</li>
  <li>Nulla porttitor accumsan tincidunt. Mauris blandit aliquet elit, eget tincidunt nibh pulvinar a. Aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Curabitur non nulla sit amet nisl tempus convallis quis ac lectus.</li>
</ul>

Answer 5

I prefer to use negative margin, gives you more control

ul {
  margin-left: 0;
  padding-left: 20px;
  list-style: none;
}

li:before {
  content: "*";
  display: inline;
  float: left;
  margin-left: -18px;
}

Answer 6

It's advisable to qualify the styling of the <li> so it does not affect <ol> list items. So:

ul {
    list-style: none;
    margin-left: 0;
    padding-left: 0;
}

ul li {
    padding-left: 1em;
    text-indent: -1em;
}

ul li:before {
    content: "+";
    padding-right: 5px;
}