w:multiLevelType (Numbering Definition Type)

Specifies whether an abstract numbering definition defines a single-level list, a multi-level list, or a hybrid list used for outline numbering.

Parent elements

w:abstractNum

Description

w:multiLevelType classifies the structural type of an abstract numbering definition (w:abstractNum). This hint guides processors and authoring tools in how to display and manage the list in their UI, but it does not affect the rendering of the list itself.

It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.9.12.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`w:val`	`ST_MultiLevelType`	`singleLevel`, `multilevel`, `hybridMultilevel`	Classification of the numbering definition.

Values

Value	Description
`singleLevel`	Only level 1 (`w:ilvl="0"`) is intended for use; levels 2–9 are placeholder entries.
`multilevel`	All nine levels are defined and intended for use as an outline or multi-level list.
`hybridMultilevel`	A multi-level definition where each level can be applied to a paragraph independently (e.g. the built-in “List Number” styles in Word).

Examples

<w:abstractNum w:abstractNumId="1">
  <w:multiLevelType w:val="multilevel"/>
  <w:lvl w:ilvl="0">
    <w:start w:val="1"/>
    <w:numFmt w:val="decimal"/>
    <w:lvlText w:val="%1."/>
    <w:lvlJc w:val="left"/>
    <w:pPr><w:ind w:left="720" w:hanging="360"/></w:pPr>
  </w:lvl>
  <!-- levels 1–8 omitted for brevity -->
</w:abstractNum>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing;

var abstractNum = new AbstractNum(
    new MultiLevelType { Val = MultiLevelValues.Multilevel },
    new Level(
        new StartNumberingValue { Val = 1 },
        new NumberingFormat { Val = NumberFormatValues.Decimal },
        new LevelText { Val = "%1." },
        new LevelJustification { Val = LevelJustificationValues.Left },
        new ParagraphProperties(
            new Indentation { Left = "720", Hanging = "360" }
        )
    )
    { LevelIndex = 0 }
)
{ AbstractNumberId = 1 };

Notes

w:multiLevelType is a UI hint; all nine w:lvl entries (indices 0–8) must still be present in the w:abstractNum definition regardless of the type.
hybridMultilevel is the most common type for Word’s built-in “List Bullet” and “List Number” styles, where each level can be applied independently.