Created attachment 175510 [details]
Showing actual and expected behavior

This is a reasonable idea. And in fact, it is simple to achieve in ODF. The number inherits the paragraph properties; so making the formatting using text span properties, as opposed to paragraph properties, would do what is wanted.

However, current situation is caused by the need to make the UI reasonably simple. This made all character properties handled by one single Character Properties dialog, which tries to be smart, and applies the properties to both spans and paragraphs, *depending on what is selected*. (And other parts of the code also try to do similar smart things, like when they merge two adjacent span formattings, and if they cover the whole paragraph, they convert that to paragraph properties).

Doing otherwise would need to make a distinction between paragraph properties and span properties in the UI, which is hidden currently; while this would benefit most advanced users, that could make the UI hard to use by novice users (or at least it is the perception).

Adding UX to the discussion.

(In reply to Orwel from comment #0)
> should be possible to do it by clicking on the number.

The number is part of the paragraph style (PS) and rather virtual. You cannot select/click an attribute of the PS. If you select a part of the heading, your direct formatting (DF) is applied to the characters not the PS. So the number becomes bold or not depending on whether you select the whole line or not. Quite flexible and in alignment with other workflows. my take => NAB

Created attachment 175545 [details]
Example file

1. Open the attached file
2. Double click DEF
3. CTRL+B -> Numbering bold (me undecided)
4. Apply Different font color -> Numbering also affected (me undecided)
5. Highlight the Text -> Limited to Text only (Deviates from Word)
6. CTRL+Z everything
7. Single click the numbering list
8. Press CTRL+B -> numbering bold (expected)
9. Press CTRL+B again; it doesn't disable bold but sets direct formatting unbold)
10. Double click DEF and apply Bold (numbering not affected)

The current behaves as how Word handles this, except for step 5: highlighting.
I do admit that the inclusion of the numbering not always desired (at least by me). However Step 8/9 does work as work around..

Thanks to all for the posts. I had posted this as I am facing it very often. I am working with contracts where you want to have a homogeneous formatting. Numbering is bold or is not - all numbers equal. If you use paragraphs that are important, e.g. as manual  heading (e.g. 1.1 with bolded word "Definitions" followed with un-bold 1.1.1 User - …. 1.1.2 Seller -…), you face always this problem. You have to mark all the numbering and double click  CTRL+B to bold them all and than unbold them all. 

For me the numbering should has its own formatting unattached from the text – by default as described after steps 7-9 of telesto’s post above. If you have a lot of numbered paragraphs (1.1, 1.1.1, than a/, a.a., 1.1.2…. 15.1….) it is hard to always keep in mind his suggested steps 8/9. 

But I can understand if my use of numbered paragraphs is not common and you think, the numbers should always became by default bold beside bolded text. But in my opinion numbers and text are visually 2 different things. 

I like LO compared to MS  mostly for the reason, it does not format anything without my action (means by itself) and use formats change only if i take a special format action. Therefor i have felt this behavior is a bug, as format of numbers change by itself without any format action on the numbers from of me :-)

(In reply to Orwel from comment #5)
> For me the numbering should has its own formatting unattached from the text

Note that you may define character style for numbering - on Bullets and Numbering dialog's Customize tab. That style may have whatever formatting you define, and what is explicitly set for that style, will not be re-defined by paragraph's properties. So when used correctly, the existing features already provide all the flexibility ;)

(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #6)
> (In reply to Orwel from comment #5)
> > For me the numbering should has its own formatting unattached from the text
> 
> Note that you may define character style for numbering - on Bullets and
> Numbering dialog's Customize tab. That style may have whatever formatting
> you define, and what is explicitly set for that style, will not be
> re-defined by paragraph's properties. So when used correctly, the existing
> features already provide all the flexibility ;)

Thank you, this seems to work, but as I had defined a lot of own numbering styles, this means to edit each one. I am still thinking, that numbering should be handled as a separate "block" with its own formatting independent to format of the text in the paragraph - But sure, this is a decision of LO developers. 

May be some other proposal - at least in the case you create your own numbering style, the default character style (CHS) for it should be something else than "None". It seems "None" means "equal paragraph style", which is not the same. None means for me none. If you select some other CHS except "none" (but you must know to do it), the problem with bolding the numbers by bolding the text in the paragraph is gone, as Mike describes. 

By the way, I also miss "Default text" in the mentioned CHS for numbering... you can choose for the numbering a lot of styles, but it seems "Text body" or "Default style" inherit from the default text style in own default template is not present, or I can not recognize it - if it is present, maybe some clear name similar than used in the Styles drop down menu should be choosen.

(In reply to Orwel from comment #7)
> I am still thinking, that numbering
> should be handled as a separate "block" with its own formatting independent
> to format of the text in the paragraph

The mentioned place is exactly the separate "block" dedicated for use in styles, when one wants to define it finely. No other *additional* place for the same is needed.

> May be some other proposal - at least in the case you create your own
> numbering style, the default character style (CHS) for it should be
> something else than "None".

No, that would make it very difficult for unexperienced user to control their lists. See below.

> It seems "None" means "equal paragraph style",
> which is not the same. None means for me none.

There's no "no formatting" in LibreOffice. *Every* piece of text has *some* formatting: some font, some size, some color - even if it's some "default". The hierarchy of the formatting for list is "take from paragraph if no formatting is set at list level". And "None" means "no character formatting is defined at this level", not "no formatting at all" - because of meaninglessness of the latter.

And setting it to some style makes it fixed, which means that when user selects a text with a list, and changes a font, they would *also* need to modify the list settings. That is not easy for most.

So let's resolve as NAB.

(In reply to Orwel from comment #7)
> Thank you, this seems to work, but as I had defined a lot of own numbering
> styles, this means to edit each one.

I do see a lot of number styles in your sample document. So I do see the problem you're encountering.

A Document Template with correct settings would obviously be an approach. Preventing this to be setup multiple times.

Another partly fix would maybe be the clone/copy existing style the reduce to need to  setup a style from scratch (only applies for styles without hierarchy)

*** Bug 146588 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***