NumberIt

NumberIt is a cross-platform open-source library designed to automate numbering and cross-referencing within documents and data collections. It provides a centralized numbering engine that assigns sequential identifiers to items such as sections, figures, tables, equations, lists, and data records, and resolves references across documents.

Key features include configurable numbering schemes (decimal, hierarchical, Roman numerals), locale-aware formatting, and consistent cross-references across multiple output formats. It supports multi-format output and easy integration with common document pipelines such as LaTeX, Markdown, HTML, and ePub. Language bindings are available for Python, JavaScript, and Java, with configuration through YAML or JSON. The system uses pluggable formatters and caching to improve performance on large documents.

The architecture centers on a modular core consisting of a numbering engine, a reference resolver, and formatter adapters. It maintains hierarchical contexts to preserve nested numbering and offers asynchronous resolution to handle complex, large-scale documents efficiently. This design aims to minimize dependencies while maximizing reproducibility and portability across environments.

NumberIt is designed for use in writing workflows, content management systems, and data processing pipelines. Typical workflows involve declaring a numbering policy, annotating items with stable identifiers, and generating final output with numbers and resolved references. The project emphasizes predictable behavior, extensibility, and compatibility with existing tooling.

The library is distributed under the MIT License and has been adopted in various projects that require consistent, automated numbering across diverse document types. See also numbering, cross-reference, document processing, and related tooling ecosystems.