> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sensible.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# List tips

This Sensible Instruct method extracts repeating data in a document based on your description of the list’s overall contents and each individual item. Data such as the work history or skills on a resume, the vehicles on an auto insurance policy, or the line items on an invoice are best suited for this method.

This method is an alternative to the [NLP Table](/llm-based-extractions/prompt-tips/table-tips) method, when the data you want can appear either as a table or as another layout. The List method can find data in paragraphs of free text or in more structured layouts, such as key/value pairs or tables.

#### Prompt tips

* The list description describes the overall contents for the list, while each property is a single description of an item that repeats in the list.
* You can use location hints to describe the target list's position in the document. For examples of location hints, see [Query Group](/llm-based-extractions/prompt-tips/query-group-tips) extraction tips.
* For more information about how to write descriptions, or "prompts", see [Query Group](/llm-based-extractions/prompt-tips/query-group-tips) extraction tips.
* For advanced options, see [Advanced prompt configuration](/llm-based-extractions/prompt).

#### Troubleshooting

* If Sensible partially extracts a multi-page list, for example skipping pages in the list, use a different LLM engine. For more information, see the [LLM Engine parameter](/senseml-reference/llm-based-methods/list#parameters).

## Examples

### Example 1

The following example shows using the List method to extract data from a restaurant menu:

![Click to enlarge](https://mintlify.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/sensible/assets/v0/images/screenshots/list_instruct.png)

To try out this example in the Sensible app, take the following steps:

1. Download the following example document:\
   \| Example document | [Download link](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sensible-hq/sensible-docs/main/readme-sync/assets/v0/pdfs/list.pdf) |

2. Create a test document type in the Sensible app, then click the document type you created to edit it. In the document type's **Reference documents** tab, upload the example document you downloaded in a previous step.

3. Click the document type's **Configurations** tab, create a new test configuration, and click the configuration you created to edit it.

4. Click **Sensible Instruct** and create fields to extract data using the following table:

| Field name | Method | Overall list description                                                | Property ids and descriptions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| ---------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| dinners    | List   | "dinner special menu items"                                             | **dinner description** <br />- "entree description"**price** <br />- "dinner price"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| desserts   | List   | "dessert special menu items"                                            | **dessert description** <br />- "dessert description"**price** <br />- "dessert price"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| wines      | List   | "red wines and white wines (not other drinks such as beers or liquors)" | **wine\_name** <br />- "wine brand name"**wine\_type** <br />- "wine varietal name (not brand), for example, return 'Red:cabernet savignon' or 'white:varietal not found'"**wine\_description** <br />- "wine description"**smallest\_serving\_price** <br />- "smallest wine serving size and its dollar price, formatted like '6 oz: $11'"**second\_smallest\_serving\_price** <br/>\- "second-smallest wine serving size and its dollar price, formatted like '6 oz: $11'"**bottle\_price** <br />- "price per bottle, in dollars" |

For example, use the following screenshot as a guide for configuring the `dinners` field:

![Click to enlarge](https://mintlify.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/sensible/assets/v0/images/screenshots/list_instruct_2.png)

## Notes

For the full reference for this method in SenseML, see [List method](/senseml-reference/llm-based-methods/list).