Hi Floris,

Since you specify
	align=left
in the setup of your description, I don’t see why the output would be unexpected. With the following version of your example code I get the attached PDF output.

%%% begin 
\setuppapersize[A5]
\definedescription[descr][
	headstyle=bold,
	style=normal,
%	align=flushright,
	location=hanging,
	width=broad,
	margin=1cm
	]
\starttext
\startdescr{Para}

	This is a shorter item label, and some text that talks about it.
	The text is wrapped into a paragraph, with successive lines indented.

	This is another paragraph under the "Para" item.
	\startdescr{Sub Item}
  
		This is a description of an item which is within the "Para" item.
  
	\stopdescr
	\startdescr{Sub Item}
 
		Another Sub Item 
  
	\stopdescr
\stopdescr
\startdescr{Short}

	A short item that's not part of that really long "Para" item.

\stopdescr

\stoptext
%%% end





> On 3 Mar 2017, at 09:59, Floris van Manen <vm@klankschap.nl> wrote:
> 
> The documentation on page
> http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Description <http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Description>
> 
> provides sample code to stack multiple levels of description such as:
> 
> \setuppapersize[A5]
> \definedescription[descr][
> 
>   headstyle=bold, style=normal, align=left, location=hanging, 
>   width=broad, margin=1cm
> ]
> \starttext
> \startdescr{Para}
> 
>   This is a shorter item label, and some text that talks about it.
>   The text is wrapped into a paragraph, with successive lines indented.
> 
>   This is another paragraph under the "Para" item.
>   
> \startdescr{Sub Item}
>   
>     This is a description of an item which is within the "Para" item.
>   
> \stopdescr
> \startdescr{Sub Item}
>  
>     Another Sub Item 
>   
> \stopdescr
> \stopdescr
> \startdescr{Short}
> 
>   A short item that's not part of that really long "Para" item.
> 
> \stopdescr
> \stoptext
> 
> which should generate the included rendering.
> 
> <d24ff9f3afdcc6cb5d0c8e09c24d5338.png>
> 
> 
> But reality is somewhat more diverse …
> My current context / luatex, as well as the online context engine come up with a different rendering
> 
> <Screen Shot 2017-03-03 at 09.51.57.PNG>
> 
> Even when you correct for the right/left alignment, the itemising does not properly stack up:
> 
> <Screen Shot 2017-03-03 at 09.53.43.PNG>
> 
> It there a work around ?
> 
> 
> $ context --version
> 
> mtx-context     | ConTeXt Process Management 0.63
> mtx-context     |
> mtx-context     | main context file: /Applications/ConTeXt/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkiv/context.mkiv
> mtx-context     | current version: 2016.09.24 12:40
> 
> $ luatex --version
> This is LuaTeX, Version 1.0.0 (TeX Live 2017/dev)
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> .Floris van Manen
> 
> 
> 
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