Training Module: Copying provisions between documents

It is possible to take provisions from one document and either push them into another document; or pull them into the document you are currently editing. You can also ‘pull’ provisions from multiple documents into a single document. Combined with the feature allowing you to copy documents from other projects, this could be useful when merging different bill projects into a single bill.

📘 Introduction

Copying provisions between documents - push/pull

Copying provisions from multiple documents

Copying a document to another project

📚 Exercises

🛠️ Getting Started

Before you can draft a bill, you will need to create your own training project containing a number of different bill versions.

If you haven’t got one already, create a project containing the following bill documents:

You will also have to create 2 training projects if they don’t already exist called Training Project A and Training Project B and upload this bill XML Drafting_a_bill.xml into Training Project A
The following steps will allow you to create the data required for this exercise.

Click here to expand...

Download the XML documents for the exercise by clicking on the links you’ve been provided with. By default, the downloaded file is usually placed in the “downloads” folder on your computer.
Log in to Lawmaker.
If you haven’t already got a training project, from the Dashboard, create a new project of the type you need for the exercise. Give it a title such as [Your Initials] Drafting a bill. (See Creating a new project.)
From the Project tab for that project, select Document Actions > Upload document, and select the first XML file for the exercise which you have downloaded. Upload them into the Copy provisions between documents folder. (See Create a new document by uploading an XML file.)
On the newly uploaded document version, select Actions > Update Document Information and update the Title to match the title you originally gave the project.
Repeat steps 3 to 5 for all the other documents
If Training Project A and Training Project B don’t already exist, create them (See Creating a new project.)
Open Training Project A and from the Project tab for that project, select Document Actions > Upload document, and select the Exercise_4___final_version.XML file. Upload them into the default folder. (See Create a new document by uploading an XML file.)

✏️ Exercise 1: Pull provisions from another document into your document

Your bill partner has drafted a Part which they are ready to merge into your master document. After you merge the changes, they let you know that they’ve added a new section to that part and made some changes to the existing sections in the part they previously merged. You pull their recent changes into your master document and finalise the document ready for review.

Step1: Merge their part into your document which already contains a part

Find the document called Exercise 1 - Master in the folder called Copying provisions between documents and open it in the Editor

Detailed steps to pull provisions into your document

With the Exercise 1 - Master document open in the Editor, select Tools > Copy provisions between documents
Select to Pull - Copy from target document to this document
Select Exercise 1 - version 1 (the target document) from the dropdown menu in the top right of the dialog box
When the target provision’s provisions appear, select All provisions
Leave ‘Renumber document after copy’ and Update references in target document after copy' selected
Copy over the provisions

Step 2: Finalise the document

When the provisions have been pulled into your master document, there will be some fine tuning required to get the provisions into the correct order.

Recreate the same structure as this—

And insert a cross reference to section 4 in section 6(1) as follows—

Detailed steps to restructure and renumber your master document

Using the structure view, restructure your document so that you recreate the structure in the screenshot above
The sections and parts will need renumbering so renumber the whole document
Create a cross reference to section 4 and paste it into section 6(1) after the word 'Act'
Save your changes

Step 3: Merge their updated part into your document

You’ve found out that your bill partner has made some last minute changes to section 2 and 3 and they have created a new section that is numbered section 4. They want you to pull into the master document before you send out for review.

Detailed steps to remerge existing and new sections

With Exercise 1 - Master still open in the Editor, select Tools > Copy provisions between documents
Select to Pull - Copy from target document to this document
Select Exercise 1 - version 2 (the target document) from the dropdown menu in the top right of the dialog box
When the target provision’s provisions appear, select sections 2, 3 and 4 and notice how sections 2 & 3 highlight the corresponding sections in your document indicating they already exist in this document.
Leave ‘Renumber document after copy’ and Update references in target document after copy' selected
Copy over the provisions and see how you now have an extra section, that sections 2 & 3 have been updated and the cross reference in section 7(1) is now to section 5 due to the inclusion of the extra section and renumbering of the whole document
Save your changes

✏️ Exercise 2: Push provisions from your document into another document

Your bill partner wants to see the latest version of the section you’ve been working on so you push your changes to their document

Find the document called Final section - exercise 2 in the folder called Copying provisions between documents

Detailed steps to push your updated provision to another document

Open Exercise 2 - partner’s document in the Editor and look at section 3, noting how many subsections there are.
Close Exercise 2 - partner’s document and open Exercise 2 - updated section in the Editor so you can push section 3 to your bill partner’s document as this section has been heavily revised since they last saw it.
Select Tools > Copy provisions between documents
Select to Push - Copy from this document to target document
Select Exercise 2 - partner’s document (the target document) from the dropdown menu in the top right of the dialog box
Select section 3 from your list of provisions and see how it highlights the corresponding provision in the target document indicating that it already exists and will be replaced after the copy action
Leave ‘Renumber document after copy’ and Update references in target document after copy' selected
Copy over the provisions
Close your document and open Exercise 2 - partner’s document to see how section 3 has been updated

✏️ Exercise 3: Pull provisions from multiple documents into your document

Your bill partner has created a separate document for each section and they are ready to be pulled into your master document ready for review.

Step 1: Copy provisions from multiple documents

Create a new working version which will become the master document and pull in the provisions from the other documents

Click here to expand...

Create a new working document and call it Exercise 3 - Master in the folder called Copying provisions between documents (Document Actions > Create new working version)
Open it in the Editor and select Tools > Copy provisions from multiple documents
Select all the documents that start with “Exercise 3 - “

Step 2: Rearrange your provisions

Recreate the following structure—

Detailed steps to restructure your master document

Using the structure view, rearrange the order of the sections
Wrap the first 4 sections in a part with the heading Meetings and performance (multi select in the structure view using CTRL + left mouse click, then right-click and Wrap Elements)
Wrap the last 2 sections in a second part with the heading Final provisions
Wrap the first 2 sections in part 1 in a cross heading called Conduct of meetings
Wrap the second 3 sections in part 1 in a second cross heading called Performance improvement
Renumber the whole document (Renumber button in the upper toolbar)

✏️ Exercise 4: Copy your document to another project

You have been instructed to merge a different bill project into a new bill project. Copy the latest document version from Training Project A into your newly created project.

Find the Project called Training Project A and copy the document called Final - exercise 4 into your newly created project

Detailed steps to copy a document to another project

Create a new NI Bill project from the dashboard (+New button) calling it [Your initials] Training Bill
Close the document that automatically opens in the Editor using the Close Editor button and navigate back to the home page (dashboard)
Find Training Project A and open it.
Find Exercise 4 - final version and copy this document to your newly created bill project selecting Actions > Copy to another project and name your new document version [Your initials] Exercise 4