Training Module: Inserting, modifying and deleting provisions
This module will explain how to insert, modify and delete provisions in your document, with some exercises to allow you to practice this and find out about some useful shortcuts built into the Editor to help make drafting easier.
Before you complete this module, you will need your own training project containing a half finished bill to continue drafting. If you havenât got one already, create a project containing this half finished bill:
Drafting a bill.xml The following steps will allow you to create the data required for this exercise.
How to create a new project
Download the XML document for the exercise by clicking on the link youâve been provided with. By default, the downloaded file is usually placed in the âdownloadsâ folder on your computer.
Log in to Lawmaker.
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 DocumentActions > Upload document, and select the XML file for the exercise which you have downloaded. It can be uploaded into the default folder that has been created in the project. (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.
Duplicate this document version using Actions > Duplicate version and call the new version the name of this module. We will create a new document version per module.
Open the duplicated version in the Editor
âď¸ Exercise 1: Insert basic provisions
This exercise takes you through the process of inserting provisions
If you havenât already done so, duplicate the imported bill version and name it the description of this module so you can easily track work related to these exercises. Open the document in the Editor, and when it has finished loading, recreate the following section after section 6:
Step 1: Insert a section and definitions
Insert a new section after section 6 containing some definitions.
Detailed steps on creating the section and definitions
Place your cursor in section 6 and click Enter on your keyboard to view the insert menu and select Section (After)
Type Interpretation into the Heading placeholder
Use tab on your keyboard or click using the mouse to move the cursor into the âTextâ placeholder for the subsection and type In this Actâ
To insert the definitions, click Enter and use the arrow keys on your keyboard or click using the mouse to select Definition from the insert menu, clicking Enter to insert it.
Type âthe Departmentâ means the Department for Communities; into the first definition
Insert the second definition by clicking Enter again
To type the before the defined term, you will need to click on the left arrow on your keyboard once to move your cursor into the âTextâ element so that the breadcrumb reads Bill > body > Part > Section > Subsection > Definition > Content > Text
Move your cursor back into the defined term and type âemergency periodâ and move your cursor into the empty âtextâ placeholder element and type has the meaning given by section 1(2).
Step 2: Convert the subsection into section content
Promote the subsection into section content when a section is not divided into subsections.
Detailed steps to promote a provision
Place your cursor in subsection (1)
Promote it to become section content using any of the following optionsâ
Renumber your document using any of the following optionsâ
Click on the renumber button in the upper tool bar
Right-click and select Renumber provisions,
Select Tools > Renumbering Provisions,
Keyboard shortcut ALT+N
Select the whole document
âď¸ Exercise 2: Divide/split a provision into 2
Continue from exercise 1. This exercise shows you how to use split to divide a provision.
In section 2, split subsection (3) so that it is divided into 2 child paragraphsâ â
Step 1: Split Subsection (3)
Split the introducing words in Subsection (3) into separate provisions
Detailed steps to split a provision into multiple provisions
In section 2(3), place your cursor after the word âmayâ
Type â--â to insert an em-dash
Split the provision byâ
right-clicking and selecting Split Element or
use keyboard short-cut ALT+S.
Delete the space before your second subsection text
Repeat by placing your cursor after the word âand' in the newly created subsection, splitting the element and tidying any spaces again
Step 2: Demote the subsections
Demote the sibling subsections created from the split into paragraphs
Detailed steps to demote a provision
Place your cursor in subsection (4) (the first of the sibling subsections created from splitting the element)
Demote the subsection so that it becomes a paragraph by using any of the following optionsâ
right-clicking and selecting Demote Element,
using Tools > Demote Element in the upper toolbar or
using keyboard short ALT+]
Repeat for subsection (5) (the second subsection created from splitting in the step above) so that you end up with 2 child paragraphs of subsection (3)
âď¸ Exercise 3: Merge provisions
Continue from exercise 2. This exercise shows you how to use merge to bring together 2 or more provisions into a single provision.
In section 2(3), recreate the following provision by merging the paragraphs in subsection (3) so that they are a single subsection againâ
Step 1: Merge the paragraphs
Merge paragraph (a) and paragraph (b) into a single paragraph
âď¸ Exercise 4: Insert and remove grouping levels (wrapping/unwrapping)
Continue from exercise 3. This exercise will teach you how to use wrap and unwrap to insert and remove grouping elements.
In this exercise we will restructure the whole document by dividing it into 3 parts and removing all cross headings.
Step 1: Remove the existing grouping elements using unwrap
Remove the 2 x cross headings and 2 x parts
Detailed steps to unwrap grouping levels
Place your cursor in the first cross heading and remove the cross heading by using any of the following optionsâ
right-click and select Unwrap Element or
select Tools > Unwrap Element.
Repeat step 1 with the second cross heading and the 2 x parts
Step 2: Wrap the remaining sections into 3 different parts
Wrap the remaining sections into 3 different parts
Detailed steps to wrap provisions within a grouping element
Use the structure view to multi-select sections 1 to 2
With your cursor in the structure view on the highlighted blue provisions, right-click and select Wrap Provisions selecting Part
Type into the Part heading Meetings
Use the structure view to multi-select sections 3 to 5 and wrap them in another part called Performance
Use the structure view to multi-select the remaining sections and wrap them in a third part called Final provisions
âď¸ Exercise 5: Convert a section to a schedule
Continue from exercise 4. This exercise shows you how you can convert a section into a schedule. This can be done in both directions using the same feature.
Convert section 4 into a schedule and then undo the changesâ
Convert section 4 into a schedule.
Detailed steps to convert a section into a schedule
Place your cursor in section 4
Right-click and select Convert to/from ScheduleâŚ
Update the schedule heading with Performance
Rename the schedule cross heading by deleting 'Performance' from the start and capitalising the first word
Type into the reference note âTextâ element the section/provision that calls the schedule e.g. Section 2
âď¸ When completeâŚ
Save your changes and close the Editor using the Close Editor button
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