Training Module: Inserting tables, images, special characters and math formulae

This module will explain how to insert and manage tables, images, special characters and mathematical formulae 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.

📘 Introduction

Inserting and managing tables

Images

Inserting symbols and special characters

Inserting and managing math formulae

📚 Exercises

🛠️ Getting Started

Before you can draft a bill, you will need to create your own training project containing a half finished bill to continue drafting.
If you haven’t got one already, create a project containing a 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 you’ve been provided with. By default, the downloaded file is usually placed in the “downloads” 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 Document Actions > 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

✏️ Exercise 1: Insert a simple table

This exercise takes you through the process of inserting a table and updating it.

If you haven’t 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. In section 1, create the following table

Detailed steps to insert a table

Place your cursor in section 1(2) and click Enter to insert another subsection
Type into the newly inserted subsection The baseline is the aggregate amount of net Northern Ireland emissions of each greenhouse gas mentioned in the following table in the year specified in relation to that gas—
Place your cursor in section 1(3) and insert a table by selecting Insert > Table
In the Insert table dialog box, select 7 rows and 2 columns; leave auto-size selected; uncheck Table number and Table caption but leave header selected, choosing centre alignment and italic; select centre-alignment for the cell also. Leave all the other settings as default and finally choose the 3rd border style (all borders)
In the top left cell, type Greenhouse gas into the empty Text element
Tab into the next empty Text element and type Year
Continue tabbing into the next cell and adding the remaining text
We are 1 row short: with your cursor in the last row, right-click and select Table… > Insert row after
Finish updating the contents of the remaining 2 cells.

✏️ Exercise 2: Move the table

You can move tables around the document in the same way that you can move provisions using the structure view.

Move the table in section 1(3) so that it is now in section 1(2)

Detailed steps to move tables

Show lower levels in the Structure View by toggling the switch in the Structure View header
Drill down into section 1(3)
Press and hold the left mouse button on the Table element and drag it up into section (2)

✏️ Exercise 3: Insert a table into a quoted structure

Sometimes amendments are made directly to tables in enacted legislation. This exercise explains how to insert tables directly into quoted structures.

In section 4, recreate the following inserted rows—

Detailed steps to insert a table as the starting element in a quoted structure

Place your cursor inside section 4(4) and click Enter to insert another subsection
Type In Part 2 of that Act, at the appropriate place insert— in the empty Text element
Click Enter to insert a Quoted Structure
In the Insert Quoted Structure dialog box, select Table as the starting Element, leaving the other fields at their default settings
In the Insert table dialog box, select 3 rows and 3 columns; uncheck Table number, Table caption, Header; leave the other default settings but select the 3rd border option (all borders)
In the top left cell, type 52B(8) and tab into the next one and type Failure by local provider to comply with licence on own premises and tab into the next cell and type 4-5
Continue adding text to the other 2 rows

✏️ Exercise 4: Modify your table

Lawmaker provides various options to allow you to modify your table including merging cells, inserting more rows and columns and changing the table appearance. If you are drafting a bill, it’s recommended that you only merge horizontally as vertical merges can sometimes affect line numbering.

In section 4, update the table as follows—

Detailed steps to modify your table

Place your cursor anywhere in the first row and right-click and select Table… > Delete row
Highlight the first two cells on the left and right-click and select Table… > Merge cells
Highlight the last two cells on the bottom row on the left and right-click and select Table… > Merge cells
Make the table smaller and centre aligned using right-click and select Table >Update Table
In the Update table dialog box, change Table width to 50% and select centre-alignment

✏️ Exercise 5: Insert a formula

Lawmaker allows you to insert formulas into your document. In your test bill, insert a new subsection into section 5 and recreate the following formula—

Step 1: insert the formula

Insert subsection (2) into section 5 and insert the formula using Insert > Insert Math Formula

Detailed steps to insert a formula

Place your cursor in subsection (1) and click Enter to insert a new subsection
Type The term value is determined using this formula— into the empty Text placeholder
Insert a formula by selecting Insert > Insert Math Formula
In the dialog box, recreate the equation starting on the left with the first set of parentheses.
Type in r then use the subscript button to create 1 in subscript after r then use the right arrow to move the cursor out of the subscript element to write the x
Insert a fraction and place your cursor in the upper box to insert another fraction
With your cursor in the upper fraction, use the left arrow on your keyboard to move the cursor to the left of the fraction to type 1-
Move your cursor in the top box and type 1
Move your cursor into the middle box and insert the parentheses and type inside it 1+c and move your cursor to the outside of the parenthesis and use the superscript button to insert the n
Move your cursor into the bottom box and type c
When complete, click on the OK button

Step 2: Insert the definitions

A ‘Where⁠—’ statement is automatically inserted with the formula. You can optionally delete it or add definitions to explain the formula.

Detailed steps to update the 'Where⁠—' statement

When the formula is inserted, it will be inserted with a ‘Where—' statement
Place your cursor into the ‘Where—' statement and click Enter to insert an Unnumbered Paragraph
Type c is the applicable capitalisation rate;and make c italic using Format > Italic
Insert another Unnumbered paragraph and type r1 is the rent at the valuation date using Format > Subscript to make the 1 subscript and highlight r1 to make it italic using Format > Italic
Insert the final Unnumbered paragraph and type n is the length (in years) of the period during which the rent at the valuation date will be payable; making n italic also

✏️ Exercise 6: Insert special characters and fada marks

You can insert special characters into Lawmaker, useful for foreign or technical symbols.

In section 6, insert subsection (2)—

Detailed steps to insert special characters and accents

Place your cursor in section 6 and click Enter to insert a subsection
Type In this Act a “pavement café licence” means a licence authorising, Rónán, the licence holder to place on a public area and costs 22￥.
To insert the the accent on the e, o and a, the quickest way is to use keyboard shortcut ALT GR + the letter you are inserting e.g. ALT GR + e = é
To insert the yen symbol, click on the Insert special character button in the upper tool bar
Select more symbols… and select the By categories tab
Leave the first drop down menu on Symbol and select Currency in the second drop down menu
Select the ￥ symbol and click on OK to insert it

✏️ Exercise 7: Insert an image

Images are rare in bill documents, but they can be inserted if required. You will need to download a high resolution picture to insert into your document which can be jpeg or tiff format.

Download the following image to insert into your document (or find an image of your own to insert)—

Detailed steps to insert an image

Place your cursor in section 4(1) and select Insert > Insert Image
Upload an image (if you are using the Royal Crest, you should find it in your download folder)
Provide some Alternate text Royal Crest and insert it into your document
Generate a PDF to see what the image will look like in print format (using Document > Generate PDF)