The internal reference citation [...] doesn't match the ID of the target provision ([...]), stored in the href attribute of the reference element). This may mean the citation has not updated correctly or that it has been manually changed. Recreate the...
Full message: The internal reference citation ______ doesn't match the ID of the target provision (______), stored in the href attribute of the reference element). This may mean the citation has not updated correctly or that it has been manually changed. Recreate the reference unless you are sure the current text and attributes are correct.
This is an Advisory warning.
Description
This warning alerts you to any internal cross-references which have been altered in such a way that the text of the reference and the underlying ‘target’ of the reference (i.e., what it links to) are different.
Every cross-reference in a document consists of two essential elements:
Reference text - the text of the reference which appears in the document; and
Target information - the underlying record of what the reference is referencing.
However, it is possible to edit the reference text and the target information - see References | How-to-edit-references. (We generally recommend you don’t do this; if you want to change a reference it is best to recreate it 'from scratch'.)
If this results in a mismatch between the reference text and the target information, you will get this document warning.
Significance
This document check signifies that the provision to which the reference links is different to what it appears to refer to. It therefore serves as a warning that reference should be corrected by making either the reference text or the target information refer to the desired referent.
Importantly, the Update references function will not work for references in which the reference text and target information are out of sync. (See References | How-to-update-internal-references-to-reflect-renumbering-of-provisions for information on this function.) This is because Update references uses the target information of the reference to update its details. Therefore, if you intend to use this function, you should correct this document check first.
Example
For example, you might have a reference to Regulation 3. The reference text is 'Regulation 3'; the target information is #reg_3.
If I clicked ‘Edit ref’ and changed the reference text from Regulation 3 to Regulation 4, but didn’t change other information about the reference, I would trigger this document warning.
If I then used the Update reference function, the reference would not change.
How to fix
To fix this issue, you should generally recreate the reference to which it applies.
Retagging references (use if the reference text of the reference is correct)
If the reference text is correct, you can simply ‘retag’ the reference. To do this:
Place your cursor in the provision containing the reference triggering the warning;
(Optional: highlight the reference you want to retag. This will mean that any other references in the same provision do not get retagged;)
Retag the reference by either:
Right-clicking and selecting Retag reference, or
Pressing Alt + T on your keyboard
The reference should now be 'retagged', with its target information matching its reference text.
For example, if I changed the reference text of a reference from Regulation 3 to Regulation 4, then I retagged this reference using the steps above, the target information would change so that the reference linked to Regulation 4.
Note that if the above operation has resulted in the target information changing, another document check will be triggered. See Reference ________ requires checking as it has been updated. This can be resolved simply by clicking ‘Confirm reference is valid’ in the document check.
Recreating references
Alternatively, you can simply delete the reference to which the document check applies and recreate the reference you want.
See References | How-to-create-a-reference-using-the-Structure-View-or-the-right-click-context-menu for further detail.