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Managing J-refs

Owned by Matt Lynch
Last updated: 15 Aug 2024
3 min read

You can assign unique references to the main provisions in your Bill or SI to help you track them and to give you something more stable to use in correspondence. We call these references “J-refs” for continuity with existing terminology used by OPC and PCO.

You can view these j-refs in the Editor next to each provision. You can also choose to make them visible within cross-references and in a PDF you generate.

The provisions you can assign a j-ref:

  • sections/clauses in Bills,

  • regulations, articles, rules in SIs,

  • schedules in both Bills and SIs.

How to insert or update a J-ref

In the Editor, right click in the provision you want to assign a j-ref to and select Insert/Update J-ref from the context menu.

(You can also do this by right-clicking on the provision in the Structure View or selecting Insert menu>Insert/Update J-ref from the toolbar. Or use the keyboard shortcut: Alt+J)

The existing j-ref will be shown if there is one. If there a j-ref in the previous provision then Lawmaker will suggest a new j-ref, e.g. if the previous j-ref was “j100” then Lawmaker will suggest “j101”.

Add or update the j-ref and then click Save to record your changes. The j-ref you enter must be unique within the document and can be up to 10 characters long.

 

Once you save the change, the J-ref will be displayed:

  • in the Editor: in the left-hand margin against your selected provision

  • in the Structure View: after the provision number but before the heading text.

How to delete all J-refs

Before publishing a Bill or sharing it with another organisation you may wish to remove all the j-refs from your document.

To do this, select Insert menu>Delete all J-refs from the toolbar.

How to delete an individual J-ref

If you need to delete a j-ref assigned to a specific provision, follow these steps:

  1. Place your cursor in the J-ref that you want to delete.

  2. Expand the right-hand panel.

  3. Click on the Attributes panel.

  4. Click on the value labelled ukl:jref.

  5. Click on the delete icon (a bin) to remove the J-ref.

How to show J-refs in cross references in the Editor

You can make the Editor show the j-refs within cross-references. This means that where the target provision of a cross-reference has a j-ref, it will show up in the cross-reference.

To do this, select Tools menu>Show/hide J-refs in cross references.

Repeat the action to stop showing them.

if you add a J-ref after creating a cross reference to that provision, you will need to run 'update x-refs' for the J-ref to be visible in the cross reference. See References .

How to view J-refs in cross references in PDFs

You can choose to show j-refs within cross-references in the PDF you generate of your document. See Generating and viewing a PDF .