Introduction
PDFs can be generated at any time for all documents in Lawmaker. You can generate them from the Editor or from the Project Tab, Amendment Workspace Tab or the Official Lists Tab.
When you generate a PDF it will open in a separate tab or window in your browser.
How to generate a PDF
From the Editor: select Document menu> Generate PDF from the upper tool bar.
From outside the Editor: Select Actions menu> Generate PDF on the document you want to generate a PDF from.
Select your preferred settings and then click Generate.
PDF generation settings
There are a number of different setting you can select to control what is generated. Some options are only available for certain document types.
Provisions etc. to include
By default all provisions in a document (or all amendments in an amendment list) are included in the PDF.
But you can select a subset using this dropdown. You can select any combination of provisions/amendments. They don’t need to be next to one another or of the same type. For example you can select a Part of a Bill (which will include all the sections in a Part) and some individual sections elsewhere in the Bill.
Tracked changes
These settings relate to if and how tracked changes in the document are rendered in the PDF.
Show tracked changes: all tracked changes will be visible in the PDF.
Show changes applied: in this case the PDF will show as if all the changes had been accepted.
Include side-lining: if this option is selected, side-lining will be included in the margin to indicate where changes have been made to the text.
Print artefacts
Include line numbering
If selected, shows line numbering in the margin of each page. Every 5th line is numbered.
Only Bills have line numbering throughout the whole document. Line numbering shows on the left for Scottish Bills and on the right for UK Bills
Footers
Footer note
Use this to include a custom note in the footer of each page. The note can be up to 2 lines of text.
Page numbers
Includes page numbers (List of Draft Amendments only). Other documents like Bills, Acts and SIs have page numbers by default.
Extras
Show J numbers in margin (Bills and SI/SSIs only)
Show D Numbers (Amendments only - displays the unique number e.g. HoC1)
Document version
The option to record a snapshot version (available for working versions and snapshot document versions only)
Click on the Generate button
The system will generate a PDF based on your supplied preferences and present it in a new browser tab
How to view a PDF (‘Project’ tab only)
Select View PDF from the drop-down menu on the selected document version
The stored PDF will be presented in another browser tab
Hints and tips
If the PDF isn’t appearing in a new tab, check that you have pop-ups enabled for Lawmaker (click on the padlock to the left of the URL in the browser address bar will give you quick access to adjust these settings)
Footer notes will appear on every page of your document
‘Project’ tab only
If you generate a PDF from the ‘Project’ tab, it will present the saved changes only – if you were working on changes in the Editor and hadn’t saved them yet, they will not be visible in the generated PDF.
If you generate a PDF from the working version or the snapshot version, you will have the option to create a snapshot version which will store the PDF you generated to view again at a later date – as well as the corresponding XML should you want to generate another PDF with different options selected
Editor only
If you generate a PDF from the Editor, it will present what you’ve got in the Editor view – including changes that you haven’t saved.
Bills and Amendments only
You can only publish a document version when a PDF has been created. PDF snapshot versions will have the additional option to ‘publish’ if you are a Parliament user.