Editorial Update/Starting Update Tasks
This page details the steps you take from selecting an update task from your "Dashboard" to checking out a provision and starting update in XMetaL, whether the amendment is an insertion, substitution or repeal.
Editorial Site: From "My Current Work" to "Check out for edit"
The following instructions explain how to navigate the editorial site to start your update task from your dashboard up until the point you have checked a provision out for edit. You will encounter several webpages throughout this process so the Glossary below provides a brief description and screenshot of each. When a page is mentioned in the instructions it is hyperlinked to its section in the Glossary. There is a link in the Glossary which will then return you to your numbered step in the instructions.
Note: please use the following hyperlink to access a page detailing the different columns and functions of the Effects Spreadsheet.
Instructions
- Click on "My Current work" on the editorial site to access your allocated tasks on your "Dashboard".
- Select a document from the Update tasks displayed under the purple heading "Online Update and Review Online Update", this will take you to the Starting Update Page.
- On the "Starting Update page", scroll down to the "Help and Support" section beneath the "bar chart" of Points in Time, and scroll down in that section until you can select the Effects Spreadsheet's "Download file" button. Download the Effects Spreadsheet (See Starting Update Page for instructions on how to do this).
- In the Effects Spreadsheet, filter the "IF Date1" (column W) so that it only shows the effects with the commencement date of the Point in Time you are working in. A quick overview of certain columns within the spreadsheet will alert you to any limitations to the amendments you are about to carry out or any additional information that should be present in its annotation. In particular, identify if there are any:
- limited extent amendments (columns I and/or J in comparison with column E);
- savings (column N);
- comments for the editor(column Q);
- notes (column R);
- appended commentary (column U); and/or
- qualifications to the "IF Date" (column X).
- Return to the "Starting Update page". Select the green "Start Task" button, this will generate the update task and then take you to the Update Overview Page.
- On the "Update Overview page", click on either the grey "Details" button which appears to the right of each provision in your Point in Time or the green "Continue update" button which will take you to the Update Details Page for the first provision listed on the "Update Overview page".
- On the "Update Details page" of the provision you have chosen in the previous step, select the green "Check out for edit" button. This will launch XMetal, the program that allows us to edit legislation.
- Prior to starting the task in XMetaL, consult the "Effects Spreadsheet" to check the geographical extent of the amendment by comparing columns I and/or J to column E and check if there are any qualifications to the "IF Date" (column W) in column X. This will determine the type of effect that you will carry out (the methods for which are on the wiki pages for insertions, substitutions and repeals).
- Now set up your XMetal workspace, as detailed below.
Glossary
This section provides a description and a screenshot of the different webpages you will encounter whilst following the instructions "From "My Current Work" to "Check out for edit" above.
The Starting Update Page
The Starting Update Page shows all of the "Points in Time" that have been allocated to you for "Edit Update." The update "barchart" shows the number of textual effects that need to be applied for each Point in Time. The dates on the "barchart" are based on the commencement information for the effects within each Point in Time.
The Starting Update Page
Downloading the Effects Spreadsheet
From this page you need to download the Effects Spreadsheet:
- Select the "Download file" button.
- In the pop-up save the file and select "OK".
- Open the Excel document from the "Download Folder" of your browser.
- Click "Yes" in the pop-up.
- Once the Excel document has loaded, click "Enabling Editing" on the yellow banner at the top of the page.
Download Effects Spreadsheet
The Update Overview Page
The Update Overview Page lists all of the amendment tasks that have coming into force dates on the date of the Point in Time you are working on.
The amendment tasks are grouped into a number of categories:
- High Level Amendments: Amendments that will require you to check out more than just a single provision e.g. a whole Part or Schedule.
- Provision Level Amendments: Amendments that only affect individual provisions, for example insertion of words.
- Automatic Amendments: These are amendments that do not change the text. The system will automatically create an annotation which you can check and edit if necessary. These can be non-textual amendments, coming into force effects, or automatic additions to existing annotations, for example the addition of a further coming into force date and reference to commencement order/s.
- Blanket Amendments: Amendments that needs to be applied to multiple provisions across the Act. This option allows you to choose what you need to 'check-out' in order to complete the amendments.
- Checked Out Documents: If any documents have not been checked back in during the update process, a list of those documents will appear under this heading. You can’t proceed to the next Point in Time, or complete an update task, unless all documents have been checked back in.
The Update Overview Page
The Update Details Page
The Update Details Page lists all of the amendments that need to be carried out for the provision selected for the specific Point in Time you are working on. This page allows you to see:
- The extent of the affected provision and the affecting provision. If the extent of the amendment is narrower than the extent of the affected provision this will be classed as a limited extent amendment.
- Link to the affecting provision so that you can check the amendment instructions before going into XMetaL
- If any additional information was recorded with the effects originally that you need to consider during update, this will be flagged here. Click on any red exclamation marks to get a help tip.
- You can expand the amendment tasks by using the small purple arrow which appears to the left of the 'amending provision'. This will give you all the details recorded with the original effect as well as providing access to a PDF of the original ‘marked-up’ version of the amending legislation. This may help resolve any queries if there is an issue with the amendment.
- There is a preview panel at the bottom of the page. Before update you can view the ‘previous version’ of the provision (which is the latest version from legislation.gov.uk). This step is highly recommended as it can alert you to any irregularity in the provision, or even in the document itself, which could later stop you from carrying out your editing. For the same reason we also recommend that you view the affecting legislation, by clicking on the Title of the document positioned under the heading 'Affecting Legislation'.After update you will be able to see the newly updated version appearing here too, labelled as the ‘Newly Edited version’.
- There is also a 'Preview Provision' option, so that you can preview the legislation within the context of the whole Act. This preview is useful if you want to view the 'timeline' for the provision.
Note: The page for high level amendments is slightly different, you will also be presented with a ‘Table of Contents’ of that item of legislation. This will then allow you check out higher levels e.g. Main body, Schedules, Parts, etc. Details on how this works is in the amendment specific guidance.
The Update Details Page
Setting up your XMetaL workspace
Instructions
- Once you have selected the green "Check out for edit button" from the "Update Details page", select "save file" in the pop-up. When the document has been downloaded open it by either:
- double clicking it in the "Download Box", or
- right clicking on the file in the "Download Box" and select "open containing folder". From the containing folder, select your file, right click and select, ‘Open with > XMetaL’. XMetaL does not need to be open already.
- In XMetaL your amended provision (the provision you will carry the amendment out on) will be open in the upper pane of the screen Full view.
- In the lower pane, the "Resource Manager" window shows the amending tasks you need to carry out. The list will be collapsed by default. To expand, click on the small cross to the left of the word task.
- To open your amending provision (the provision which makes the amendment), double click on the expanded task in "Resource Manager" and enter your credentials in the pop-up. The provision will open in a new pane, you can work with the amended and amending provisions each in full view or alternatively you can view both panes simultaneously (Simultaneous View).
- You can now carry out your amendment.
Tips
- If the "Resource Manager" window does not open automatically it can be opened by selecting "View" --> "Resource Manager" on the toolbar at the top of the page. The "Resource Manager" window can be moved around the page to a position that suits you for editing.
- In some cases double clicking on the task will fail to open the amending document. In such cases it is possible to manually open the amending document.
Glossary
This section provides a description and a screenshot of the different stages of XMetaL you will encounter whilst following the instructions "Setting up your XMetaL workspace" above.
XMetaL Amended Provision Full View
Below shows the view in XMetaL when the amended provision has just opened, by default the legislation will be shown in ‘tags on view’ and the Tasks in "Resource Manager" will be collapsed.
Full View: Amended Provision
XMetaL Amended and Amending Provisions Full View
Below shows both amended and amending provisions opened in full view in XMetaL, you can navigate between them by selecting the appropriate tab above the "Resource Manager" window.
Full View: Amended and Amending Provisions
XMetaL Amended and Amending Provisions Titled Horizontally
If it is your preference to view both the amending and amended panes simultaneously, you can change the view:
- using the tabs above the "Resource Manager" window, select the "task-update-" tab to put your cursor in the amended provision pane,
- select "Window" --> "Title Horizontally format on the toolbar at the top of the page. The amended provision pane will be the top pane and the amending provision will be the bottom pane.
Titled Horizontally: Amended and Amending Provisions
