8. Cross-references
Last updated
Last updated
Now typically in Microsoft Word, a cross-reference is created by establishing a link to the concrete number of a clause. As we've seen with Clause9 though, clauses can be moved around freely and the numbering is not fixed. It would therefore make little sense to refer to a concrete number in Clause9, since those can be changed around at will. So in order to explain how Clause9 does deal with cross-references, let's take a look at a basic example and here in article 5 of the source document the termination clause, we can actually find a few cross-references that we can use as a sort of example.
So we’ll start by automating this clause and we’ll begin by creating a new library clause. We already have a folder called term and termination, so that seems like a good location to place this termination clause. Then the content title and the content body can naturally also be imported directly from the global panel. If I move down a little bit here, you can see that with a quick glance of this clause, that this will be imported without any problems. The structure is sound, so we can just click this import icon and immediately the content title and the content body will both be inserted.
So as soon as we click save and insert, the clause has been created and as we do that you can see that the legacy reference from Microsoft Word, this hard-coded article 5.1 for example, is already faulty. Because this clause is article 8 now in this particular document. So let’s make a functioning cross reference to remedy that.
Now before we move into that, there is one major distinction that we do need to make. Whenever you’re creating cross references in Clause9, you can either be confronted with a reference within the same clause to the same clause essentially, so references within one clause. Or you can also have references to another clause to another file in Clause9 parlance. So for example here in article 5.1 we’re simply referencing paragraph one of this particular clause, so the reference remains within the clause. But here we’re referencing a different clause file altogether.
The first type of cross reference within the same clause is definitely the easiest one to create. To give you an indication every single cross-reference in Clause9 starts with a paragraph symbol. So that’s where your cross reference will always start.
Then since we don’t know what the number of the article of the clause that we’re referencing to, the subclause that referencing to will be, it could be five could be eighteen could be twelve. Since the only thing that we do know is that the number of the sub-paragraph within this file is one, we can just refer to paragraph one. If we now click save in library you can see that the numbering automatically adjusts, and as we move this clause up to its correct location of article 5, the cross reference moves along with it.
So we’ll do the same for this reference, now this reference doesn’t refer to any specific paragraph within the clause, but it does refer to the number that the title of this clause has received. In this case again, because we already moved clause up this is five. And so to write that, we again start with the paragraph symbol and then we just write this dash title. So in other words the number of this clause’s title and that is of course article 5. We could have also written paragraph this, but then clause base would have referred to the actual sub-paragraph, the actual sub-clause that this reference is included in, so we’ll stick with this dash title.
So now that we’ve looked at referencing within the same clause file, let’s take a look at referencing outside it. With this article 7 reference, now if we take a look at the source document scroll all the way down here we can see that article 7 is the confidentiality clause. So what we’ll do is, we’ll create a new file, we’ll create this clause first. In order for us to be able to reference it, it has to be created first. You could arguably say that you can create a new confidentiality folder but for now I will just stick with placing this new clause into the boilerplate folder.
Then we’ll just move this to the side a little bit. The file name again can be something basic like confidentiality and then we can simply import this clause by clicking the import icon and then the content title is set. But when we open up the content body, we will see that the confidential information has not been recognized as a term and neither has the parties. So we can remedy that fairly quickly, we simply press this plus icon and insert that we want confidential information to be a term. Also that we want parties to be a term and if we now re-import this clause by clicking the import button again, then you can see that the necessary concepts have been added.
Fortunately, these concepts are already present in the library so we don’t need to create them. If we now click save and insert, naturally this will appear as clause number six because we had selected clause number five. Remember anytime you create a new clause while having another clause selected, it will be inserted right below that selected clause. So there are now two approaches for us to reference from clause 5 to the current clause 6, which maybe will move down right away so that it’s already in its appropriate spot.
The first and easiest approach is to simply add a tag to the clause that you’re referencing and then reference that tag in the clause where you’re making the reference. In other words, we can open up the plus more menu here, when we have the confidentiality clause opened and there you can see that there is a sub menu called cross tags. Which allows you to fill out one or more tags by which this clause can be identified. An obvious one would be confidentiality, for example.
So if we have created that tag (let’s quickly add it again confidentiality), there we go. Once we have created that tag we can go back into the clause that makes the reference to this confidentiality clause and we’ll again start with a paragraph symbol, and then just the name of the tag we just created. And then you can see that this also becomes a cross reference if we move clause 7 up to clause 6, then the cross reference follows suit. So that’s one approach and by far of course the easiest approach.
Now in some cases you will have an argument to make for the other approach which is by establishing a link between a concept and a clause, where you’re essentially saying this clause talks about this concept, this clause has as its subject matter this concept. So that’s another function of concepts aside from flexible terminology and storage space for datafields, it can also function as a tool to make cross references. So here we can go to the links menu, on the right-hand side of the confidentiality clause and we’ll establish an outgoing link with the confidential information concept. Now if we want to quickly find that, we can click the magnifying glass icon in the top right-hand corner.
We can indicate for example that we are looking for the concept of confidential information, since that is the topic of this particular clause. We can even indicate that we’re looking for a concept and then immediately we find the right concept, we’ll just select that. And if we now save this clause in the library, we have essentially told Clause9, the subject matter of this clause is the confidential information and if we then go back to the termination clause instead of referencing this cross tag, we could also simply reference the concept that is being implemented. In other words #confidentialinformation, and that also works. As you can see the cross reference still works, we can still move it around and it can still sort of change shape.
So the question of course that naturally arises at this point, is well when do when do I use which approach? If you find yourself in a situation where you would have to create an actual concept, solely for the purpose of establishing a link, for creating a cross reference. Then I would suggest that you do not bother with that, that cross tag will be perfectly fine to use.
However, if you already notice that you have a certain concept handy, and if indeed that clause has as its subject matter that concept. Then it’s an easy trick to just quickly establish that link and that will also improve your knowledge management going forward.
Do you want to learn more about this chapter? Check out our help page on cross-references.
