Remove Blank Lines and Paragraphs

Overview

When content only applies in some documents, the place where it would sit can be left behind as a blank line or an empty paragraph once the content is skipped. Those gaps make the finished document look untidy.

OA REMOVE is a tag you place at that spot to clean it up. It stays out of the way while you build the precedent, and when a document is assembled without that content, it removes what would otherwise be left behind: either the trailing blank line, or the empty paragraph, depending on the situation.

You insert, edit, and remove OA REMOVE tags from the Clauses tab of the OneLaw Templates panel, alongside OA INCLUDE and the clause picker. The steps are the same whether you're authoring a precedent, base template, fragment, or clause; this article uses a precedent as its example. This article covers OA REMOVE only. For the other two, see Insert Fragments and Clauses Using the Clauses Tab.

Note: Click any screenshot to expand it for a clearer view while following the steps.

Who can do this

• System Administrators
• Template Administrators

Before you start

• Check you have Template Administrator access in Word. The Author Templates group appears only for Template Administrators.
• Have the precedent, base template, fragment, or clause you're authoring open in Word, whether you are creating a new one or updating an existing one. The Clauses tab is available only when what you're authoring uses Full automation.
• Set up the conditional content first. OA REMOVE only tidies the gap that content can leave when it is skipped; on its own it has nothing to act on.
• Decide whether leaving the content out would leave a single blank line or an empty paragraph. This determines which mode you use.

Insert an OA REMOVE tag

Inserting an OA REMOVE tag is the same short flow whichever mode you need.

Steps

1. Open the Clauses tab

   • If the OneLaw Templates panel isn't already open, select Show/Hide Editor in the Author Templates group on the OneLaw tab.
      

   Result: The OneLaw Templates panel opens.

   • In the panel, select the Clauses tab.
     

   Result: The Clauses tab shows the Include or remove and Clause picker options.

2. Open the Insert OA REMOVE panel

   • Position the cursor immediately after the content that won't always appear, such as a clause picker where choosing None leaves the clause out. When a document is assembled without that content, the OA REMOVE tag is what remains on the line, so it can clear the space.
   • Under Include or remove, select Insert OA REMOVE.
     
     
     

   Result: The Insert OA REMOVE panel opens.

   Note: If Insert OA REMOVE is unavailable, the cursor is inside a field or content control. Move it into ordinary document text and try again.

3. Choose what to remove
   • In the Remove dropdown, select the mode. Choose it by picturing what the skipped content would leave behind in its place:
     • Remove trailing new-line suits content that sat on its own line, such as a short clause. It closes up the single blank line left behind, and leaves the line alone if it still has other content on it.
     • Remove paragraph suits content that had a paragraph to itself, such as a standalone clause. It removes that whole paragraph, including its spacing, whether or not anything is left in it.
       
4. Insert the tag
   • Check the Will insert preview, which shows the exact tag that will be inserted.
     
   • Select Insert at cursor.
     

Result: The OA REMOVE tag is inserted as text at the cursor. It stays visible in the precedent and is applied when the document is assembled, clearing the blank line or empty paragraph.

Edit or remove an OA REMOVE tag

You can change the mode of a tag you have placed, or take it out, without deleting and retyping it.

Steps

1. Select it in the document

   • Place the cursor on the OA REMOVE tag.
     

   Result: The Clauses tab shows an At the cursor card naming it as OA REMOVE, with Edit and Remove buttons.

2. Edit it

   • Select Edit.
     Result: The panel reopens with the tag's current mode selected.
   • Change the mode in the Remove dropdown.
   • Select Update.
     

   Result: The tag is updated in place.

3. Remove it

   • Select Remove, then confirm.
     Result: The tag is removed from the document.

   Note: You can also remove the tag you are editing using the Remove button inside the edit panel.

Result

You have placed an OA REMOVE tag from the Clauses tab to keep assembled documents clean. Whenever a document is assembled without that content, OA REMOVE clears the space that would otherwise be left: the blank line, or the whole empty paragraph, depending on the situation. The tag stays part of the precedent and runs on every document assembled from it, until you edit or remove it.

Reference

The table below summarises which mode to use when.

Recommended articles

• Insert Fragments and Clauses Using the Clauses Tab
• Insert Fragments and Clauses Using the Fragments Menu
• Create a Precedent