MyLaw Help

The easiest way to create new content on your Department or Center MyLaw site is to Use the "Create" link in the upper right corner of the MyLaw banner.

Once you click "Create" you must select the type of content you wish to create on your site (Announcement, Event, Deadline, Content Page or Document).   If you belong to more than one department or center, you must also select the appropriate site for which you are creating new content.

Once you select the type of content and the specific site, click Next.  This will take you to the form that must be filled out to create the new content.  (Please see the separate boxes for detailed instructions about creating announcements, creating events, creating deadlines, creating content pages or links, and creating documents.)

The "Department Documents" library includes any files you wish to make available to your audience(s). Files can be grouped by any categories you choose. Any file type can be uploaded, but do use more common file types (such as PDF or MS Office files), so that your end users can open them.

If you need to update your MS Office files, you can do so within MyLaw. There is no need to create a new or edited version; delete the old version; and upload it again.

Before uploading a document to MyLaw, please consider some best practices in naming your documents:

• File names should not contain any special characters (specifically they cannot contain \ / : * ? " < > | # { } % ~ &)
• File names should be chosen carefully since documents display in alphabetical order based on file name.
• By default, MyLaw overwrites existing files with the same names when uploading, so be careful to name your files accordingly. (Note: this can be a useful default when regularly updating the same document). 

(Note the items marked with a red asterisk are required fields)

If you are uploading a new document using the "Create" link, skip to Step 2. Make sure you are on your "Portal Content Management/Targeting Site" (See "Getting to Department Site Management" to the left) Locate your Department Documents web part and in the lower left corner click on "Add new item."
Browse your directories and select the document you wish to upload.
Add a Title to your Announcement (required). (Note: The Name field is already filled in as your file name)
Display on Date defaults to today's date, but can be changed to any date in the future. (required)
Doc Expires can be filled in to remove the document from view on your MyLaw site after this date.
A Document Category and be applied to better organize the documents on your site.  You can select from the two categories in the system (Documents or Forms) or you can specify any category you wish.  All documents will be grouped together by category in both the Portal view and the Admin view of your site.
Select the "Targeted Audience(s)" for your document.  NOTE: this is not a required field, if you do not select an audience, then this document will not be visible on the right side of the portal view of your site. You can still link to this document from a content page, announcement or event. See the box on Linking to Documents in MyLaw for more information
Click "Save"

Text within the body of an Announcement, Event or Content Page may be linked to any document on your MyLaw site (both visible/targeted documents and hidden documents).

Linking to Documents

In the body of your Announcement/Event/Content Page, highlight the appropriate text and click on the Link icon from the ribbon

This will open a window that allows you to link to content on your site (please be patient, it may take sometime for this window to open the first time in your editing session). Note: if you are not seeing the your "Dept CMS Site" please email mylaw@law.ucla.edu for assistance.

1. Double click on "Department Documents"
2. Select the document you want to link to (or upload a new document--see below). 
3. Once you have selected the document or page, the URL for that document will display in the location field.
4. Click OK.

Uploading a Document

To Upload a new document, double click on "Department Documents" and select the Upload link in the upper left corner.

1. Browse your directories and select the document you wish to upload
2. Fill out the MyLaw Department Documents Form (if you need help with this, see the Uploading Documents box)
3. Click Save. (The document will now show in the list and can be selected).

If you need to update your MS Office files, you can do so within MyLaw. There is no need to create a new or edited version; delete the old version; and, upload it again. Note: This feature is only available when working with MS Office files, i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher.

If necessary, expand the Content Category to locate the document you wish to update.
Position your cursor to the right of the title; click on the down arrow; and, select Edit in Microsoft Word (or PowerPoint, Excel, or Publisher).
This will open the file in the appropriate program. Make your changes to your document and click "Save" when you are done editing and close the document. You have now updated the document on MyLaw