Friendly URLs

Navigation on SLD is based mainly around the navigation bar and the search facilities. For instance, with the Quick Search facility, you can search for legislation based on title, year, series number, type of legislation or a combination of these criteria. However, another option is available, in the form of 'friendly URLs'. ('URL' stands for 'Uniform Resource Locator' and for these purposes means the address that you type into your web browser's address bar to locate a specific web page.) It is now possible for you to create your own URLs by specifying a year, series number and legislation type.

This approach has two main advantages:

If you are looking for a very specific piece of legislation, you can access the legislation database AND specify your search requirements in one quick, simple action.
The URLs are more user friendly. When you search for legislation using this method and then access a document, the address (URL) for the document is much simpler than it would be if you accessed it using an alternative method (such as a standard search). For example:

Long URL for a document accessed via standard search option

http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/legResults.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&
Year=2000&number=421&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower
=0&blanketAmendment=0&TYPE=QS&NavFrom=0&activeTextDocId=2686879&
PageNumber=1&SortAlpha=0

Short URL for the same document accessed via a 'friendly URL'

http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/documents/2000/421/ssi

There is nothing wrong with the long version of the URL, but the shorter version is much easier to work with - particularly if you wish to send the link (for example, in an e-mail) for someone else to view.