Method and apparatus for cross-referencing text

A computer readable medium for storing a computer executable software program for cross-referencing text within a plurality of documents, the program including instructions for:

• locating a plurality of label strings within each said document, each label string labelling an associated part of each said document;
• converting each said located label string into standard format such that the said associated parts of each said document are all unambiguously labelled by said standard format;
• locating a plurality of cross-reference strings within said documents, said cross-reference strings referring to parts of said documents labelled by said label strings;
• converting each said cross-reference string into said standard format such that said converted cross-reference strings refer unambiguously to one or more labelled parts of said documents;
• collating said standard format cross-reference strings with said standard format label strings;
• and
• providing a program link between said cross-reference strings and those labelled parts of each said document to which the cross-reference strings refer, whereby a cross-reference string may be linked to a label string within a same one of the plurality of documents or to a label string within another of the plurality of documents.

A computer system for cross-referencing text within a document, said system comprising a computer having:

• means for locating label strings within said document, each label string labelling an associated part of said document;
• means for converting each said located label string into standard format such that the said associated parts of said document are each unambiguously labelled by said standard format;
• means for locating cross-reference strings within said document, said cross-reference strings referring to parts of said document labelled by said label strings;
• means for converting each said cross-reference string into said standard format such that said converted cross-reference strings refer unambiguously to one or more labelled parts of said document;
• means for collating said standard format cross-reference strings with said standard format label strings;
• and
• means for providing a program link between said cross-reference strings with those labelled parts of said document to which they refer.