Info URLs and citation paths
URLs and citation paths
The routes, anchors and query parameters behind the site.
Hyperlaw's URLs are meant to be stable and readable. This page is the reference for the patterns used by pages, citation links and the API.
Instrument pages
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
/{code} | /C-46 | Whole instrument, English federal route. |
/fr/{code} | /fr/C-46 | French federal route. |
/{prefix}/{code} | /bc/18029 | A jurisdiction with its own prefix. |
/{code}/s.{path} | /C-46/s.8(1) | Redirects to the provision anchor. |
/{code}#{path} | /C-46#8 | The anchor itself. |
Citation paths
The path is the canonical citation key stored in the database. It is not always the prettiest printed form, but it is stable. Common shapes:
| Shape | Examples | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Section and subsection | 8, 8(1), 8(1)(a) | Federal, BC, NB, ON, UK, IE, US |
| Article | art-336a, art-1/s-8 | Swiss, EU, constitutions |
| Schedule | sch-1, sch-1/2, sch-1/part-i | UK, IE, ON, federal |
| Definition | 2:def:attorney-general(b)(i) | Federal and provincial definitions |
| Case paragraph | para-21, para-52 | Canadian judgments |
| Printed page | page-347, page-464 | U.S. Reports and state CAP cases |
Case pages
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
/cases/{slug} | /cases/2015-scc-34 | The judgment. |
/cases/{slug}#para-21 | /cases/2015-scc-34#para-21 | A paragraph. |
/cases/{slug}#page-347 | /cases/us-389-347#page-347 | A printed U.S. Reports page. |
/fr/cases/{slug} | /fr/cases/2015-scc-34 | French page, where an edition exists. |
Cited by and history
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
/cite/{code}/s.{path} | /cite/C-46/s.8 | Cases citing a provision. |
/history/{code} | /history/C-46 | Point-in-time index. |
/history/{code}/{date} | /history/C-46/2015-06-01 | The Act on a date. |
/history/{code}/s.{path} | /history/C-46/s.8 | Versions of one provision. |
Search and browse
The search form accepts q and sort. The browse panel adds kind, letter, origin, family, year and region. A regional corpus prefixes the path: /bc/search, /us/search, /on/search. Unknown sort values fall back to date.
| Parameter | Values | Used on |
|---|---|---|
q | Any text | Search and find boxes |
sort | date, alpha, numeric, links | Search, cases, browse |
kind | act,regulation,constitution,case | Landing browse |
letter | A–Z | Landing browse |
origin | A jurisdiction code such as bc, on | Landing browse |
region | canada, eu, us, … | Landing pages |
Fragments and tools
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
/fragment/{code}/s.{path} | Hover-card fragment for a provision. |
/fragment/{code} | Hover-card fragment for a whole instrument. |
/cases/{slug}/fragment?para=… | Hover-card fragment for a case paragraph or page. |
/api/v1/… | Read-only JSON API; see /api/v1/docs. |
/mcp | Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint. |
/reader | Account-gated Reader. |
Visibility
The sitemap is an index of child sitemaps: static pages (Info and disclaimers), legislation, and paged case sitemaps for every public-domain case corpus. Case pages are indexable when the source permits it (official SCC decisions and public-domain U.S. cases); the /cases index, cited-by pages, search pages, the Reader and the adjudication surfaces are noindex. robots.txt disallows the cite, search, reader and MCP paths. The Info and disclaimers pages are not part of the corpus and can be linked freely.