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Re: More problems with tables, PDF, and screen readers

for

From: Duff Johnson
Date: Apr 4, 2018 7:22AM

> Not sure/can't remember if the PDF and PDF/UA specs state that tables (and lists) aren't to be broken over pages...or that paragraphs aren't to be broken over pages for that matter.

PDF/UA requires "semantic appropriateness". Accordingly, tables (and lists, and paragraphs, and anything else) that span pages are NOT to be tagged as separate structures on each page - that would clearly violate PDF/UA.

> This is an ongoing discussion. If having page numbers tagged is not an issue, then having all of a paragraph, list or table together is something we remediate. If the page numbers are to be tagged, it is recommended that the page number either proceed or follow an entire paragraph rather than create a comprehension issue by placing the page number in the middle of text.

Page numbers are artifacts; do NOT tag them! Unless, of course, it's considered clever and desirable to cause your readers to encounter numbers semi-randomly in the text… NOT!

> However, I'm not sure that the PDF/UA specs cover how to add page numbers as Tags if you want a list or table to be intact under its parent Tag as it spans multiple pages. Where would the Page Number Tag be placed without interrupting the list or table content?

Authors should indicate pagination via the mechanism PDF supplies for this purpose - page labels!

> Perhaps this should be an option when converting to tagged PDF. We have the choice of keeping all of the content for a paragraph, list or table together or we have the ability to strategically Tag page numbers/leave room to Tag page numbers? We would still have the problem of where to add the Page Number Tags for lists and tables that span multiple pages, but it might help us in some PDF remediations where page numbers aren't important.

It's much simpler…

- Never tag page numbers; it's just wrong.
- Always use page labels; it's what they are intended for,

Duff.