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Re: Tagging Form Fields in PDF?

for

From: Duff Johnson
Date: Jan 22, 2020 12:29PM

The answer is: "context".

Sure, a list of form field controls may work for relatively simple forms… but grouping, sequence, labeling and general context is (at best) risked or lost entirely.

Also, your chosen screen-reader might be smart enough to present untagged fields in a useful manner, but other AT technology may depend on the tags themselves to (for example) highlight a field's label alongside the field. Screen-readers are only one type of AT.

Duff.

> On Jan 22, 2020, at 14:16, Joseph Sherman < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> Hi all. I have a question from one of my colleagues I could not answer. What is the practical impact of not tagging form fields? I know it must be done for the specifications and the error checkers, and how to do it. I always take the time to tag them, but we have forms where everything is tagged properly except the form fields.
>
> Without tagging the form fields it works perfectly with the keyboard and in JAWS and NVDA, both with the Tab and Arrow keys. I can even bring up a list of form controls in JAWS.
>
> What benefit does the user get from spending time tagging a hundred form fields? I need to give a better answer than "It's the specification".
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joseph
>
> > > >