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Number of posts in this thread: 6 (In chronological order)

From: Rabab Gomaa
Date: Mon, Jun 09 2014 4:46PM
Subject: Looking for info. for adding alert message on PDF on the fly
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Hello,
=20
I am wondering if anybody has information on adding an alert message on =
PDF on the fly (e.g. the message shows on the PDF when it is opened =
without being part of the PDF content).=20
=20
We have web pages that have PDF versions (e.g.brochures offered in HTML =
and PDF ). The primary accessible version is the webpage coded in HTML. We =
need to have a link on the brochure in PDF that goes to the HTML without =
adding it in the brochure content so that for example, when Google finds =
the PDF, the user gets this alert in order to go to the accessible =
version.=20
=20
Thank you,=20
Rabab

From: Olaf Drümmer
Date: Tue, Jun 10 2014 2:03AM
Subject: Re: Looking for info. for adding alert message on PDF on the fly
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Hi Rabab,

why can't you put some instruction with a link on it on the first page of the PDF documents?

As an aside (and just guessing here): if you have accessible HTML versions of the content - shouldn't it be relatively straightforward to generate accessible PDFs from them? With PDFs it's so much easier to download and keep them, and read them even when offline.

On 10 Jun 2014, at 00:46, Rabab Gomaa < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> We need to have a link on the brochure in PDF that goes to the HTML without adding it in the brochure content so that for example, when Google finds the PDF, the user gets this alert in order to go to the accessible version.


Olaf

From: Shawn Henry
Date: Tue, Jun 10 2014 5:14AM
Subject: Re: Looking for info. for adding alert message on PDF on the fly
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But Olaf, remember, even well tagged PDFs are not currently accessible to many people with low vision, dyslexia, and related conditions that impact reading. Info at <http://www.tader.info/>; & <http://www.tader.info/support.html#PDFisNOTaccessible>;

Providing accessible HTML as well as PDF seems like the right solution in this case. (And people who want to download, keep, and read the HTML files offline can just as easily do so. :-)


~Shawn

Shawn Henry <http://www.uiaccess.com/profile.html>;
NOTE: Information in www.uiaccess.com and www.tader.info websites and e-mails is from the individual Shawn, not associated with her employer.



On 6/10/2014 3:03 AM, Olaf Drümmer wrote:
> Hi Rabab,
>
> why can't you put some instruction with a link on it on the first
> page of the PDF documents?
>
> As an aside (and just guessing here): if you have accessible HTML
> versions of the content - shouldn't it be relatively straightforward
> to generate accessible PDFs from them? With PDFs it's so much easier
> to download and keep them, and read them even when offline.
>
> On 10 Jun 2014, at 00:46, Rabab Gomaa < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
> wrote:
>
>> We need to have a link on the brochure in PDF that goes to the HTML
>> without adding it in the brochure content so that for example, when
>> Google finds the PDF, the user gets this alert in order to go to
>> the accessible version.
>
>
> Olaf > subscription, visit http://list.webaim.org/ > = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>
>

From: Olaf Drümmer
Date: Tue, Jun 10 2014 6:05AM
Subject: Re: Looking for info. for adding alert message on PDF on the fly
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But Shawn, remember, I did not even claim the HTML is not a good solution, and also I was not the one bringing PDF up in the first place. ;-) And in rephrasing your statement, I'd say "Providing accessible HTML as well as **accessible** PDF seems like the best solution in many cases." And starting from accessible PDF one can in principle relatively easily generate well tagged, accessible PDF.

Will you be attend ICCHP 2014 in Paris in July? We could have a little fight there… ;-) Meanwhile I will insist that there is no real one size fits all approach, and tagged PDF does have value for some people with and without disabilities where HTML falls short.

Olaf

On 10 Jun 2014, at 13:14, Shawn Henry < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> But Olaf, remember, even well tagged PDFs are not currently accessible to many people with low vision, dyslexia, and related conditions that impact reading. Info at <http://www.tader.info/>; & <http://www.tader.info/support.html#PDFisNOTaccessible>;
>
> Providing accessible HTML as well as PDF seems like the right solution in this case. (And people who want to download, keep, and read the HTML files offline can just as easily do so. :-)

From: Olaf Drümmer
Date: Tue, Jun 10 2014 6:22AM
Subject: Re: Looking for info. for adding alert message on PDF on the fly
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Correction to my previous email:

instead of

>
> And starting from accessible PDF one can in principle relatively easily generate well tagged, accessible PDF.

the sentence should have said

> And starting from accessible HTML one can in principle relatively easily generate well tagged, accessible PDF.

Olaf


On 10 Jun 2014, at 14:05, Olaf Drümmer < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> And starting from accessible PDF one can in principle relatively easily generate well tagged, accessible PDF.

From: Olaf Drümmer
Date: Tue, Jun 10 2014 6:58AM
Subject: Re: Looking for info. for adding alert message on PDF on the fly
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Hi Rabab,

a good friend of mine just reminded me that the way I replied to your question totally ignored what you were actually asking for…

So let me try again with your actual question in mind:

- PDF does support the concept of an action that is carried out when a document is opened.
- such action could be a JavaScript script, which in turn could display an alert message with some text in it

There are some good aspects about this options, and some not so good aspects:

The good aspects:
- the JavaScript message would leave everything else in the PDF alone, including possibly present tags that make the PDF accessible
- if the PDF is a tagged, accessible PDF, there would be no need to integrate the information about / the URL to the HTML version into the tagging structure of the PDF

The not so good aspects:
- not all PDF viewers support open actions or JavaScript (one large user group impacted by this are Mac / iPhone / iPad users using Apple's PDF viewer; not sure about Adobe's mobile PDF reader or other readers on mobile devices when it comes to executing a JaaaScript on opening a PDF)
- some users may have JavaScript disabled (or their administrators may have disable it for them, e.g. in corporate environments)
- the alert would be displayed each time the PDF document is opened
- the URL provided in the alert message might not be clickable
- it seems there is no obvious way in Acrobat Pro to create an open action triggering a JavaScript; probably there are tools that could help (Google might be your friend here)

Additional thoughts:
- it is possible to refine the JavaScript and display a dialog with an additional button (besides the OK button that just closes the message) that launches the URL where the accessible content exists.

I have hand coded a simple example file, which you can download from here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d5rf0v3tbvcywxp/PDF%20with%20document%20open%20action%20showing%20alert%20message.pdf

Olaf


On 10 Jun 2014, at 00:46, Rabab Gomaa < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am wondering if anybody has information on adding an alert message on PDF on the fly (e.g. the message shows on the PDF when it is opened without being part of the PDF content).
>
> We have web pages that have PDF versions (e.g.brochures offered in HTML and PDF ). The primary accessible version is the webpage coded in HTML. We need to have a link on the brochure in PDF that goes to the HTML without adding it in the brochure content so that for example, when Google finds the PDF, the user gets this alert in order to go to the accessible version.
>
> Thank you,
> Rabab
> > >