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Thread: Technical PDF Accessibility Question
Number of posts in this thread: 13 (In chronological order)
From: McDonald, Jennifer
Date: Wed, Jun 08 2011 1:18PM
Subject: Technical PDF Accessibility Question
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Hi all,
I have a question about some specific PDF files that are used on my
website. These files are forms, that are pre-populated with user
information dynamically (using iText). The PDF files are tagged, but
when the information is populated online, that information is not
tagged. I'm not aware of a way to tag an "empty" space in the shell PDF
file. When JAWS 12 first opens the file Adobe opens the Accessibility
Settings Window: Reading Untagged Document. This is the window that
gives you the "Reading Order Options". If I leave this selection
defaulted to the recommended setting (Infer reading order from document)
- the only information read on the PDF file is the text that has been
populated (essentially name, address, phone number, etc). If I change
the selection to "Left-to-right, top-to-bottom reading order" or "Use
reading order in raw print stream" all of the text is read correctly.
If I was a person relying on the screen reader to read this PDF I would
probably choose the recommended setting, and then determine that the PDF
was inaccessible when it was not properly read. I would not think about
changing that selection. It's my goal to have this PDF file work
correctly with default settings, but I'm at a loss. Googling
"pre-populate PDF Accessibility" has gotten me nowhere.
Any ideas or information if anyone has dealt with this before would be
appreciated.
Jeni
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From: Duff Johnson
Date: Wed, Jun 08 2011 1:36PM
Subject: Re: Technical PDF Accessibility Question
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Jennifer,
I don't understand the question... see below....
On Jun 8, 2011, at 3:18 PM, McDonald, Jennifer wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have a question about some specific PDF files that are used on my
> website. These files are forms, that are pre-populated with user
> information dynamically (using iText). The PDF files are tagged, but
> when the information is populated online, that information is not
> tagged.
If the files are forms (ie, they include fillable form-fields), then the information should be populated directly into the fields. No new tags required (assuming the fields are themselves properly tagged).
> I'm not aware of a way to tag an "empty" space in the shell PDF
> file.
...and that should not be necessary... unless you are adding content to the page itself instead of populating a form-field. In which case I would say: "Don't do that - make the PDF a fillable form and populate the fields instead".
Duff Johnson, CEO
Appligent Document Solutions
22 E. Baltimore Ave
Lansdowne, PA 19050
+1 610 284 4006
+1 617 553 1934 (direct)
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.appligent.com
http://www.twitter.com/duffjohnson
> When JAWS 12 first opens the file Adobe opens the Accessibility
> Settings Window: Reading Untagged Document. This is the window that
> gives you the "Reading Order Options". If I leave this selection
> defaulted to the recommended setting (Infer reading order from document)
> - the only information read on the PDF file is the text that has been
> populated (essentially name, address, phone number, etc). If I change
> the selection to "Left-to-right, top-to-bottom reading order" or "Use
> reading order in raw print stream" all of the text is read correctly.
>
> If I was a person relying on the screen reader to read this PDF I would
> probably choose the recommended setting, and then determine that the PDF
> was inaccessible when it was not properly read. I would not think about
> changing that selection. It's my goal to have this PDF file work
> correctly with default settings, but I'm at a loss. Googling
> "pre-populate PDF Accessibility" has gotten me nowhere.
>
> Any ideas or information if anyone has dealt with this before would be
> appreciated.
>
> Jeni
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> The information contained in this communication may be confidential, is intended
> only for the use of the recipient(s) named above, and may be legally
> privileged. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you
> are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this
> communication, or any of its contents, is strictly prohibited. If you have
> received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and
> destroy or delete the original message and any copy of it from your computer
> system. If you have any questions concerning this message, please contact the
> sender.
> ===============================================================================>
From: McDonald, Jennifer
Date: Wed, Jun 08 2011 2:03PM
Subject: Re: Technical PDF Accessibility Question
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Hi Duff,
Yes, content is being added to an existing pdf, positioned using x-y
coordinates. The shell PDF files being used are government forms, so we
don't have an option to modify those to include form fields.
From: Duff Johnson
Date: Wed, Jun 08 2011 2:45PM
Subject: Re: Technical PDF Accessibility Question
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Jennifer,
> Yes, content is being added to an existing pdf, positioned using x-y
> coordinates.
Ok, so you are "painting" content into a PDF page - you aren't populating a PDF form. Thus the problem.
AFAIK, iText won't help you edit the structure tree, create new tags, etc. Instead, your new content is simply breaking the file's accessibility by introducing content without also introducing (and correctly situating) the tags in the file's structure-tree.
It may _look_ like a form, but in the PDF argot, it's just a dumb page. A "PDF form", by contrast, includes fillable form fields. In an accessible fillable form, those fields are also tagged into the structure-tree.
> The shell PDF files being used are government forms, so we
> don't have an option to modify those to include form fields.
...and why not? You are "modifying" them when you add text, no?
Unless I'm missing something, why not download a copy and add fillable fields to the government forms, tag the resulting interactive PDF file properly, then use a server application such as <commercial> our very own FDFMerge </commercial> to populate the form-fields with your data?
If you must flatten the resulting filled form, however, you'll have the same problem (untagged content) as you do now. One way around this: make the fields "read only", then encrypt the file on the server prior to delivery.
Duff Johnson, CEO
Appligent Document Solutions
22 E. Baltimore Ave
Lansdowne, PA 19050
+1 610 284 4006
+1 617 553 1934 (direct)
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.appligent.com
http://www.twitter.com/duffjohnson
>
>
>
>
From: McDonald, Jennifer
Date: Wed, Jun 08 2011 2:57PM
Subject: Re: Technical PDF Accessibility Question
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Thanks for the info. I've forwarded it on to the developers.
From: Sean Keegan
Date: Thu, Jun 23 2011 11:21AM
Subject: PDF accessibility repair question
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I generally think I know what I am doing with PDF documents and
accessibility, but I am bit stumped on this one and would appreciate a kick
to the head (or other anatomical region):
I am working to tag PDF documents that were originally authored as MS
PowerPoint files for a poster display presentations (with no consideration
for accessibility) and converted to PDF using a Mac. I do not have access
to the original MS PowerPoint files. Aside from the annoying "z-index-type"
issues that have occurred when using the TouchUp Reading Order (TURO) Tool
to zone/mark the PDF documents, most of the files have been relatively
easily to repair for accessibility issues.
Unfortunately, I am encountering several PDF documents in which the TURO
Tool will not zone any of the text on the screen. It is text as I can
copy/paste the text from the document into a text application, but I cannot
actually zone a text block and get the blue highlight showing what text
content has been selected. Adding tags automatically as well as manually
has also failed. I have looked in the Content panel and there is no
information displayed in that panel view. Attempting to run Adobe Acrobat's
OCR process fails. I have also tried exporting the document as an Image
file (to then run through OmniPage), but I cannot export any derivative of
the PDF. There is no security on the document.
So, at this point, I have a PDF document with text on the screen, but cannot
use any of the accessibility tools (or any tool actually) to fix the
document for accessibility purposes. Has anyone else run into this sort of
document situation and found a solution for adding tags?
Take care,
Sean
From: Duff Johnson
Date: Thu, Jun 23 2011 4:24PM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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Hi, Sean,
The current Touch Up Reading Order Tool in Acrobat isn't ideal for these instances (yes, I'm being tactful).
Try working in the Tags panel instead. If you can select the text using text-selection tools in Acrobat you can "Create tag from selection" in the tags panel.
If you CANNOT select the text using the text-selection tool, then indeed, you have larger (but not insoluble) problems.
Feel free to email me offlist if you need more help.
Duff Johnson
Appligent Document Solutions, CEO
US Committee for ISO/DIS 14289 (PDF/UA), Chair
22 E. Baltimore Ave
Lansdowne, PA 19050
+1 610 284 4006
+1 617 553 1934 (direct)
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.appligent.com
http://www.twitter.com/duffjohnson
On Jun 23, 2011, at 1:22 PM, Sean Keegan wrote:
> I generally think I know what I am doing with PDF documents and
> accessibility, but I am bit stumped on this one and would appreciate a kick
> to the head (or other anatomical region):
>
> I am working to tag PDF documents that were originally authored as MS
> PowerPoint files for a poster display presentations (with no consideration
> for accessibility) and converted to PDF using a Mac. I do not have access
> to the original MS PowerPoint files. Aside from the annoying "z-index-type"
> issues that have occurred when using the TouchUp Reading Order (TURO) Tool
> to zone/mark the PDF documents, most of the files have been relatively
> easily to repair for accessibility issues.
>
> Unfortunately, I am encountering several PDF documents in which the TURO
> Tool will not zone any of the text on the screen. It is text as I can
> copy/paste the text from the document into a text application, but I cannot
> actually zone a text block and get the blue highlight showing what text
> content has been selected. Adding tags automatically as well as manually
> has also failed. I have looked in the Content panel and there is no
> information displayed in that panel view. Attempting to run Adobe Acrobat's
> OCR process fails. I have also tried exporting the document as an Image
> file (to then run through OmniPage), but I cannot export any derivative of
> the PDF. There is no security on the document.
>
> So, at this point, I have a PDF document with text on the screen, but cannot
> use any of the accessibility tools (or any tool actually) to fix the
> document for accessibility purposes. Has anyone else run into this sort of
> document situation and found a solution for adding tags?
>
> Take care,
> Sean
>
From: Ted
Date: Fri, Jun 24 2011 3:12AM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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Hi Sean
Try using the TouchUp Text tool (as opposed to the TURO) and then in the
Options menu of the tags panel use Create tag from selection.
Ted Page
Director, PWS Ltd
Registered in England no. 06508410.
Registered office: 4 Riverview, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4UX
From: Karlen Communications
Date: Fri, Jun 24 2011 3:57AM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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I would add that sometimes you can't use the mouse to do these types of
repairs but standard keyboard commands work with the Select Text Tool. Also
sometimes you have to select from the end of the line to the beginning or
even word by word and create Tag From Selection piece by piece...depends on
how horridly the source document was created.
Cheers, Karen
From: Bevi Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Fri, Jun 24 2011 6:24AM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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I'll add one more trick.
Use the Touch-Up OBJECT tool rather than the selection or Touch-Up TEXT
tool. Then use Make Tag from Selection.
FYI, I've found that PowerPoint 2010 exports better PDFs, as far as
accessibility that is. Fewer crazy stuff like this one that Sean describes
in the original post.
-Bevi Chagnon
From: Sean Keegan
Date: Mon, Jun 27 2011 5:15PM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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> Try using the TouchUp Text tool (as opposed to the TURO) and then in the
> Options menu of the tags panel use Create tag from selection.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions to use the TouchUp Text tool vs. TURO. I
did try those options, as well as to create the tags manually, but kept
receiving an error message (sorry - can't remember it right now but it was
not very clear or helpful). I think the errors may have had to do with the
lack of data in the Content panel.
As with most "ideal" PDF accessibility repairs, I am working to get the
original PowerPoint document and then do the conversions myself. Thanks
again for all your suggestions (both public and private).
Take care,
Sean
From: Tania
Date: Tue, Jun 28 2011 11:51PM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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how about using print screen to capture the text first?
From: Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date: Wed, Jun 29 2011 8:00AM
Subject: Re: PDF accessibility repair question
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Sean,
I took a look at the sample file that you sent separately and if you run "save as optimized PDF", including all of the clean up setting options, the selection issues go away. The issue seems to be that the PDF document originally created from Powerpoint (using Mac OSX Quartz PDFContext as the producer) was malformed.
The PDF optimizer is pretty good at correcting these issues, and I'd encourage you to try it if you haven't...
Thanks,
AWK
Andrew Kirkpatrick
Group Product Manager, Accessibility
Adobe Systems
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http://blogs.adobe.com/accessibility