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\uD83D\uDCD8 Instructions
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When you optimize a source document for accessibility and convert it to tagged PDF, you are using a type of automated tagging. Because you've already applied accessibility features in the source document, they will carry over during conversion. This type of automatic tagging is good and will make your life easier.
To save your Word Document as a Tagged PDF,
Click on the File Tab and click Save as Adobe PDF.
In the Save As box, go to the Options Box at the bottom.
In the Acrobat PDFMaker, check Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF and Convert Word Headings to Bookmarks.
If you want to tag the objects in the Tags Pane yourself, click on the Tags Root and click Delete Tags.
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8.4: Automatically Adding Form Fields
After your document has been imported into Acrobat, we need to create the form fields. Form fields are like text boxes and allow you to enter your information. There are two ways to add your forms, automatically and manually. To add your form fields automatically, you need to get the Prepare Form Tool. To activate this tool,
Go to the Tool Tab.
Go to the Forms & Signatures Section and find the Prepare Form Tool.
Click on the Prepare Form Tool’s dropdown menu and click Add Shortcut. The tool will appear in your Tools pane.
the All Tools Pane on the left side of the screen and click the Prepare a Form tool.
The Choose an Option to Create a Form page will appear. Click on the blue Create Form button.
Adobe Acrobat will send you an alert telling you that the changes you made need to be saved. Click on the Save button.
This tool will automatically add form fields to your document. One thing to keep in mind is that the tool will only create text box form fields. If you only use form fields for typing in text, that is okay, but if you need to create check boxes, or dates, or other complex form fields, you will need to make those manually. To add your form fields,
Click the Prepare Form Tool.
Select your untagged PDF. Leave the option for This Document Requires Signatures unchecked. We will add a signature line ourselves later on.
The option for Form Field Auto Detection should be left as on.
Click Start
Now your tool has added form fields to your entire PDF document. Field Names and Tooltips are also added, but you should check those to be sure they are accurate.
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8.5: Editing and Swapping Form Fields
Now that your form fields have been created, you need to check them all. Some fields could have been made that are not meant for their space. Others spaces may need different types of fields. A few could also have the wrong names. Be sure you check each one carefully and change them accordingly. The Prepare Form Tool gives you 10 different form types to create. These include,
Text Box
Check Box
Radio Buttons
List of Choices
Dropdown List
Action Button
Image Field
Date Field
Signature Field
Barcode Field
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Many of these fields can be used in accessible ways for your project. In our example, we are going to use some of these form fields to make our application accessible. First, we are going to delete the forms that were automatically created for us that we do not need. In this case, the Date field is a text field, but we want it to be a Date Field.
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Go to the Tool Bar at the top of the screen. Click the type of form you want created. In this example we will click the calendar icon to create a Date Field.
The field is created on your cursor. Click the location where you want the field. Then scale the box to fit the location.
Now double click on the new field. The Text Field Properties box will open. Give the field a new meaningful name.
Unique Field Names
All field names need to be unique. If you do not have unique field names, Acrobat will duplicate any tool tips you made to all of the fields that share the same name. This can cause a lot of confusion if you use a similar name frequently in the document. For example, if you have a field name called Date, you cannot have another field name used in the PDF. If you do, the readers may not know what information to put down. The field many need today’s date or a different date. Keep this in mind when naming your fields.
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Tooltips
When the screen reader reads the form field, the name will be read first, followed by the tooltip. Tooltips should be written like instructions telling the reader what to do for filling out the form field. When you have created a tooltip, you can hover your mouse over the form field and a small yellow box will appear with a tool tip inside. Keep in mind that tool tips should never include word for the type of field. An example could be “Check box Yes”. This is because screen readers will announce that information automatically.
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Double click on your form field.
In the Text Field Properties box, go to the General Tab. Type in your tooltip in the Tooltip box.
Marking Fields as Required
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Double Click on your form field.
In the Text Field Properties box, go to the General tab and check the Required Box.
Required Field Marker Indicator 2 Example:
You can place a notice at the top of your document. This is good for when you have a document where everything is required to be filled out.
If only certain fields are required, mark them with an asterisk or the work required in parentheses within the visible field label. Include an explanatory note in the form instructions, such as: "All fields with an asterisk are required." Then, for screen reader users, you would include the word (Required) in the tooltip.
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In our example, we will use the full name form field. When you create the form fields automatically, the name will be automatically generated. Sometimes it is accurate, but they should be checked. Tooltips are not made automatically and need to be added manually.
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Check Boxes and Radio Buttons
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Delete the form field you want replaced.
Go to the Tool Bar at the top of the screen. Select the Dropdown Menu button.
Click and drag your dropdown menu form field to create the form field in its location.
Double click the field to open the Dropdown Properties box. Include a name and tooltip.
Next, go to the Options Tab. In the Item box, type in your item and click on the Add button to add it to your item list.
Test your dropdown menu by clicking the Preview button and clicking on your dropdown menu.
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Go to the Tool Bar on the top of the screen and click the Button Tool.
Click and drag to create the button on your line. In this case, the clear form line.
Go to the General Tab in the Properties box. Give the button a name and a tooltip.
Go to the Appearance Tab and set the font size to 14 and the font to Times New Roman.
Go to the Options Tab. Change Behavior to Push. Then set the Label to Clear Form.
Go to the Actions Tab and in the Select Trigger dropdown menu and choose Mouse Up. In the Select Action Dropdown menu, choose Run a JavaScript. Click Add Button. Copy and Paste the JavaScript below.
Test your new button. You should get a warning asking you to proceed. This means your script works.
Digital Signatures
A signature field allow users to sign a document with a digital signature. When you create your form fields automatically, the signature form field is made for you. When you double click on the Signature form field and go to the General tab, the name and tooltip is also made for you. Users can use their existing Digital ID or make a new one.
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In the Properties dialog, go to the Actions tab. There, you can either select from a list of built-in actions or enter JavaScript to perform a custom action.
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Whatever actions you assign to form fields, follow these important guidelines for accessibility:
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You need to create your own Validation Script. You can do this by going to the Text Field Properties Box.
Go to the Validate Tab, check Run Custom Validation Script, then click the Edit Button.
In the JavaScript Editor, type in your JavaScript.
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8.6: Tab Order
Now that all of your form fields have been completed, you need to test the tab order of your PDF. A user may not be able to use the mouse to click from one form field to another. A good alternative to access the form fields is by using the Tab Key. To test your PDF, click the Preview Button and hit the Tab Key several times. What should happen is that the first form field at the top of the PDF should be highlighted first. Then by clicking the Tab Key again, the form next to or underneath the first form field will be highlighted. If a form field is skipped, that means the Tab Order is out of order. To fix the Tab Order,
Go into the Prepare Form Tool Edit Mode.
On the right side of the screen, go to the Fields Section.
The Fields Section contains all of your form fields and gives you the ability to rearrange the order of the form fields. To move the form field order, click and drag the field you want into a new position.
Go back to Preview Mode and press the Tab Key to test the new location of your form fields.
Keep tweaking the Fields Section until everything is in order.
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