PAC 2024 error details
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category
Logical Structure > Alternative Descriptions > Alternative Names for Form Fields
Error message
Form field has no alternative name
Matterhorn error condition
28-005 (A form field whose hidden flag is not set, whose rectangle is not outside the CropBox and which does not have a TU key does not have an alternative description (in the form of an Alt entry in the enclosing structure element))
explanation
There is a form field in the document that does not have a tooltip. In the standard visual representation of a PDF, the tooltip serves as a hint text that appears when the cursor is over the field (tooltip). The purpose of this hint text is to explain the function of the form field to the reader. In the standard visual representation, however, the tooltip is often of secondary importance, since form fields are usually described using surrounding text or other labels. However, various auxiliary tools (e.g. screen readers) use the tooltip as alternative text and therefore rely on it to explain the function of the form field to visually impaired users.
solution in Adobe Acrobat Pro
solution approach
To correct the error, the form field must be provided with a tooltip. When writing the tooltip, care should be taken to ensure that various auxiliary tools usually automatically recognize the form field type (e.g. input field, button). It is therefore not necessary, for example, to explain in the tooltip that the form field is an input field that is to be filled with text. Instead, it should explain what information is to be entered in the field or what action is triggered when the field is activated.
video tutorial
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More Informationpicture instructions
1. In the search bar, search for the tool “Prepare form” and open it
2. Right-click the form field >
Click “Properties…”
3. Open the “General” tab >
Enter alternative text
As soon as you save the document and check it again with the PDF Accessibility Checker, the error message Form field has no alternative name disappeared.
When saving, make sure to give the document a new name (e.g. Document Title_Rev2) and not oversave the previous version of the document. This way, you can go back to the previous version of the document if something goes wrong.
