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murrjames
Known Participant
May 23, 2019
Answered

Naming form fields for accessibility

  • May 23, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 3551 views

Hi, I am looking for a documented answer.....something official.

I have a form, where the form fields use the Label as he Name in properties and in the tooltip I use Enter your name.

It is my understanding that in the form properties, the Name should be the same as the label, with a better description in the tooltip.

Does anyone know where I can find this answer? Would the form be considered accessible if the label was not mentioned in the properties of he form?

Thank you.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com

murrjames  wrote

Whatever you put in #3, is what shows up in #2.

Yes, that's what I said in my original comment above.

murrjames  wrote

Does the Label #1, have to be the same as the Name #3 to be accessible? For

example, I could have a label Name and in # 3 put hippo if I wanted.

As stated above, #3 has nothing to do with accessibility. Call it whatever you want.

Reread the original response above.

#3 is the form field control's name. Users and assistive technologies do not see or hear this name: it's used by Acrobat to manage the form, and also to connect the form's data with a database. It's recommended that this label be short, one word, and have no spaces (hyphens and underscores are usually OK).

1 reply

Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
Legend
May 24, 2019

Since you need something official, I'm an accessibility expert and forms developer who is on the ISO PDF/UA committee.

You're referring to 2 fields in the form control's Properties panel, #3 and #4 in this screen capture of a simple form field.

There are 4 parts of a form field:

#1 is the printed or visible label on the form field.

#2 is the form field control box itself, and the form control's label is shown highlighted in blue. It is always the same as #3.

#3 is the form field control's name. Users and assistive technologies do not see or hear this name: it's used by Acrobat to manage the form, and also to connect the form's data with a database. It's recommended that this label be short, one word, and have no spaces (hyphens and underscores are usually OK).

#4 is the ToolTip that is used by assistive technologies.

murrjames  wrote

I have a form, where the form fields use the Label as he Name in properties and in the tooltip I use Enter your name.

It is my understanding that in the form properties, the Name should be the same as the label, with a better description in the tooltip.

No, that's not necessarily true although no one will prevent you from doing that.

The printed/visible label #1 should closely match the ToolTip #3. Doesn't have to be an exact match, just that the "message" is the same. And yes, the ToolTip can have a more thorough description of what's needed for the form field's content, but it's not required. Examples:

  • If it's just a simple Last Name, First Name, Yes, No, etc. type of field, you don't need language like "Type your name here."
  • The ToolTips for Date fields should have mm/dd/yyyy to indicate the format your field needs, if that's necessary for how the form's data will be processed, such as eventually being merged into a database. But in some forms it doesn't matter if the date is written January 1, 2020; 1 January 2020; or 01/01/2020. This is your decision.
  • Selection boxes, drop-down menus, etc. are often helped by language such as "Choose one option" or "Choose up to 3 options."

Summary:

#1 visible label and #3 the ToolTip should closely match. But #2 the form field control's label is a behind-the-scenes thing. It's on its own and not part of accessibility.

Hope this helps you out.

--Bevi Chagnon | PubCom.com

|    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
    M
    murrjamesAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 24, 2019

    Whatever you put in #3, is what shows up in #2.

    So 1,2 and 3 are the same in this case. #2 gets that from #3, no way to

    make those 2 different.

    I may have worded my question wrong.

    Does the Label #1, have to be the same as the Name #3 to be accessible? For

    example, I could have a label Name and in # 3 put hippo if I wanted.

    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.comCorrect answer
    Legend
    May 25, 2019

    murrjames  wrote

    Whatever you put in #3, is what shows up in #2.

    Yes, that's what I said in my original comment above.

    murrjames  wrote

    Does the Label #1, have to be the same as the Name #3 to be accessible? For

    example, I could have a label Name and in # 3 put hippo if I wanted.

    As stated above, #3 has nothing to do with accessibility. Call it whatever you want.

    Reread the original response above.

    #3 is the form field control's name. Users and assistive technologies do not see or hear this name: it's used by Acrobat to manage the form, and also to connect the form's data with a database. It's recommended that this label be short, one word, and have no spaces (hyphens and underscores are usually OK).

    |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
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