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L
lafc
Participant
January 11, 2019
Question

Changes made with accessibility checker don't stick.

  • January 11, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 2842 views

I have been running the accessibility wizard on various documents. Inevitably, after I have painstakingly repaired a document with tagging issues, save the document, and run the accessibility wizard again, it is as if nothing I did the first time mattered. The tags appear once again in their original state and need to be fixed all over again.

What is the point of repairing tags if they don't stay that way? Are they merely suggestions on how to have created a better document in the first place? Is it too late for my documents? Am I saving them wrong?

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    3 replies

    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Legend
    January 17, 2019

    FYI,

    Right now, Rob Haverty (an accessibility expert at Adobe) is presenting the first of 6 sessions about PDF accessibility. Free, 1 hour sessions.

    Sign up here Accessible PDF Webinar Series — the series is FREE!

    Wait a few seconds for the page to populate:

    Even if you missed the live sessions, the recordings and presentations will be available from Adobe's website.

    |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
      Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
      Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
      Legend
      January 11, 2019

      Just to rule out squirreliness in the file, try Save As and give the file a new name, such as MyFile_v2.PDF.  The "Save As" command, as opposed to the general "Save" command, rewrites the file from start to finish and can often correct bugs in the file's coding.

      I'm wondering which methods you're using to fix the tags.

      • Dave's recommendation above (from within the checker's report)
      • Selecting a tag in the tag tree, right-clicking / Properties, and selecting a different tag from the tag field
      • Using the TURO tool in the Order panel
      • Editing the tags directly in the tag tree (double-click and typing the new name)
      • Moving the tags directly in the tag tree and/or order panel

      Also, could be "Apply Role Map" that's keeping the tags with their original names.

      |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
        L
        lafcAuthor
        Participant
        January 15, 2019

        OK, let's get simpler here.

        I created a new document in word, and inserted a picture. Nothing else is on the document. Then Save As PDF. I made sure the preserve tag structure box is checked in the options (not that any tag structure existed in that document).

        Then I open in Acrobat, and run accessibility checker. I add the document title. The checker finds my image with no alt text, and so I add alt text. The checker finds no other issues (besides contrast and read-order that must be manually checked, like always).

        I save the document. Close the document. Re-open the document and run the checker again.

        My alt text for the image IS NOT THERE.

        The document title saved, but nothing after that.

        I don't think my issue is with making my changes incorrectly. It's just not saving what I change.

        Dave__M
        Community Expert
        Dave__MCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        January 15, 2019

        OK - with step-by-step description, it is clear that something is indeed malfunctioning.  Is there another computer at your disposal on which you can try this same routine to test the results?  Saving the doc absolutely should retain your changes!!!  (of course).

        A repair installation or complete re installation might be a fix.  The 'repair installation' option is under the Help menu.

        Dave

        Dave__M
        Community Expert
        Dave__MCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        January 11, 2019

        Wow - very unusual.  I would be suspicious of the file location on which you are working.  Is the file on a network drive?  Does this issue exist on a locally-saved PDF?  I would cmpy one to your desktop, run the checker/fix... and see if the saved changes stick to a local file.

        Good luck.

        Dave

          L
          lafcAuthor
          Participant
          January 11, 2019

          The files I have had this issue with are saved locally.

          Dave__M
          Community Expert
          Dave__MCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          January 11, 2019

          Your changes should, in fact be saved with your document. What version of Acrobat are you using?  After running the accessibility checker, you are asking for fixes to be applied (manually or automatically in the latest Acrobat versions), and then saving, yes?  Not questioning your abilities/techniques, just trying to help troubleshoot.  The checker can be run over & over again.  With this in mind, have you run, fixed, and re-run the Accessibility Checker before and after saving?  Some tagging alterations can't even be undone, so once performed, it's a done deal.  I'm curious if your file passes after fixing, but before saving & re-opening.

          Dave

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