Empty span tags failing accessibility checks

[Freya5E1B]

Looking for some help please! Totally new to this so apologies if anything is unclear.  I am trying to resolve Accessibility check issues in Adobe Acrobat, specifically an error under "Associated with Content".  The document was created in word and saved as pdf.  When I review the element in question as it's tag it is always an empty <span> tag. If I delete the tag it solves the issue but I don't understand why it does that and it is not a great solution when there are 270+ tags that need to be individually deleted??!! Any help would be much appreciated! 

[mary helens142890]

I have found that if there are EMPTY "returns" (empty paragraph markers) inside your source file, each of those empty returns will create an empty tag inside the PDF.

If you think about it, Acrobat is tagging ALL your content. So, when your content includes an empty return, you get an empty tag. Eliminate all empty returns inside your source file. If an empty return was put in place in order to create more "space" between paragraphs (like between a headline and a paragraph that follows), elmininate the empty return and INSTEAD, use the paragraph menu (for one or both of the content in question) and build in "paragraph spacing" above or below (depending on which is applicable) to create the space between the content.

I hope this helps.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Quote: << specifically an error under "Associated with Content". >>

Empty paragraphs (or empty hard returns, whatever you want to call them), are not really empty at all. They contain either a space or paragraph return or both, which are real content even though it's invisible (or is "white ink on white background").

These invisible content items are still content and if you attempt to delete their tag from the Tags Tree, you'll get that type of error, or something similar like "Untagged Content."

Because the <P> has a yellow banker's box container it, therefore, has content and can't be deleted...yet.

Here's what they look like:

This is NOT an empty <P> tag!

The telltale signs:

1. The grey expansion arrow to the left of the <P> tag, and when expanded, its yellow banker's box that holds the paragraph's content.
2. The magenta highlight appears around something in the main document, even though it looks like white space.
3. A blue highlight around the content in the Tags Tree. It might be slim because it's highlighting only the paragraph mark, but it's still highlighting real, live content.

Solution #1:

• Expand the <P> to expose it's yellow banker's box content container.
• Right-click on the banker's box, select Artifact.
• Now the <P> will be "empty" and can be safely deleted.

Now empty, this <P> can be deleted.

Solution #2:

Take a class from an expert in accessible PDF!  You'll learn these details. <grin>

[Chad Chelius]

This is a strange error to get from a PDF created from a Word document. Can you share a screen shot of the tags tree showing these span tags and the error your getting in the checker?

[Cassie232178491mxr]

How do you tag empty cells in a table?

[Chad Chelius]

Simply as a <TD> tag.