Form from Tables?

[yn]

So I'm about to start playing with Word Doc tables that will need to be PDF forms. Already I have questions!

Forms do not at all align with my understanding of what a table structure is (heading/data cell associations), so how does this translate in the PDF world? My guess is, if I have a table in Word that I export export to PDF, then that table will automatically be tagged as a table. A broken table, that is, because there would be no formal column/row alignments or header/body associations. What stops the PDF from associating this structure to a table to instead read it as a form with various form elements?

Thanks for any input you may offer.

- Noel

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

yn  wrote

Forms do not at all align with my understanding of what a table structure is (heading/data cell associations), so how does this translate in the PDF world? My guess is, if I have a table in Word that I export export to PDF, then that table will automatically be tagged as a table. A broken table, that is, because there would be no formal column/row alignments or header/body associations.

Hi Noel,

Good question. The <Table> tag was never designed to hold form fields and their labels. And if we're talking about accessibility, it fouls it up big time. You're correct: most form fields don't correlate to the column <TH> tags required to be compliant for accessibility.

Two solutions:

1. Don't use a table for the layout of a form.
   1. If you do, you'll have to drag all of the content tags out of the <Table> / <TD> structure and control their RO in the main tag tree.
   2. And then you must delete the now-empty <Table> tag itself.
2. Use a better forms-design program for this, such as Adobe InDesign or LiveCycle Designer. Note the Adobe's AEM Forms Designer that's cloud-based isn't on my list due to accessibility issues.

--Bevi Chagnon | PubCom.com

(Who is teaching an accessible forms class this week)

[yn]

Ok, thank you.

I assume then if the form was originally created in word, the PDF export would automatically create a table tag and structure. Seems true on my tests.

That being the case it looks like my only real option then is to 1) use Acrobat's form tool to create the field, then 2) strip out table content and delete the reference to the table leaving a form tag and whatever form elements are created in the process.

More or less?

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com · Accepted solution]

Noel, switch your sequence of tasks.

1. Drag/drop the content of each cell out of the <Table>/<TD> tags and into the tag tree.
2. Do something to the <Table> tag and all of its sub-tags <TR>, <TD>, <TH>.
   1. If you delete <Table> in the Content panel, it not only will delete the tags but the visible table as well. You may or may not want this result.
   2. A second method is to select the <Table> tag and all its subtags and Arftifact them. This retains the visible table, but takes it out of the tag tree for AT.
3. THEN add the form fields. We do not recommend using the auto-form detection in Acrobat as it has a nasty habit of removing or messing all of the regular text-tags for accessibility. Just a "little" bug.
4. Sign up for our accessible forms class when we run it again in the fall. <grin>

--Bevi Chagnon | PubCom.com

[yn]

Thanks!

I didn't know you had a form class. UGH I should have included that with the Word and IND + PDF classes that I took earlier this year

[karinr2678633]

How do I tag it after taking the tags out of the form? 

Can change the <TH> to <P>, but them what do I do with the form feilds?

For this column:

Would this tag order work?