"Create Artifact" option in Content Panel Greyed Out for Annotations after Running Accessibility

[asiya_9090]

I ran my document through the accessibility checker and it identified three of my annotations (links) that weren't tagged. I followed the instructions from this help guide but when I open the annotations in the content panel and try to follow the directions and create artifact, but the option to do that was greyed out. Why is this? How do I tag my links? 

[ravinderg62643219]

Hi @asiya_9090 

Thanks for reporting the issue. Could you please confirm if you can edit the document. Would it be possible for you to share the pdf for investigation.

Regards

Ravi

[S. S]

Hi @asiya_9090,

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for the trouble, and the delayed response.

In case you are still looking for a response, here are my comments:

1. Annotations (Links) Exist Outside the Tag Structure

   • Links are interactive elements (like form fields) and aren’t always tied to the Content panel.
   • You can’t artifact them there because annotations belong in the Tags tree, not the Content panel.

2. Incorrect Approach: Artifacting Links

   • Links should be tagged, not marked as artifacts.
   • Artifacting is for decorative elements, not functional annotations.

Manually Tag the Links in the Tags Panel

1. Open the Tags Panel (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panels > Tags).
2. Locate the untagged links (or use Find in the Tags panel).
3. If the links aren’t tagged:
   • Right-click the surrounding text before/after the link and select "Find" > "Unmarked Links".
   • When Acrobat highlights an unmarked link, right-click it and select "Create Tag from Selection".
   • Choose <Link> as the tag type.
   • Inside the <Link> tag, add a <Label> tag (for descriptive text).

Check & Correct Link Annotations

1. Go to "Accessibility" > "Reading Order" (Shift + Ctrl + U).
2. Click on each link and assign the correct role.
3. If needed, right-click the link in the Annotations Panel and check its properties.

Re-run Accessibility Checker

• After tagging the links, re-run Accessibility Check (Full Check).
• Verify that "Untagged annotations" no longer appear as an error.

Hope this helps.

-Souvik