"Create tag from selection" makes multiple tags. How to prevent or merge the tags afterwards?

[Michael2367687668p0]

When I select a URL and use the "Create tag from selection" feature, Acrobat creates many tags, each with a small section of the URL.

I believe this is because the same structure is replicated in the content containers of the PDF.

What is the best way to address this? Is there a way to combine the content containers? Is there a way to combine the tags?

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

Your screen capture doesn't show tags.

It shows the yellow content containers that are inside tags.

The <P> or yellow tag icon = the actual tag. Expand the tag and it shows one or more yellow content containers.

Remember, tags wrap around content.

Question: what were you attempting to do by selecting a URL (which is just a portion of a paragraph's content, not the entire paragraph) and tag it?

Regardless of what you expected to get, what's shown isn't compliant. Tell us what your goal was and we can suggest a better method.

[Michael2367687668p0]

Thanks Bevi. The screenshot is of what happened when I selected the link and used "Create tag from selection".

I am trying to make a link tag using the URL in the text, but Acrobat makes a P tag and fills it with all these containers.

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

@Michael2367687668p0 , which version of Acrobat are you using?

It should be Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, and the latest build is 2022.001.20085 (as of March 2022). Up until a few years ago, Acrobat couldn't make a fully accessible hyperlink, so a relatively new version of Acrobat is required.

I've attached 2 sample files, one PDF doesn't have hyperlinks, and the other does.

Here are the steps to add an accessible hyperlink in Adobe Acrobat. These details are provided to document the current method for everyone who comes across this post.

1: With the black arrow tool, select the text that will have the hyperlink.

Before hyperlink is added.

2: Right-click on the selected text and select Create Link from the pop-up menu.

Right-Click, and select Create Link.

3: Choose the type of link: internal cross-reference, another PDF document, or a URL / email address.

Select the type of hyperlink.

4: Fill in the appropriate information.

NOTE: URLs must begin with http:// or https:// to be compliant hyperlinks.  Email addresses must begin with mailto:

URLs must start with "http://"Email addresses must start with "mailto:"

5: The final tag tree should look similar to this one. A <Link> tag is nested inside the <P> and it holds the text of the hyperlink (www.pubcom ) plus the Link-OBJR sub-tag, which provides the accessibility controls for the link.

Note how the tag tree has changed from the original without hyperlinks.

Final tag tree with <Link> and Link-OBJR tags.

Let us know about your software version and if these steps clear up the problem.

[alice_2020]

I'm not certain this would help, but I have sometimes been able to fix related issues in the Tags panel by hopping over to the content panel, drilling down to the most base text element, and cutting and pasting it into other text containers

[MasterBlaster77]

Ran into similar issues many times with the initial manual tag creation splitting up words by letter(s). The workaround I found is after you tag once and see split text, re-select same content (with the parent tag containing split content selected) and then click on any tag from the available tags in the Reading order, i.e, H5 (I like using H5 or H6 as these stand out should they get created in a random place within the PDF). You may have to do this a couple of times for 'stubborn' content, nevertheless, this technique does work. Once you have all non-split text tagged under a tag, you can then easily change tag to desired tag type (e.g., <P>).

[Celestial_Glimmer5C0B]

If the "Create tag from selection" feature is making multiple tags, you can try the following solutions to prevent this or merge the tags afterward:

1. Prevent Multiple Tags

• Check for Delimiters: If the input text contains commas, semicolons, or spaces, the system might interpret them as tag delimiters. Try selecting or inputting the text without delimiters to prevent multiple tags from being created.
• Customize Settings: Some tag creation systems have settings where you can specify the delimiter for tags. Check if there is an option to change this to avoid creating multiple tags.
• Manual Creation: Instead of using automated tag generation, manually create a single tag to have better control over the tagging process.

2. Merge Tags After Creation

• Tag Manager or Edit Tags: Many platforms provide a tag management feature where you can merge or edit tags after they have been created. Look for a tag manager in your system, select the multiple tags, and choose the option to merge them into a single one.
• Bulk Rename: If your platform allows, use a bulk rename feature to consolidate multiple similar tags into a single tag.
• Delete Duplicates: In case merging isn’t available, delete the extra tags manually, leaving only the desired single tag.

Let me know which platform you're using, and I can give more specific steps!