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A
Anonymous
December 2, 2016
Answered

Why does tagging an Object as "Background" turns the Object into "Artifact" or "Sect"?

  • December 2, 2016
  • 6 replies
  • 6507 views

I'm using Adobe Acrobat DC Pro and this never occurred before the update a few months ago.

Basically what happens is that, when I want to tag an unwanted Object as "Background", that Object would appear highlighted in a tag known as "Artifact" (and sometimes "Sect"). I understand that if you look in the Content Pane, all Objects tagged as "Background" is actually under the "Artifact" tag. But it normally doesn't show.

The unwanted Object shows up in the Reading Order Pane as an actual tagged Object (tagged as Artifact). It is really annoying and bugs the program. Sometimes, it makes the whole page untaggable. No matter what I try to tag, nothing would tag. Sometimes, the tagged Object (as Artifact) cannot be retagged into something else. There are more, but in short, how do I get rid of this? I attached a screenshot of the footer that I don't want.

Correct answer Gill5C32

Hi

I always background/artifact things in Content for just this reason. 

Right click on what you want to artifact in Content, choose Create Artifact and keep the settings as Artifact type Page with nothing chosen in Attach to Side(s).

Choose ok.

Artifact created and won't show in Reading Order.

6 replies

G
Gill5C32Correct answer
Participant
September 21, 2021

Hi

I always background/artifact things in Content for just this reason. 

Right click on what you want to artifact in Content, choose Create Artifact and keep the settings as Artifact type Page with nothing chosen in Attach to Side(s).

Choose ok.

Artifact created and won't show in Reading Order.

    C
    cdnatadobe
    Inspiring
    May 26, 2017

    This is still present in DC 17.009.200044.25828.

    Here I've got 3 tables. I am trying to isolate the third for troubleshooting purposes by retagging the first two as Background. But unlike Acrobat XI, they still appear in the Read Order panel and retain a number (Item 1). Same thing if I perform a Delete Item Structure. The tags are gone but the artifacts remain in the Read Order.

    Update: Bug seems to be associated with the TURO tool.

    If go in the Contents panel, select the Artifact container, then right-click and select Remove Artifact,

    that content is removed from the Read Order. Thing is, I just got rid of the container and need a new one.

    • If I then hold down Shift, click and select that content in the Contents panel,
      right-click and select Create Artifact > Layout, then it has an Artifact container again, and not in the Read Order.
    • But if I use TURO again to select all then content and tag as Background,
      I again have an Artifact container that's in the Read Order.

    Please fix. In Acrobat XI, I would often tag part or all of a page as Background, so I could tag specific text layered above other elements, like the Paths making up a complex table. This bug hampers the ability to do that, and is simply not how Background is supposed to work.

      D
      Donghai24974047hpsx
      Participant
      July 5, 2022

      It's been 6 years, the problem still exist in DC, any fix or updates? 

        Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
        Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
        Legend
        July 5, 2022

        This bug has been around for a few years and at this time (July 2022) is only partially fixed.

        1. View the bugs updated status at https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/45393163-artifacting-error-still  and VOTE to get it fixed!

         

        1st method: As described by @Gill5C32, tag your artifacts in the Content panel. Afterwards, delete the now-empty <Figure> tag that might remain in the tag tree.

         

        2nd method: In the tag tree, expand the tag to show its yellow container/box. Right-click on the yellow container, select Change Tag to Artifact / select Page and leave the right-side UNchecked. Afterwards, delete the now-empty tag that remains.

         

         

        3rd method: Use the TURO / Order Panel's tools to artifact the content. However, this depends upon which version of Acrobat you're using. See the bug link for details:

        https://acrobat.uservoice.com/forums/590923-acrobat-for-windows-and-mac/suggestions/45393163-artifacting-error-still

         

        Vote at UserVoice (link above) and let's get this fixed!

         

        |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bevi Chagnon &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;Designer, Trainer, &amp; Technologist for Accessible Documents ||&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PubCom |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Classes &amp; Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs &amp; MS Office |
        andi1235
        andi1235
        Participant
        March 31, 2017

        As far as I can tell, the problem is that using the "background" button in the "tag reading order" window breaks tagging. As long as I don't tag anything as background, I can tag my document normally. As soon as I choose an item and click "background" the tagging stops working correctly. Until this is fixed I'm going to have to revert to using an older version of Acrobat, because this bug makes it basically impossible to make my PDF documents accessible (textbooks I'm getting from publishers, with no possibility of getting the original non-PDF files. I work in a disability services office.)

        I'm currently using Adobe Acrobat DC (15.023.20070).

        For the record, I've had MANY problems with document tagging, using different versions of Acrobat in the past, and it's always been a hassle. I really hope Adobe realizes how important this is for accessibility and gets a fix out ASAP!

          andi1235
          andi1235
          Participant
          March 31, 2017

          I just came here looking for a solution to this same problem. Glad to know it's not just me, even if no one has a proper solution yet. Thanks for sharing!

            W
            westcarleton
            Participating Frequently
            March 28, 2017

            I am having the exact same problem. Ever since my latest update, tagging with the reading order panel is not working AT ALL.

            I tag something as a figure it doesn't appear and seems to be backgrounded. I tag something as a background object it shows up in the reading order. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't I have no idea how to fix this. I had this working perfectly before. I am at my wits end. HELP!!!!!!

              a_C_student16379412
              a_C_student16379412
              Inspiring
              December 5, 2016

              How are you tagging the objects as background? Background artifacts should not be in the tag structure at all. I sometimes find them in the tag structure of documents that I remediate, but I do not know how they got there. When I find them I delete them from the tags and make sure they are set as Artifact in the Content Pane. If necessary - if the TURO tool is misbehaving - you can right-click the object in the Content Pane and set it to Artifact.

                A
                Anonymous
                December 6, 2016

                As far as I know, there's three ways to tag objects.

                1. Highlight the objects you want to tag, then select the type of tag you want to tag in the Touch Up Reading Order tool.

                2. Highlight the objects you want to tag, then right click and select the type of tag you want to tag.

                3. Select the tagged objects you want to change in the Reading Order Pane, then right click and select the type of tag you want to change the objects to.

                4. Create Containers in the Content Pane and drag the objects into the desired Containers.

                I used all four ways. Method 1 and 2 yield the same results (same problem as above). Whatever I tag as background pops up in the Reading Order Pane as "Artifact" (not Tag Structure Pane). They don't show up under the Tag Structure Pane, just Reading Order Pane. Method 3 is where I alter the tags in the Reading Order Pane and everything works as it should be. I select a page number object, right click, select background, and it disappears. Method 4 "works" but none of the tags are highlight when I use the TURO tool. For example, if nothing on a page is tagged and I create a Container <p> for the text and then I drag the text under that Container, when I use the TURO tool to check what's tagged or not, it doesn't show up.

                I tried right-clicking the object in the Content Pane and set it to Artifact and that worked perfectly. Thanks. I have two methods to work around the TURO tool now. This never happened until an update during the summer. And it is causing a huge pain for me right now because I am trying to do handouts with form fields. And those Artifact tags are messing up the reading order when I try to reorder the form fields.

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