Forms

Forms (PDF-9)

Form controls (PDF-9-1)

A Widget annotation shall be nested within a Form tag. Widget annotations are used for interactive forms.

How to test

Tool: Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Inspect the document for the presence of form fields.
2. Open the tags pane and review tags for all form fields.
3. Verify that they are correctly tagged using <form> with a nested ‘Field name-OBJR’ tag.
4. Verify that the <form> tag appears after and at the same level as the tag containing the visual text label of the field.

Test outcomes

• Pass: All form fields are tagged correctly using <form> with a nested ‘Field name-OBJR’ tag and appears after and at the same level as the tag containing the visual text label of the field.

• Fail: Any of the form controls do not have <form> tag with a nested ‘Field name-OBJR’ tag OR form tags do not appear after and at the same level as the tag containing the visual text label of the field.

• NA: Form fields/controls are not present.

Related WCAG criteria

PDF-U/A - 7.18.4 Forms

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Form tooltips (PDF-9-2)

Provide name, role, state, and value information for all form components to enable compatibility with assistive technology.

How to test

Tool: Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Inspect the document for the presence of form fields.
2. Open the ‘Prepare Form’ tool and right-click on form fields to open the properties window.
3. Verify that each form field has accurate, descriptive, and unique tooltips.

Test outcomes

• Pass: All form fields have accurate, descriptive and unique tooltips.

• Fail: Any of the form controls do not have accurate, descriptive and unique tooltips.

• NA: Form fields/controls are not present.

Related WCAG criteria

• WCAG 2.2 A - 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
• PDF-U/A - 7.18.4 Forms

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Form radio buttons (PDF-9-3)

Make sure forms are accessible and usable by programmatically associating labels that convey the purpose of the fields.

How to test

Tool: Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Navigate to the ‘Tags’ panel in Acrobat and find each radio button element.
2. Verify that visually grouped radio buttons share identical ‘Name’ and ‘Title’ attributes.
3. Verify that the radio button choice is correct for each option.

Test outcomes

• Pass: All radio buttons are accurately grouped, and each has the correct choice option text.

• Fail: Radio buttons are either not grouped accurately or their Choice option text is incorrect.

• NA: There are no radio buttons present.

Related WCAG criteria

• WCAG 2.2 A - 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
• PDF-U/A - 7.18.4 Forms

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Required form controls (PDF-9-4)

Notify the user when a field that must be completed has not been completed in a PDF form.

How to test

Tool: Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Inspect the document for the presence of ‘Required’ form fields that need to be filled in.
2. Verify that visual form label includes the word ‘required’.
3. Open the ‘Prepare Form’ tool and right-click on form fields to open the properties window.
4. Verify that form’s tooltip includes the word ‘required’.
5. Under the common properties, verify that “Required” check box is checked.

Test outcomes

• Pass: Each required form field includes the word ‘required’ in its visual label and tooltip. Additionally, the ‘required’ checkbox in properties is checked.

• Fail:Any required form field does not include the word ‘required’ in its visual label or tooltip, or the ‘required’ checkbox in properties is not checked.

• NA: Required Form fields/controls are not present.

Related WCAG criteria

• WCAG 2.2 A - 3.3.1: Error Identification
• WCAG 2.2 A - 3.3.2: Labels or Instructions
• PDF-U/A - 7.18.4 Forms

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Form input validation (PDF-9-5)

Notify the user when user input to a field that requires a specific, required format (for example: date fields) is not submitted in that format.

How to test

Tool: Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Inspect the document for the presence of form fields with added input validations.
2. Verify that forms indicate when user input deviates from the required format and that the error messages are clear and accurate for all users including Assistive Technology users.

Test outcomes

• Pass: Error messages are clear and accurate for all users.

• Fail:Error messages are not clear or accurate for all users.

• NA: No Form fields/controls with input validations.

Related WCAG criteria

• WCAG 2.2 A - 3.3.1: Error Identification
• WCAG 2.2 A - 3.3.2: Labels or Instructions
• PDF-U/A - 7.18.4 Forms

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Target size (PDF-9-6)

Actionable components have a minimum target size of 24x24 CSS pixels except for:

• Objects with a target offset of at least 24px. For example, a 20px width “Cancel” button has its right most edge at least 4px away from a “Submit” button placed on the right.
• Inline content within a sentence or block of text. For example, a wiki paragraph has multiple instances of hyperlinked text. Increasing the height and width of these links would impact the presentation of text and make it more difficult to read.

How to test

Tool: Adobe Acrobat Pro

1. Inspect the document for the presence of form fields and controls.
2. Use the Adobe’s ‘Prepare Form’ tool to find the height and width of a control.
3. Verify that each control has a width and height greater than or equal to 24px OR is less than 24px with sufficient spacing between controls (24px = .25in). For example, a 20px width “Cancel” button has its right most edge at least 4px away from a “Submit” button placed on the right.

Test outcomes

• Pass: Both height and width are greater than or equal to 24px OR less than 24px with sufficient spacing between controls.

• Fail: Either the height or width is less than 24px AND the center of the control is less than 24px from another control.

• NA: Target is a link or button in a block of text that requires a specific presentation.

Related WCAG criteria

• WCAG 2.2 AA - 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)
• PDF-U/A - 7.18.4 Forms