Ask the Expert with Klaas Posselt: Accessible Forms Made Easy – The New Feature in axesWord
For our final "Ask the Expert" session before the summer break, we took on a topic that many of You have been grappling with for a long time: accessible PDF forms. Our guest was Klaas Posselt, one of the best-known experts in PDF accessibility, Chair of the PDF/UA Technical Working Group and a key author of the PDF Association's Tagged PDF Best Practice Guide. Klaas knows what a truly good tag tree for accessible forms looks like, and that is exactly what he showed us over the course of an hour.
Live, without a safety net
Instead of a polished presentation, we got a real live demo. Klaas had installed the axesWord beta and prepared a small demo form containing all the typical pitfalls we encounter in practice: lines instead of input fields, a big "O" to check, everything packed into layout tables.
"I'm just going to export the whole thing natively and live now, without a safety net, so you don't think I faked this here," he announced, and then demonstrated step by step how a Word document turns into a fully accessible, fillable PDF form. He summed up the core idea in a single sentence: "I put an input field into Word, and the same thing comes out the other end."
The new form feature is now available. Test the creation of accessible PDF forms directly in Microsoft Word.
The Aha Moment: No More Need for a Service Provider
What this means for everyday work became clear at the latest when the topic turned to corrections. Where every text change used to trigger another round in Acrobat or Kofax, now it's enough to: "go back into my Word document, fix the error and hit export again, and I'm done."
For Klaas, that is the real payoff. The feature comes in exactly where it's needed, "so that everyone is able to build their own form independently, without needing a service provider." This turns accessible forms from a specialist task into something that departments can handle themselves.
What Makes axesWord Unique
Klaas was particularly taken with the so-called label tag, which firmly links a form field to its descriptive text. This is exactly where other tools fall short: "To this day, there's actually no tool that can generate that properly." In axesWord, You link the field and label directly and mark up the text via a new role as a form field label. The result is a clean, valid tag tree, just as the appropriate semantics require.
One principle was clearly close to Klaas's heart: a good tool should leave the layout alone. "axesWord doesn't touch the layout. There are other tools that mess with your layout during PDF export. I'm a big enemy of that."
Straight Talk About the Limits, Too
It got refreshingly honest when the conversation turned to features the first version deliberately doesn't yet include, such as calculations or field validations. Klaas assessed this matter-of-factly: such validation fields are used by "0.3 percent of users, I think." His credo on the matter: "better to give the vast majority of people simple access and handle the exotic stuff some other way."
He didn't mince words when it came to the standards, either. A lot of it isn't ideal, simply because the PDF standard is very old: "Even though we're wiser now, 20 years on, I can't travel back in time and change something there." On screen reader support, he spoke of the "classic chicken-and-egg problem: which came first, the bad PDF or the bad software?" And anyone relying on JavaScript logic in their forms should be careful: "The vast majority of PDFs are opened in browsers, and most of them can't handle JavaScript."
A Lively Q&A
After the input came the interactive part. So many questions came from the group that we could barely fit them all in, ranging from tab order to multiple selections and signatures, all the way to PDF/A and the evaluation of completed forms. We've summarized the most frequently asked ones for You below.
Conclusion
Markus Erle drew the conclusion at the end of the session: there is currently no tool that implements accessible forms this easily at this level while setting the labels correctly, as is required for appropriate tagging. A strong argument if You want to procure axesWord internally, and above all a big step forward for users.
If You want to know how a screen reader user handles forms like these, take a look at our "Ask the Expert" session from February with Alexander Pavkovic on accessible PDF forms from the user's perspective.
Did You miss the last Ask the Expert session? You can watch the sessions again on our YouTube channel.
When will the feature be available, and will I get the update automatically?
The feature is available with the final version of axesWord. Whether the update arrives automatically depends on Your IT infrastructure.
Welche Feldtypen kann ich einfügen? Which field types can I insert?
Text field, radio button, checkbox, dropdown, list box, and digital signature. For checkboxes and radio buttons, You can additionally choose the appearance, such as a cross, checkmark, or circle.
Can I implement multiple selections?
Yes. For that, You use multiple checkboxes, where more than one can be ticked. Radio buttons, on the other hand, allow exactly one selection within a group.
Can I place form fields in the middle of running text, for example for fill-in-the-blank texts?
Yes. The field moves along with the surrounding text. For longer entries, You can use a multi-line field with the "Scroll long text" option. Note that classic PDF form fields are static and do not grow dynamically.
What happens to the field name when I copy a field?
When You copy a field, the name is automatically incremented so no duplicates occur. But You can deliberately give two fields the same name. In that case, the same content automatically appears in both places – handy when a value like the name is requested multiple times in the form.
Do the form settings apply to all documents or per document?
The settings are tied to the individual document, not to the computer. You can create templates from them and thereby build a kind of form field library.
Can I set the reading order within tables?
Yes, that's a proven axesWord feature. You mark up the table as a layout table and select the appropriate reading and resolution direction from the various options.
Will the form fields be preserved if colleagues without axesWord edit the document in Word?
Yes, as long as no one actively deletes them and no problematic format conversion takes place, such as saving in the old .doc format.
Does axesWord support calculations or field validations?
Not yet in the first version. If needed, both can be added afterwards in Acrobat or Kofax.
Can I pre-fill fields or reset a completed form?
Pre-filling, yes – for that You enter a default value. Resetting is a function of the respective viewer and is independent of the PDF.
What is the label tag all about, and is it mandatory?
The label tag firmly links a form field to its descriptive text. It isn't explicitly mandatory, but it is enshrined as a recommendation in the PDF Association's Tagged PDF Best Practice Guide and is well justified through the principle of appropriate semantics.
Can I additionally generate a PDF/A for archiving?
Yes. Accessibility means PDF/UA, archiving means PDF/A. Both can be combined in a single document at the click of a button.
Can I control the tab order?
The tab order follows from the text flow. According to the standard, the content order and tab order must be identical.
Why doesn't PAC display all field contents after filling?
That depends on the PAC version. With version 26.1, the display works reliably. If You do run into problems with a file, reach out to PAC support.
How do I evaluate the completed forms?
That depends on Your workflow and IT environment and is independent of form creation. The range extends from exporting to a spreadsheet all the way to handing the data directly to a database.
Will I receive IAAP educational credits for the webinar?
Educational credits are awarded by the IAAP, not by axes4. We make sure our webinars are pre-approved; You submit the proof to the IAAP yourself.
