Menu

Tag: microsoft word

Resolving Content Navigation Issues in Microsoft Word: A Practical Guide

Understanding Navigation Issues in Microsoft Word

One might come across an unusual scenario where the navigation pane in Microsoft Word displays extra content that’s not supposed to be there. Instead of showing just the headings for efficient document navigation, other content elements creep in, making navigation a bit confusing.

But don’t worry, there’s a workaround to ensure only headings appear in the navigation pane. It requires a few tweaks in the font settings within Microsoft Word, and your document will be back to its navigational best.

Fixing Navigation Issues in Microsoft Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

To begin with, you need to identify the text that is wrongly identified as a heading in the navigation pane. After selecting this text, right-click and choose the ‘Heading and Content’ option. Following this, navigate to the ‘Home’ tab and click on the ‘Normal Styles’ section.

Inside the ‘Normal Styles’ panel, right-click and select ‘Modify.’ This will present you with the ‘Format’ button. Select this and then choose the ‘Paragraph’ option.

At this juncture, you’ll need to adjust the ‘Indents and Spacing.’ The issue arises when the outline level is set to ‘Level 1.’ Change this setting to ‘Body Text’ and then click ‘OK.’ Doing this will fix the default styles in Microsoft Word, resolving the issue of non-heading content appearing in the navigation pane.

Get accessible Documents Now

Otter AI Posts:

Transcribe a video with Otter AI

Video Overview Getting Started: Using Otter.AI for Transcription You begin your transcription journey by visiting the Otter.AI website. This platform offers an easy-to-use ‘Import’ button, designed to make your experience as seamless as possible.…

by Shawn Jordison

Notetaking with Otter AI

This post will explore features of notetaking with Otter AI. The video below is a little over 7 minutes long. Some takeaways Notetaking with Otter AI Welcome to the Accessibility Guy channel. In this…

by Shawn Jordison

Dealing with Overwritten Alternate Text Issue during Word to PDF Conversion

Video Overview

The patch for this error is at the bottom of the post. You need to download this update from Adobe:

Understanding the Overwritten Alternate Text Issue in PDF Conversion

Hello there, tech enthusiasts! Today, we are taking a deep dive into a recent and pressing issue regarding PDF conversion that’s been creating quite a buzz. We’re talking about overwritten alternate text that users are experiencing when converting Microsoft Word documents to Adobe PDF. This perplexing problem has cropped up recently, possibly due to an update in Adobe Acrobat.

For those of you who regularly use images in your Word documents and assign them alternative texts (alt text), you might have noticed something odd happening. During the conversion process to PDF, the assigned alternate texts are mysteriously overwritten. When testing this, even when the alt text field is left blank for an image in a Word document, some other alt text seems to be auto-generated during conversion.

Investigating the Overwritten Alternate Text in PDF

The issue doesn’t stop there. Upon placing an alternate text ‘test’ on a second image and leaving the first one blank, both images exhibited the same peculiar behavior after conversion. By navigating to the tags panel in the converted PDF and right-clicking on the figure tag, you can view the properties of each image. This process reveals that some alt text is indeed being forced into these images during conversion.

The same test applies for the second image. Unfortunately, the alt text ‘test’ inputted is overwritten during the conversion process as well. This peculiar issue isn’t limited to a specific set of images, as it indiscriminately affects all images during conversion.

While the exact cause remains a mystery, the first step to preventing this issue is to regularly check the alt text on your images during conversion. Consider this a public service announcement to remain vigilant and ensure your image descriptions are preserved in the transition from Word to PDF.

Adobe Acrobat Update: A Potential Solution

In the hunt for a solution, a deep dive into the Adobe support community led to an intriguing find: an optional update for Adobe Acrobat that could potentially address this issue. But as with any bug fix, the efficacy of the solution isn’t guaranteed for all users. The optional update didn’t solve the problem in every case, but it could potentially help others experiencing similar problems. Despite the setbacks, continued efforts to troubleshoot this issue are essential.

PATCH LIVE

Remember, tech problems are only temporary, and there’s always a solution around the corner. Until then, double-checking the alternate text in your images remains your best course of action. Thanks for joining us today, and remember, always stay curious and resilient in the face of technology’s puzzles.

Get accessible Documents Now

Creating Accessible PDF Forms: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s digital age, ensuring that your documents are accessible to all users is a necessity. One particular area where accessibility can significantly improve user experience is in PDF forms. This blog post will walk you through the process of creating accessible PDF forms, which not only helps make your forms user-friendly but also aligns your documents with universal design principles.

Video overview:

Why Creating Accessible PDF Forms Matters

Accessibility in the world of technology ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can access, interact with, and benefit from the digital world. When you create accessible PDF forms, you are ensuring that your documents can be used by a wider range of people, including those with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments.

Steps for Creating Accessible PDF Forms

The process of creating accessible PDF forms involves several steps, each of which contributes to making your document more accessible and user-friendly. Here are some key steps:

Make the PDF accessible before adding the form fields

Before adding form fields, you should ensure that the base document is accessible. This includes adding headings and other important tags to the document.

Rather have someone else do this for you?

Get accessible Documents Now

Step 1 – Get the form fields in the document

There are two ways to do this. You can use the Prepare Form option in the tools section. Acrobat will automatically detect form fields.

Or, you can manually add the form fields

In the “Prepare Form” tool, select on the type of field you want to add (e.g., “Add a Text Field”).

Prepare form options

Click and drag on the document where you want to place the field

Sample form field on a page

Step 2 – Tag all annotation (form fields)

Additional practice

Missing form annotations

I like to add a placeholder tag to add all of the annotations in one location.

  1. In the “Tags” panel, right-click where you want to add the placeholder.
  2. Click “New Tag” and create something that will stand out. In this example, I use the word PLACE

Now we need to find the actual annotation. Make sure to select that new tag you made

Options: Find Unmarked Annotations

In the tags menu > select the options button > select Find

Options > Find Unmarked Annotations.” Acrobat will identify and highlight any unmarked annotations.

unmarked annotations


Then, select tag element.

Step 3 – Moving the Form Objects to fix reading order

In the “Tags” panel, you can select and drag tags to rearrange them to the correct location. Move each Form-OBJR into the correct location. If you did it correctly, all the “annotations” will be in the placeholder tag you created.

Moving tags

Creating a Form Parent Tag

  1. In the “Tags” panel, right-click on the tag where you want to add the parent tag.
  2. Select “New Tag.” This creates a new tag under the selected tag.
  3. Select Form
  4. Click “OK.” The new parent tag has been created.

This is what the tags panel should look like

P tag with form container

Step 4 – Add Form Descriptions / Tool Tips

  1. Right-click on the form field in the document.
  2. Select “Properties.”
  3. In the “General” tab of the dialog box that opens, fill in the “Tooltip” field. This text will be read by screen readers to describe the form field.
The tool tip

Step 5 – Final step Test Reading Order with Keyboard

Ensure that the tab order is logical and matches the visual order:

  1. Click somewhere on the first page of your document.
  2. Press the “Tab” key repeatedly to navigate through the form fields and ensure the order makes sense.

Thats it!

Get accessible Documents Now

More Form Posts

Creating Accessible Forms in Microsoft Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction:

Welcome to the Accessibility Guy channel. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the process of creating accessible forms in Microsoft Word and converting them into PDFs for enhanced accessibility. Although Microsoft Word has limitations when it comes to creating fully accessible forms, this guide will help you lay the foundation for your form before converting it into a more accessible PDF format.

Laying the Foundation for Accessible Forms in Microsoft Word

  1. Begin by opening a new Microsoft Word document. Add your logo at the top of the page, followed by a heading level one to introduce the purpose of your form. For this example, we’ll use the title “Application for the Accessibility Guy Champion Program.”
  2. Structure your form with field names such as “First Name” and “Last Name,” followed by a colon and an underline. Use the tab key to add space for users to enter their information. Be sure to adjust the tabs as needed to align the lines.
  3. Copy and paste the field names to create additional fields, such as “Phone Number” and “Email Address.” Remember to adjust the tabs for proper alignment.
  4. Add a brief description of the form’s purpose at the top of the document, such as “This application will be used for consideration in joining the Accessibility Guy Champion Program.”
  5. Include a space for a signature by typing your name and changing the field to “Signature.” This is often requested on forms that require a user’s consent or agreement.
  6. To incorporate checkboxes or radio buttons for multiple-choice questions, create a bulleted list. This will help maintain the desired structure when you start developing checklist items in Adobe Acrobat. However, keep in mind that Microsoft Word’s accessibility options for form controls are limited, and further adjustments may be necessary when converting to a PDF.
  7. To access additional form controls, open the developer tab by going to File > Options > Customize Ribbon, and under main tabs, select the “Developer” checkbox. This will add the Developer tab to your toolbar, where you can find various form controls. While these controls are not fully accessible to all screen readers, they can be useful for building the structure of your document before converting it to a more accessible format.

Converting Your Microsoft Word Form to a PDF

  1. Save your Microsoft Word document once you have completed creating the form.
  2. To create a PDF file, select the Acrobat tab in Word and then click on “Create PDF.” This will generate a PDF version of your form.
  3. Review the tags in the newly created PDF to identify any accessibility issues. For example, checkboxes may not come through correctly, which will require further adjustments in Adobe Acrobat. Additionally, ensure that the reading order is logical and that all form fields have appropriate labels.

Conclusion:

Creating accessible forms in Microsoft Word can be challenging due to its limitations, but with this comprehensive guide, you can lay the foundation for your form before converting it to a more accessible PDF format. In our next blog post, we will explore how to make your PDF form accessible using Adobe Acrobat, including fixing any issues with checkboxes and ensuring that all form fields have proper labels and reading order. Check out the link in the description below and join us next time to improve your form’s accessibility even further.

Order 508 documents

Word Posts:

Microsoft Word for Beginners

Video Overview Transcript of video Today we’re going to be covering the basics of Microsoft Word. If this is your first time to the accessibility guide channel, you should know that…

by Shawn Jordison

Alternate text in Microsoft Word

Alternative text descriptions of images (Alt text) helps users understand the picture’s significance (or lack of.) This content is typically only accessed with assistive technology. In some cases, if you hover…

by Shawn Jordison

Converting PNG Images to Editable Documents with Abbyy FineReader 16

Introduction

In today’s digital world, working with different file formats is a common task. One such scenario involves converting a PNG image into an editable document. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the process of using Abbyy FineReader 16 to achieve this task efficiently. Join us as we explore the Accessibility Guy channel and learn how to convert a PNG file with table structures and checkboxes into a searchable PDF or Word document.

Video overview

Step 1: Prepare your PNG file

For this demonstration, we’ll use a PNG file containing a table with rows, columns, and checkbox images. This file represents a common scenario where one needs to extract the data from a static image format and convert it into an editable document.

Step 2: Open the PNG file in Abbyy FineReader 16

Launch Abbyy FineReader 16 and select the OCR Editor. Open the PNG file, and the software will automatically run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on the image.

Step 3: Analyze the table structure

Zoom in on the image panel and check the text panel. If Abbyy doesn’t recognize the table structure correctly, delete all text areas by right-clicking in the image panel. Use the table tool to draw a box around the table and click on “Analyze Table Structure” located in the bottom corner of the window. This action will analyze the table and apply rows and columns accordingly.

Step 4: Recognize the text

Click on the “Recognize” button to OCR the file. If the document is not in English, change the recognition language accordingly, and run the recognition process again. Visually spot-check the text for accuracy.

Step 5: Adjust the table content

In case Abbyy replaces certain icons or images with text, manually type the appropriate text in the corresponding cells. For instance, if the original file had checkboxes indicating whether an item met certain specifications, replace the text with the translated phrase for “meets specifications” or “does not meet specifications.”

Step 6: Export the file as a searchable PDF

Change the export settings to “Searchable PDF” and save the file. If the image quality is blurry, go to Tools > Options > PDF, and adjust the image quality settings. Disable the MRC compression if necessary to improve the text quality.

Step 7: Save the file as a Microsoft Word document

If you prefer working with a Word document, save the file in that format. Keep in mind that the alternate texts might appear in the document, depending on how the file was zoned in Abbyy. To retain the checkboxes, apply picture zones to the cells and manually insert the icons as a table.

Conclusion

Abbyy FineReader 16 makes it simple to convert a PNG file, even with complex table structures, into an editable PDF or Word document. With this step-by-step guide, you can easily transform static images into dynamic, editable documents for further analysis and collaboration. As always, thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more tips and tricks from the Accessibility Guy channel!

Converting Scanned PDF to Word Documents with Abbyy FineReader

Introduction: Turning Scanned PDFs into Editable Word Documents

Handling scanned PDFs with poor image quality can be challenging. Thankfully, Abbyy FineReader offers an effective solution for converting such documents into editable Word files. In this blog post, we will demonstrate how to use Abbyy FineReader’s OCR capabilities to turn a scanned PDF into a Word document, even with blurry text and marked-through sections.

Step 1: Launch Abbyy FineReader and Load the Scanned PDF

Open Abbyy FineReader and choose the OCR Editor. Navigate to the file explorer window and select your scanned PDF file. For this example, we will work with a 72-page document.

Step 2: Complete the OCR Process and Clean Up the File

Once the OCR process is complete, zoom out of the image and text panels. Identify and correct any errors, such as misplaced signatures or incorrect text.

Step 3: Zone Text Fields and Add Image Zones

Create appropriate text and image zones to maintain the document’s visual structure while editing the text in the background. Reorder the fields to ensure proper reading order, then recognize the page once more.

Step 4: Apply Alternate Text to Images

Add alternate text to images, such as signatures, to improve the document’s accessibility. This step actually occurs in word.

Step 5: Validate and Edit Text in Tables

Check the text in tables, making sure it is accurate and correctly recognized. Edit any inconsistencies as needed.

Step 6: Delete Unwanted Text and Validate Low Confidence Characters

Remove any unwanted text by selecting and deleting it in the text panel. Pay special attention to low confidence characters highlighted in blue, ensuring they are correct.

Step 7: Edit and Update Misspellings

Go through the document page by page, correcting any misspellings or errors. This process may take some time, but it is crucial for producing an accurate Word document.

Step 8: Save the Document as a Microsoft Word File

Once you have corrected all errors and validated the text, save the document as a Microsoft Word file.

Step 9: Review the Word Document and Make Final Adjustments

Open the converted Word document and review it for any remaining issues. Make any necessary adjustments before finalizing the document.

Conclusion: Unlocking the Power of Abbyy FineReader for Scanned PDF to Word Conversion

Abbyy FineReader makes it easy to convert scanned PDFs into editable Word documents, even when dealing with poor image quality or challenging text recognition. By following this step-by-step guide, you can streamline your document conversion process and work more efficiently with scanned documents. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on the Accessibility Guy channel, helping you to optimize your document management and editing tasks.

Making Your Bilingual Microsoft Word Table Accessible in PDF

Introduction

Welcome to the Accessibility Guy channel! In today’s post, we will be discussing how to convert a bilingual table created in Microsoft Word, which uses both English and Spanish, into a PDF while ensuring that it remains accessible. If you find this helpful, don’t forget to like and subscribe for more content on accessibility.

Video Overview

Step 1: Saving the Word File and Creating a PDF

To begin, save your Word file, which should have an accessible table with English, Spanish, and some PNG checkboxes. Next, under the Acrobat tab, select “Create PDF” and save the file. Since the table was already accessible in Microsoft Word, it should mostly transfer over to the PDF as accessible.

Step 2: Checking the Tags Panel

After converting the table to a PDF, open the tags panel on the far left side of the page to check if the table has been tagged properly. If you see a section tag and a blank p tag, you will need to make some adjustments to ensure the document is accessible.

Step 3: Making the Document Accessible

First, change the section tag to a document tag by right-clicking the section tag, selecting “Properties,” typing in the word “document,” and clicking “Close.” This will help the PDF pass PDF UA and WCAG accessibility standards. Next, change the blank p tag to an artifact by right-clicking the empty container and selecting “Change Tag to Artifact.” For the artifact type, choose “Page” and click “OK.” You can then delete the p tag.

Step 4: Cleaning Up the Table Structure

Go through the table cells to ensure proper formatting, and use the table editor to adjust table headers if necessary. Remove any blank p tags by right-clicking and changing the tag to an artifact. This process will help clean up the table structure, making it more accessible.

Step 5: Running the Accessibility Checker

Once the table structure is in place, run the accessibility checker to identify any issues that may still need to be addressed. In the case of the example provided, the nested alternate text failed. To resolve this, remove the alt text from the path tag, which should resolve the issue.

Step 6: Fixing Missing Alt Text

You can fix missing alt text by using the accessibility checker panel. Right-click on the issue and select “Fix” to add the alt text. Ensure that your alt text is descriptive and helpful for users.

Step 7: Verifying the Spanish Text

Make sure that the Spanish text has been properly recognized. To do this, select the Spanish text and use the “Find Tag from Selection” option. Right-click the p tag and ensure the language setting is correct.

Step 8: Final Checks

Save your file and run the accessibility checker one last time to ensure that everything is in order. If any issues remain, address them accordingly. In the example provided, the title was missing and was fixed by right-clicking and selecting “Fix.”

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we went through the process of converting a bilingual table in Microsoft Word into a PDF while ensuring its accessibility. Although there may be some challenges and bugs along the way, the final result should be a fully accessible PDF document that meets PDF UA and WCAG standards. Thank you for joining us on this journey, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more accessibility content!

Order 508 documents

How do I make hyperlinks accessible in Microsoft Word

So, you want to make your hyperlinks accessible? There are a few rules about hyperlinks for text. These exist because of how they interact with assistive technology. You can also apply hyperlinks to images and other elements.

Things to avoid

How does a screen reader interact with a link?

It depends on the software but JAWS will pull up a list of links that a user can select from. The list is generated by the on screen text that is the link. It is important that your links are clear and concise and tell the user where they are going before they are interacted with.

Video walkthrough of how to make hyperlinks accessible in Microsoft Word

Text overview of how to make hyperlinks accessible in Microsoft Word

  1. Select the text you want to make a link
  2. Right click and select Link
  3. Enter in an address
  4. Select Ok
Select the text you want to make a link Right click and select Link Enter in an address Select Ok
Order 508 documents

Subscribe to The Accessibility Guy posts

* indicates required

Alternate text in Microsoft Word

Alternative text descriptions of images (Alt text) helps users understand the picture’s significance (or lack of.)

This content is typically only accessed with assistive technology. In some cases, if you hover your mouse over an image, it will provide the alternate text as a pop up.

Provide descriptions around the image in the source document for optimal results but remember that not everyone might be able to access the alternate text.

Video overview of how to apply alternate text to images in Microsoft Word

Image context

The context is everything for images in your document. If the image adds important information to the learning experience, it should be described. If an image does not add any value, you may consider marking it as decorative. Lets review some samples:

Sample 1 image

This image was found on the website which is trying to attract visitors. It needs detailed alternate text.

A forest with giant sequoias, the largest trees in the world, is a feast for the senses. The giant sequoias’ red/orange bark is distinct among the grey and brown bark of other trees. And if you stand beneath one of these giants, you can gaze all the way up its tall trunk and through its high branches to see sky above. The treetop is often hidden above the highest branches. If you are quiet and listen, you may hear a breeze rustling the foliage of smaller trees – the sugar pines, white and red firs, or incense-cedar. Or perhaps you’ll hear a woodpecker calling and tapping against a tree, seeking insects. If you have time to take a walk, you may see a giant sequoia along the trail – try to press your fingers against its spongy, thick bark.

Sample 1 image description

A forest with giant sequoias, the largest trees in the world, is a feast for the senses. The giant sequoias’ red/orange bark is distinct among the grey and brown bark of other trees. And if you stand beneath one of these giants, you can gaze all the way up its tall trunk and through its high branches to see sky above. The treetop is often hidden above the highest branches. If you are quiet and listen, you may hear a breeze rustling the foliage of smaller trees – the sugar pines, white and red firs, or incense-cedar. Or perhaps you’ll hear a woodpecker calling and tapping against a tree, seeking insects. If you have time to take a walk, you may see a giant sequoia along the trail – try to press your fingers against its spongy, thick bark.

Sample 2 Icon

This image is an icon and in my opinion does not offer any additional value to the content provided, so I would mark it as decorative.

""

Giant sequoias grow at middle elevations along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. While not the world’s oldest trees, they are known to reach ages of up to 3,400 years. Tree ring studies of giant sequoias provide a long record of climate and fire history, helping park managers and scientists better understand relationships of climate, fire, and the giant sequoia life cycle.

Sample 3 Pie Chart

This pie chart provides important information to the user. Because it is an image containing text, we need to provide all of the data in the description of the image.

Non-Wilderness. 340 Units. 14+ million Acres Eligible. 21 Units. 17+ mill Acres Proposed. 14 Units. 3+ million acres Recommended. 17 Units. 5+ million acres Designated. 50 Units. 44+ million acres

Sample 3 Alternate text

The National Park Service Wilderness by category is as follows:

  • Non-Wilderness. 340 Units. 14+ million Acres
  • Eligible. 21 Units. 17+ mill Acres
  • Proposed. 14 Units. 3+ million acres
  • Recommended. 17 Units. 5+ million acres
  • Designated. 50 Units. 44+ million acres

Additional things to consider when writing alternate text

  • Context is everything
  • Decorative images should be marked as decorative
  • Pie charts and other graphs will need all data described
  • Focus on the emphasis of the image
  • Avoid using “image of” in description
  • Be sure to check that the image does not just have the file name in the alternate text area. For example: jordison.png might be the default value in the alt text area for an image – be sure to spot check all images to ensure that the file name did not get inserted.
  • Keep alternate text less than 100 characters. If there is more text needed – be sure to include it next to the image on the page.

Text overview of how to apply alternate text in Microsoft Word

  1. Right click the image
  2. Select Edit Alt text
  3. Enter a description or mark as decorative
Right click the image Select Edit Alt text Enter a description or mark as decorative

Need more help with Microsoft Word Accessibility?

Subscribe to The Accessibility Guy posts

* indicates required

How do I make tables accessible in Microsoft Word?

It’s easy to make tables accessible in Microsoft Word! This means that every table should have a table header set, a style applied, and appropriate settings set.

Are you working with tables that use Two languages? This post goes into great detail:

Video Overview of how to make tables accessible in Microsoft Word

Tips on working with Tables

  • Avoid using merged cells when possible. There is no way to apply scope to table headers in Microsoft Word like you can in PDF. So if your doc is staying in Word – avoid merged cells
  • Do not use tables to format content. There are more accessible methods for formatting content like using headings or applying columns to text.
  • Tables should be used to display important data
  • Add a caption to the table

Table Accessibility Checklist:

  • Ensure the table has a header row and in some cases a column header
  • Set “repeat row across pages” for tables that span more than one page
  • Apply a table style
  • Table does not have any merged cells

How to set the row / column header

These settings might change depending on the type of data you are working with. Some tables will have first column or total row while others will not.

  1. Select the table
  2. Select table Design
  3. Set the appropriate Header Row / First Column selections
Select the table Select table Design Set the appropriate Header Row / First Column selections

How to set a Table Style

A table style simply changes the visual layout of the table. It will sometimes make the heading cells bold and a little easier to identify.

  1. Select the table
  2. Select table design
  3. Choose a table style
How to set a Table Style Select the table Select table design Choose a table style

How to set other table properties

The additional table properties will update based on how much data is in the table. Tables that span multiple pages may require testing of different settings to ensure proper accessibility.

  1. Select the first row in the table
  2. Right click and open the properties menu
  3. Select Row
  4. Select “repeat as header row” on the first row
Select the first row in the table Right click and open the properties menu Select Row Select "repeat as header row" on the first row

How to add a table caption

A table caption helps the user quickly identify the purpose of this table and can be used to create a table of contents in Microsoft Word.

  1. Right click the table
  2. Select insert caption
  3. Add a name to the caption
  4. Select Ok
Right click the table Select insert caption Add a name to the caption Select Ok
Order 508 documents

Subscribe to The Accessibility Guy posts

* indicates required