I have a document with a LARGE amount of tables formatted with alternating background colors in the rows. When converting the PDF from Word, every single 'TD' tag on rows with background color is surrounded by a 'Path' tag. Where there is a blank 'TD' cell, it often renders a blank 'Path' tag. Where there is data within the 'TD' cell (ie: 'Sales 2010') it renders as 'PathSales 2010Path' or 'PathSales 2010', or some derivative thereof.
I assume I need to remove all the erroneous 'Path' tags to be 508 compliant and AT-friendly. Is there an easier way to do this or is there some setting I should change?
I have over 300 pages of documents with tables.
Common Adobe, where is the "REPLACE ALL" feature for tags, already!? Yikes!
Any assistance out there is GOLDEN!
TIA!
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Section 508:
ยง1194.22 (b) addresses use of color. This paragraph maps to WCAG 1.0 Checkpoint 1.4.
Also, in WCAG 1.0 - Assuring that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen.
For individuals having color related vision deficits Adobe Reader and the Acrobat Products support a configuration that replaces document colors with the use of High-Contrast colors.
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So, to assure the PDF's table rows support use by individual's having an issue with color/color contrasts, best-practice is to adjust the authoring file (for you, the Word file) to remove the unnecessary background color.
It provides no content information and makes providing a valid Section 508 compliant PDF problematic.
Then, again, if the color use does provide seminal content information Section 508 / WCAG directs you to provide an accessible alternative.
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Alternatively, roll up the sleeves and climb into the structure tree to perform extensive manual editing.
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"Replace All" is rather nice in a text editor, word processor or page layout application. For myself, I'd be lost without such facilities.
However, as PDF is not a file format designed for that genre of activity Acrobat does not provide the tools found in such applications. That is for the PDF page content. Layered to that is the logical hierarchy which, in turn is orchastrated by the structure tree. Both of these are independent of page content (See ISO 32000-1 or the PDF References that proceeded the ISO Standard).
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My take on it is that authoring file formats (FrameMaker, InDesign, Word, what-not) are the coal that fuels the content mastering activity. The "squeeze" of providing the deliverables yields the final product - PDF (the 'diamond'). Diamonds don't perform well as "fuel" <G>
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Be well...