Verification Failure: Links missing Alt Text (parent tag of the Link Annotation does not define the Alt attribute)

Issue

When verifying a tagged PDF, you may encounter one or both of the following Link-related Verification failure results:

1. Parent tag of link annotation doesn't define the alt attribute
   • The Link tag is missing Alternative Text, which is what some AT use to describe the link to someone.
2. Link annotation doesn't define the contents attribute
   • The Link annotation (OBJR) is missing its Contents property, which is what some AT use to describe the link to someone.

Symptom 

This failure will be triggered when you do not have alternative text for link tags, nor contents for the link annotation.

Causes

Accessible links require descriptive information so assistive technologies can communicate the purpose of the link to users.

This issue occurs when.

Note: Although the Link tag and the Annotation store this information separately, they should contain the same descriptive text to maximize compatibility across assistive technologies.

Affected Users

• Screen reader users
• Users of other assistive technologies that rely on Annotation Contents rather than Link Alternative Text
• Users with cognitive disabilities, who benefit from meaningful descriptions of link destinations

Accessibility Guidelines

WCAG 2.2

• Success Criterion 4.1.2 – Name, Role, Value - Interactive elements must expose an accessible name to assistive technology.

PDF/UA

• Link tags should include meaningful Alternative Text when appropriate.
• Link annotations must contain the Contents property for PDF/UA compliance.

Resolution Steps

If you ran a verification and are now realizing these are failures, we encourage you to use the Fix Wizard to assign:

• The alt text for the link tag
• The contents for the annotation

1.  Open the Fix Wizard

• Desktop users - double-click on the result or right-click to open the context menu and choose fix.
• Advanced editor users - select the three dots next to the failed result and choose fix.

2.  The Display text of the link will automatically be populated. Revise if needed.

3.  Optional time-saving tip! Check the box next to "Apply fix to similar issues" and the radio button for "Use default values"      if you have several links where you would like to use the Link's display text as the alternative text.

4.  Select Finish

You can also manually assign alternative text and annotation contents.

Manually assign Alternative Text

1. Select the Link tag.
2. Open the Properties panel.
3. Enter meaningful Alternative Text describing where the link takes the user.
4. Press Tab to save the value.

Manually assign Annotation Contents

1. Select the Link Annotation (OBJR) in the Tags tree.
2. Open the Properties panel.
3. Enter the same descriptive text into the Contents field.
4. Press Tab to save.

Verification

The issue has been resolved when:

• The verification no longer reports either:
  • Parent tag of link annotation doesn't define the alt attribute, or
  • Link annotation doesn't define the contents attribute
• The remaining User Verification checkpoint confirms that the Link Alternative Text is descriptive and accurately identifies the destination or purpose of the link.
• The Alternative Text and Annotation Contents match and provide meaningful information rather than simply repeating the URL.

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