FENote elements should declare their note type

PDF/UA check FENOTE_NOTETYPE · Structure & other · severity Medium · PDF/UA 8.2.5.14.2 FENote attributes · advanced check

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Advanced check. This is a file-internals rule. It is hidden from the standard report view and generally indicates a problem with the tool that produced the PDF rather than something an author did.

Why it matters#

Without NoteType, screen readers announce footnotes and endnotes generically. With it, they say 'footnote 3' or 'endnote 3' which is more useful navigation context.

What you will see#

An FENote has no NoteType attribute, so footnotes and endnotes are announced generically.

How to fix#

Add an attribute object with O = FENote and a NoteType entry (Footnote, Endnote, or None) to each FENote structure element, matching the kind of note it encloses.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Classify each flagged FENote: Footnote for notes rendered at the bottom of the page, Endnote for notes collected at the end of a section or document, None when the kind is genuinely unclassifiable.
2. Attach an attribute object whose O entry is FENote and whose NoteType entry is the chosen name value (Footnote, Endnote, or None), per ISO 14289-2 8.2.5.14.2 Tables 2 and 3. Both values must be of type Name.
3. Acrobat has no supported UI for authoring FENote attribute objects, so the attribute cannot be added reliably after the fact; a file missing NoteType was exported without it, and the reliable fix is regenerating the document from its source with a PDF/UA-2 conforming export pipeline (next step).
4. If the notes come from an authoring tool with PDF/UA-2 export, re-export instead - conforming exporters set NoteType automatically.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan in advanced mode: FENOTE_NOTETYPE should pass. In the Accessibility tags panel, select an FENote tag and open Properties > Edit Attribute Objects to confirm the NoteType attribute is present.

Note: This is a SHOULD in 8.2.5.14.2 with default value None, so it is guidance rather than a conformance failure - EQChecker reports it only in advanced mode. EQChecker accepts a NoteType key in any of the element's attribute objects, but the standard defines the attribute under the FENote owner (O = FENote) and strict validators look for it there - always set the owner correctly.

WCAG success criteria#

No WCAG success criterion maps cleanly to this check — it is a PDF/UA structural requirement. The PDF/UA clause above is the normative reference.

Standards#

This check contributes to the following standards:

PDF/UA