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Viewers should show the title, not the file name

PDF/UA check METADATA_DISPLAY_TITLE · Metadata · severity Low · PDF/UA 8.11.2 Interactive aspects

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Why it matters

This setting tells PDF viewers to show the document title instead of the filename. 'Q4_Report_Final_v2.pdf' is less helpful than 'Quarterly Financial Report Q4 2024' for users navigating between documents.

What you will see

The document is set to display its file name in the window title bar instead of its real title.

How to fix

Add a ViewerPreferences dictionary to the document catalog and set /DisplayDocTitle to true. In Acrobat: File > Properties > Initial View > Show: Document Title.

Step-by-step guide

  1. First ensure the document has a real title (File > Properties > Description > Title) - viewers can only display a title that exists; see rule DOC_TITLE.
  2. Open File > Properties > Initial View and set Window Options > Show to Document Title.
  3. Save the file. This creates the ViewerPreferences dictionary in the document catalog with /DisplayDocTitle set to true, as required by PDF/UA-2 8.11.2.
  4. For batch remediation, include the Initial View change in an Acrobat Action (Action Wizard) applied across files.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan; METADATA_DISPLAY_TITLE passes when ViewerPreferences exists and DisplayDocTitle is true.

Note: 8.11.2 upgrades the ISO 32000-2 recommendation to a hard requirement: the ViewerPreferences dictionary shall be present and shall contain at least DisplayDocTitle with value true. A missing ViewerPreferences dictionary, a missing key, or a false value all fail this rule.

Fixing it in your authoring tool

Tool Steps
Adobe Acrobat Pro File → Properties → Initial View → Window Options → Show: Document Title.

WCAG success criteria

2.4.2 Page Titled — Level A

Each page needs a descriptive that identifies its topic or purpose.</p> <p><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/page-titled.html">Understanding 2.4.2</a></p> <h2 id="standards">Standards<a class="heading-anchor" href="#standards" aria-hidden="true">#</a></h2> <p>This check contributes to the following standards:</p> <p><span class="std-tag" data-std="pdf-ua">PDF/UA</span> <span class="std-tag" data-std="wcag-A">WCAG A</span> <span class="std-tag" data-std="EN-301-549">EN 301 549</span></p> <div class="table-wrap"><table> <thead> <tr> <th>Standard</th> <th>Criteria</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>PDF/UA-2 (ISO 14289-2:2024)</td> <td>8.11.2 Interactive aspects</td> </tr> <tr> <td>EN 301 549 (non-web documents)</td> <td>10.2.4.2</td> </tr> </tbody></table></div> </article> <footer class="md-footer"> <span>Generated from <code>@app/a11y-engine</code> rule metadata.</span> <a class="back-top" href="#main">Back to top ↑</a> </footer> </main> <aside class="toc" aria-label="On this page"><div class="toc-title">On this page</div><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#why-it-matters" data-toc="why-it-matters">Why it matters</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#what-you-will-see" data-toc="what-you-will-see">What you will see</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#how-to-fix" data-toc="how-to-fix">How to fix</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#step-by-step-guide" data-toc="step-by-step-guide">Step-by-step guide</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#fixing-it-in-your-authoring-tool" data-toc="fixing-it-in-your-authoring-tool">Fixing it in your authoring tool</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#wcag-success-criteria" data-toc="wcag-success-criteria">WCAG success criteria</a><a class="toc-link toc-h3" href="#2-4-2-page-titled-level-a" data-toc="2-4-2-page-titled-level-a">2.4.2 Page Titled — Level A</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#standards" data-toc="standards">Standards</a></aside> </div> <script src="/wiki/a11y-rules/assets/wiki.9c7b1306b8.js" defer></script> </body></html>