Complex tables benefit from a summary

PDF/UA check TABLE_SUMMARY · Tables · severity Low · PDF/UA 8.2.5.26 Table

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Why it matters#

A summary helps users understand complex tables before navigating them. Note: PDF/UA-2 does not explicitly require a Summary attribute, but providing one is recommended for complex multi-dimensional tables.

What you will see#

A table has no Summary attribute. This is a best practice rather than a PDF/UA-2 requirement.

How to fix#

Add a Summary attribute to the Table structure element with a short description of the table's organization and purpose. In Acrobat: Reading Order tool > right-click the table > Edit Table Summary.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Decide whether to add a summary: EQChecker raises this warning for every Table element lacking a Summary attribute (in an attribute object with owner Table), regardless of complexity. Adding one clears the warning; for a simple self-explanatory table you may instead accept the open warning, since PDF/UA-2 does not require Summary at all.
2. Open All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order (the Reading Order tool).
3. Click inside the table on the page so its region is selected, then right-click the table region and choose Edit Table Summary.
4. Enter a short description of the table's organization and purpose (e.g. what the rows and columns represent), not a restatement of the data or of a visible caption, and click OK.
5. Acrobat's Edit Table Summary command stores the text as a Summary entry in an attribute object with owner /Table on the Table structure element; that attribute is what checkers read.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan and confirm the TABLE_SUMMARY warning is cleared for the table. Acrobat's accessibility check Tables > Summary rule is disabled by default, so EQChecker is the primary verification.

Note: PDF/UA-2 8.2.5.26 does not require a Summary attribute at all; EQChecker records this as a low-severity warning, never an error. Do not add summaries that duplicate a visible Caption element. For a table simple enough to be self-explanatory, leaving the warning open is a legitimate outcome.

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