UA1 Validator / PDF/UA-1 rules / 7.7-1

PDF/UA-1 · CLAUSE 7.7

Mathematical expression is missing a text equivalent

A mathematical expression is not enclosed in a Formula tag, or the Formula tag has no Alt or ActualText.

Rule 7.7-1 ISO 14289-1 Object: SEFormula

Why it matters

Equations rendered as glyph soup or images read as nonsense. Without a text equivalent, the mathematics is inaccessible.

How to fix it

  • Wrap the expression in a Formula tag.
  • Add Alt text that reads the expression the way a person would say it aloud.
  • For documents with heavy mathematics, consider providing an accompanying HTML or MathML version.
WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A)

What the standard says

All mathematical expressions shall be enclosed within a Formula tag as detailed in ISO 32000-1:2008, 14.8.4.5 and shall have Alt or ActualText attributes

Check your own PDF

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curl -sS -X POST "https://api.ua1.dev/api/validate?format=compact&profile=ua1" \
  -F "file=@document.pdf"