How to Automatically Tag Complex PDF Tables with PDFix

Manually tagging long, complex, or repeated tables in PDFs can take hours — especially across large document batches. With PDFix Layout Template, you can automate table structure tagging, ensure PDF/UA compliance, and cut costs. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through how to auto-tag very long and complex PDF tables using PDFix.

Why Automate Table Tagging?

Save time on repetitive manual tagging
Improve accuracy and avoid human error
Ensure PDF/UA accessibility compliance
Scale to thousands of PDFs with one template

Step-by-Step: Creating the Layout Template

1. Artifact Elements

The first step is to decide what content should be tagged (headings, tables, images) and what should be artifact-ed (decorations, footers, repeated graphics). Artifact all non-essential elements at the start for faster and cleaner template building.

2. Artifact the Page Footer

Define the page footer as an initial element and apply the artifact flag.

This removes repetitive content that adds no semantic value.
Keeps the recognition engine focused only on meaningful document structure.

3. Artifact Decorative Objects

Artifact decorative shapes or graphics – in this case, the objects on the left side of the table.

Prevents the system from detecting false empty table cells.
Improves accuracy of table recognition.

4. Tag the Document Header Image

Handle the document header as an image element:

Tag only the first occurrence.
Add an alternate description for accessibility (screen readers).
Apply a single-instance rule combining element type + position.
- Ensures the header is tagged once.
- All later occurrences are automatically artifact-ed.

5. Tag the Main Document Heading

Define the document’s main heading with an H1 tag.

Alternatively, use a Title tag if it fits the document better.
Ensures proper reading order and accessibility structure.

6. Introduce Anchors for Floating Elements

To handle elements that vary in position or size (like tables):

Define an anchor element to mark the start or end of content.
Example: Use the word Code as an anchor to indicate the start of a table.
Each anchor must include a unique name property so it can be referenced later.

7. Define Floating Initial Elements

Using anchors, create new floating structures:

Define the table that starts above the ANCHOR-TABLE word.
Set its ending at a fixed position.
Apply the no_expand flag so only objects inside the rectangle are processed.
Artifact any text above the table that should not be tagged.

8. Configure the Recognition Engine

Fine-tune detection rules:

Restrict recognition to only the defined initial elements.
Prevent detection of extra labels or unwanted tables.
Disable auto-generation of table cells from plain text inside the table.

9. Enable Continuous Table Recognition

Apply the continuous flag to unify tables across pages. Instead of tagging separate tables on each page, the engine creates a single table spanning the entire document.