📊 Accessible Tables

Full table structure with THead/TBody, header scope, ID/Headers associations, and captions.

Accessible Table
using ObviousPDF;
using ObviousPDF.Accessibility;
using ObviousPDF.Fonts;

var doc = new PdfDocument();
doc.Info.Title = "Accessible Table";
doc.Language = "en-US";
doc.DisplayDocTitle = true;
doc.PdfUaConformance = PdfUaConformanceLevel.PdfUA1;
var root = doc.EnableTaggedPdf();
var page = doc.AddPage();

var h1 = root.AddChild(StructureType.H1);
page.AddTaggedText(h1, "Accessible Table", 72, 740,
    new PdfTextOptions { Font = StandardFont.HelveticaBold, FontSize = 20 });

var table = root.AddChild(StructureType.Table);

var caption = table.AddCaption();
page.AddTaggedText(caption, "Table 1: Employees", 72, 710);

// Header row
var thead = table.AddTableHead();
var hrow = thead.AddTableRow();
var thName = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id: "name", shortText: "Name");
var thDept = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id: "dept", shortText: "Dept");
var thEmail = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id: "email", shortText: "Email");

// Data row
var tbody = table.AddTableBody();
var row1 = tbody.AddTableRow();
var td1Name = row1.AddDataCell("name");
var td1Dept = row1.AddDataCell("dept");
var td1Email = row1.AddDataCell("email");

// Render header cells
page.AddTaggedText(thName, "Name", 72, 680);
page.AddTaggedText(thDept, "Dept", 220, 680);
page.AddTaggedText(thEmail, "Email", 360, 680);

// Render data cells
page.AddTaggedText(td1Name, "Alice", 72, 655);
page.AddTaggedText(td1Dept, "Eng", 220, 655);
page.AddTaggedText(td1Email, "alice@example.com", 360, 655);

doc.Save("accessible_table.pdf");
Imports ObviousPDF
Imports ObviousPDF.Accessibility
Imports ObviousPDF.Fonts

Dim doc As New PdfDocument()
doc.Info.Title = "Accessible Table"
doc.Language = "en-US"
doc.DisplayDocTitle = True
doc.PdfUaConformance = PdfUaConformanceLevel.PdfUA1
Dim root = doc.EnableTaggedPdf()
Dim page = doc.AddPage()

Dim h1 = root.AddChild(StructureType.H1)
page.AddTaggedText(h1, "Accessible Table", 72, 740,
    New PdfTextOptions With { .Font = StandardFont.HelveticaBold, .FontSize = 20 })

Dim table = root.AddChild(StructureType.Table)

Dim caption = table.AddCaption()
page.AddTaggedText(caption, "Table 1: Employees", 72, 710)

' Header row
Dim thead = table.AddTableHead()
Dim hrow = thead.AddTableRow()
Dim thName = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id:="name", shortText:="Name")
Dim thDept = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id:="dept", shortText:="Dept")
Dim thEmail = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id:="email", shortText:="Email")

' Data row
Dim tbody = table.AddTableBody()
Dim row1 = tbody.AddTableRow()
Dim td1Name = row1.AddDataCell("name")
Dim td1Dept = row1.AddDataCell("dept")
Dim td1Email = row1.AddDataCell("email")

' Render header cells
page.AddTaggedText(thName, "Name", 72, 680)
page.AddTaggedText(thDept, "Dept", 220, 680)
page.AddTaggedText(thEmail, "Email", 360, 680)

' Render data cells
page.AddTaggedText(td1Name, "Alice", 72, 655)
page.AddTaggedText(td1Dept, "Eng", 220, 655)
page.AddTaggedText(td1Email, "alice@example.com", 360, 655)

doc.Save("accessible_table.pdf")
open ObviousPDF
open ObviousPDF.Accessibility
open ObviousPDF.Fonts

let doc = PdfDocument()
doc.Info.Title <- "Accessible Table"
doc.Language <- "en-US"
doc.DisplayDocTitle <- true
doc.PdfUaConformance <- PdfUaConformanceLevel.PdfUA1
let root = doc.EnableTaggedPdf()
let page = doc.AddPage()

let h1 = root.AddChild(StructureType.H1)
page.AddTaggedText(h1, "Accessible Table", 72.0, 740.0,
    PdfTextOptions(Font = StandardFont.HelveticaBold, FontSize = 20.0))

let table = root.AddChild(StructureType.Table)

let caption = table.AddCaption()
page.AddTaggedText(caption, "Table 1: Employees", 72.0, 710.0)

// Header row
let thead = table.AddTableHead()
let hrow = thead.AddTableRow()
let thName = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id = "name", shortText = "Name")
let thDept = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id = "dept", shortText = "Dept")
let thEmail = hrow.AddHeaderCell(PdfTableScope.Column, id = "email", shortText = "Email")

// Data row
let tbody = table.AddTableBody()
let row1 = tbody.AddTableRow()
let td1Name = row1.AddDataCell("name")
let td1Dept = row1.AddDataCell("dept")
let td1Email = row1.AddDataCell("email")

// Render header cells
page.AddTaggedText(thName, "Name", 72.0, 680.0)
page.AddTaggedText(thDept, "Dept", 220.0, 680.0)
page.AddTaggedText(thEmail, "Email", 360.0, 680.0)

// Render data cells
page.AddTaggedText(td1Name, "Alice", 72.0, 655.0)
page.AddTaggedText(td1Dept, "Eng", 220.0, 655.0)
page.AddTaggedText(td1Email, "alice@example.com", 360.0, 655.0)

doc.Save("accessible_table.pdf")
Add-Type -Path "ObviousPDF.dll"

$doc = [ObviousPDF.PdfDocument]::new()
$doc.Info.Title = "Accessible Table"
$doc.Language = "en-US"
$doc.DisplayDocTitle = $true
$root = $doc.EnableTaggedPdf()
$page = $doc.AddPage()

$table = $root.AddChild([ObviousPDF.Accessibility.StructureType]::Table)

# Caption linked to the table
$caption = $table.AddCaption()
$page.AddTaggedText($caption,
    "Table 1: Employees", 72, 710)

# Header row group
$thead = $table.AddTableHead()
$hrow = $thead.AddTableRow()

# Header cells with scope and ID
$thName = $hrow.AddHeaderCell(
    [ObviousPDF.Accessibility.PdfTableScope]::Column, "name", "Name")
$thDept = $hrow.AddHeaderCell(
    [ObviousPDF.Accessibility.PdfTableScope]::Column, "dept", "Dept")
$thEmail = $hrow.AddHeaderCell(
    [ObviousPDF.Accessibility.PdfTableScope]::Column, "email", "Email")

# Body row group
$tbody = $table.AddTableBody()
$row1 = $tbody.AddTableRow()

# Data cells reference header IDs
$td1Name = $row1.AddDataCell("name")
$td1Dept = $row1.AddDataCell("dept")
$td1Email = $row1.AddDataCell("email")

# Render header cells
$page.AddTaggedText($thName, "Name", 72, 680)
$page.AddTaggedText($thDept, "Dept", 220, 680)
$page.AddTaggedText($thEmail, "Email", 360, 680)

# Render data cells
$page.AddTaggedText($td1Name, "Alice", 72, 655)
$page.AddTaggedText($td1Dept, "Eng", 220, 655)
$page.AddTaggedText($td1Email,
    "alice@example.com", 360, 655)

$doc.Save("c:\temp\accessible_table.pdf")
📄 Download Example PDF
Screenshot of the Accessible Table PDF showing an Employee Directory heading, a table caption, a blue header row with Name, Department, and Email columns, and three data rows with alternating gray backgrounds — all properly tagged with THead, TBody, TH with scope=Column, and TD with headers references

You should see a bold "Accessible Table" heading, a "Table 1: Employees" caption, a header row with columns Name / Dept / Email, and one data row containing Alice / Eng / alice@example.com. In a PDF viewer's Tags panel the structure should show Table › Caption, THead › TR › TH (×3), TBody › TR › TD (×3).
File: 06_accessible_table.pdf

♿ Why Table Structure Matters

Screen readers use header scope and ID/Headers associations to announce "Name: Alice, Department: Engineering" as users navigate cells. Without this structure, a screen reader would just say "Alice" with no context about which column it belongs to.

Table Structure Elements

MethodCreatesPurpose
AddTableHead()THeadHeader row group
AddTableBody()TBodyBody row group
AddTableFoot()TFootFooter row group
AddTableRow()TRTable row
AddHeaderCell(scope, id)THHeader cell with scope
AddDataCell(headerIds)TDData cell linked to headers
AddCaption()CaptionTable caption/title