Role map

A role map tells a PDF reader what a custom tag means, by pointing it at one of the standard structure types the format defines.

The PDF format has a fixed vocabulary of tags for the structure tree: H1 to H6 for headings, P for a paragraph, L for a list, Table, Figure, and so on. Authoring tools are allowed to invent their own tag names instead - SubtitleBlue, ProductTable - but a name a reader has never seen carries no meaning on its own. The role map is the lookup table that resolves each invented name to a standard type, so SubtitleBlue is announced as the heading it is.

Custom tags are only safe when the role map covers them. An unmapped tag leaves assistive technology with a label and no role.

Learn more

• Tagged PDF Best Practice Guide: Syntax - the PDF Association's guide to structure types and role mapping
• Structure tree
• Tagged PDF