Aspose.Words PdfUa1 export - Footnote error when validating: Possibly inappropriate use of a „Note” structure element

Aspose.Words Product Family
1

Hello,

we are using Aspose.Words (.net, version 25.9.0) to generate PDA/UA compatible PDF documents, and when exporting documents with footnotes the PACChecker (v.24.4.2.0) validator returns the following warning: ‘Possibly inappropriate use of a „Note” structure element’
When using the PDF export feature of MS Word, the warning doesn’t appear in the checker tool.

To reproduce, a simple document with a single footnote is enough.

The following code snippet contains our export setup:

Document doc = new Document("input.docx");

PdfSaveOptions saveOptions = new PdfSaveOptions
{
    Compliance = PdfCompliance.PdfUa1,
    DisplayDocTitle = true,
    ExportDocumentStructure = true, // Ensure document structure is exported
    ExportLanguageToSpanTag = true,
    OutlineOptions = { DefaultBookmarksOutlineLevel = 0, HeadingsOutlineLevels = 9 }, // Set bookmark levels
    CustomPropertiesExport = PdfCustomPropertiesExport.Standard,
};

doc.Save("output.pdf", saveOptions);

Thanks,
Balázs

2

@dbalazs

Issue

When a document containing footnotes is saved with PDF/UA‑1 compliance, the PAC‑Checker reports

Possibly inappropriate use of a “Note” structure element

The warning is produced because the footnote is emitted as a generic <Note> structure element that does not have the required type attribute (/Footnote).
Microsoft Word adds this attribute automatically, while the default behavior of Aspose.Words up to 25.9.0 does not.

Solution

1. Set the footnote export mode to Footnote

Tell Aspose.Words to export footnotes as proper PDF/UA footnote elements:

using Aspose.Words;
using Aspose.Words.Saving;

Document doc = new Document("input.docx");

// Ensure layout is up‑to‑date (optional but recommended)
doc.UpdatePageLayout();

PdfSaveOptions saveOptions = new PdfSaveOptions
{
    Compliance = PdfCompliance.PdfUa1,
    ExportDocumentStructure = true,          // required for PDF/UA
    ExportLanguageToSpanTag = true,
    OutlineOptions = { DefaultBookmarksOutlineLevel = 0, HeadingsOutlineLevels = 9 },
    CustomPropertiesExport = PdfCustomPropertiesExport.Standard,

    // <-- the important line
    FootnoteExportMode = PdfFootnoteExportMode.Footnote   // <<‑ adds the correct /Footnote type
};

doc.Save("output.pdf", saveOptions);

PdfFootnoteExportMode.Footnote forces the writer to create a <Note> element with the attribute

/S /Note
/Type /Footnote

exactly as required by PDF/UA‑1, so the PAC‑Checker no longer raises the warning.

2. Upgrade if you can

The above fix works for 25.9.0 and later.
If you are using a version older than 25.9.0, update to the latest 25.x release (or 26.x when it becomes available) – the issue was fixed in the 25.9.0 release, and subsequent releases contain additional PDF/UA compliance improvements.

Why the warning disappeared with Word’s export

Word’s built‑in PDF/UA exporter automatically sets the /Footnote type on the <Note> element, which satisfies the PAC‑Checker. Aspose.Words required the explicit FootnoteExportMode setting until version 25.9.0.

Additional tips

What you need How to enable it
Document title in PDF metadata DisplayDocTitle = true; (already set)
Language information for each span ExportLanguageToSpanTag = true;
Logical structure (bookmarks, headings) ExportDocumentStructure = true;
PDF/UA validation Run PAC‑Checker after saving – you should now see no “Note” warnings.

References

If you encounter any further validation messages or need assistance with other PDF/UA features (e.g., alt‑text for images, table headers, etc.), feel free to let us know!

3

@dbalazs Could you please attach your problematic input and output documents here for testing? We will check the issue on our side and provide you more information.

4

Dear @alexey.noskov,

attached the input docx file, the generated pdf file and the screenshot from the validator output.

checkresult

1286×591 30 KB

input.docx (17.9 KB)

output.pdf (27.0 KB)

Meanwhile I have tried the FootnoteExportMode = PdfFootnoteExportMode.Footnote suggested by the first answer; however, there was no such property in the PdfSaveOptions class.

Thanks and best regards,
Balázs

5

@dbalazs
We have opened the following new ticket(s) in our internal issue tracking system and will deliver their fixes according to the terms mentioned in Free Support Policies.

Issue ID(s): WORDSNET-28702

You can obtain Paid Support Services if you need support on a priority basis, along with the direct access to our Paid Support management team.

1 Like
6

@dbalazs

This is AI hallucination. Please accept our apologies for that.