Digital information · Lesson 35 · Approx. 7 minutes including practice
Searchable PDFs and bookmarks
Searchable text, meaningful headings and bookmarks improve navigation in large packs. Verify that search works after export and that bookmarks reach the intended pages. Scanned pages may need controlled transcription or OCR verification.
Step 1: Source pages
A documentation workflow, not an equipment operating sequence. Animation starts only when you choose Play.
Check search and navigation after export
Searchable text and meaningful bookmarks help readers navigate a large document package. A page that looks like text may actually be an image. OCR can create searchable characters, but recognition errors can alter part numbers, units or symbols. Treat converted content as needing verification, especially where a character difference changes technical meaning. Never assume that export success proves the document is usable.
Prepare and check the work
Build headings with a consistent hierarchy and generate bookmarks from that structure where supported. Test several known terms, including a part identifier and a heading, in the final PDF. Check reading order, table continuity, page labels and links. Compare OCR output against the original source using representative and critical fields. Preserve the source scan when it is evidence and distinguish any verified transcription.
Worked example · demonstration only
A scanned part number contains the letter O, but OCR recognises zero. A search may fail or return the wrong item. Verify critical identifiers against the source and correct the searchable layer under the document-control process.
Guided practice and review evidence
Use only a demonstration dataset for this exercise: Add a bookmark plan to a sample manual and test three search terms. Before starting, write down the question the finished record should answer and identify the source information you would need on a real job. Keep a separate list of missing inputs. Prepare a first draft, then compare it with the topic-specific checks above. Ask another person to follow your references without explaining them verbally. Record where they hesitate, what information they cannot locate and any different interpretation. Keep a brief review log with four columns: observation, proposed action, responsible reviewer and closure evidence. Revise the example and repeat the information-finding check. Your evidence of completion is the revised demonstration record plus that log, not simply time spent reading. Do not upload client information to the academy or practise on operating equipment.
What good completion looks like
A useful result can be understood by someone who did not prepare it. They can identify its purpose, applicable item, source and review status, and they can distinguish confirmed information from unresolved questions. Pay particular attention to this failure mode: OCR output requires checking, especially part numbers and numeric values. Check the output in the format the recipient will use. A native file, spreadsheet and exported PDF can expose different problems. Keep the source revision and the issued output linked, and record any limitations of the handover. On a real project, follow the customer's authorised checking and approval arrangements before the information is used. The knowledge check below tests understanding of this lesson; it does not assess practical competence or authorise regulated work.
Practical workflow
- Establish the source: identify the approved input, document revision and person responsible for its technical content. Record missing information as an open question.
- Prepare a small representative example before applying the approach to a whole project. Check identifiers, units, references and the intended reader’s needs.
- Ask the nominated reviewer to check technical meaning. Capture the response, resolve comments and issue only under the agreed document-control process.
Review checklist
- Can another reader identify the source and applicable revision?
- Are assumptions and unresolved decisions clearly recorded?
- Is there evidence of the required review before issue?
Educational material and demonstration examples. Not accredited training, practical competency assessment or authority to perform regulated work. Use current approved sources and your responsible technical authority on real projects.