PDF/A error: JavaScript or a launch action is present
The document contains an action PDF/A does not allow: JavaScript, a launch action, or another action type whose behaviour depends on the viewer and the machine. Remove the actions and re-save; nothing about them can be preserved in a conformant file.
The Actions check group covers 6.6.x action types and additional actions. The exact sub-clause is reported on the issue itself when the validator raises it.
What causes it
- Form field validation or calculation scripts, which are JavaScript.
- A "print this document" or "submit this form" button wired to an action.
- A launch action opening an external file or application.
- Document-level scripts added by a form designer, sometimes present in a template long after anyone used them.
How to fix it
- Remove the scripts and actions at the source, then re-export. Interactive behaviour is not something an archival document is meant to have.
- Flatten interactive form fields to static page content, which removes their scripts along with their interactivity.
- Convert the document, which strips the offending actions.
Frequently asked
Are ordinary hyperlinks a problem?
Link annotations to a URI are not the issue this check is about; it targets actions that execute something. A document whose meaning depends on an external URL still resolving is a separate archival risk worth thinking about.
Why is JavaScript forbidden?
Because it makes the document's behaviour depend on a scripting engine that may not exist, may behave differently, or may be disabled. An archival document has to be a record, not a program.