{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.pdf","code":"thing-q42332","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q42332/","name":"PDF","alternateNames":["PDF Portfolio file format","Portable Document Format/Variable Data and Transactional Printing","Portable Document Format/Exchange","PDF/A"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.KNW"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A file format developed by Adobe for presenting documents, including text, images and layout, independently of the software, hardware and operating system used to view them; the registry aliases name variants such as PDF/A for archiving, PDF/X for printing and the PDF Portfolio format. PDF, short for Portable Document Format, became an open standard as ISO 32000 and is one of the most widely used document formats.","purpose":"Let an agent explain the PDF format, relay its purpose, features and variants from documentation, describe the named variants, and distinguish it from editable document formats and image formats.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Fixed layout across systems","Open ISO standard","Multiple specialised variants","Very widely used"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What PDF is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is the PDF format, and how does it differ from editable document and image formats?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a variant such as PDF/A?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"variants","name":"Variants","description":"Named variants.","findings":[{"id":"variants-finding","name":"Variants","description":"Variants.","questions":[{"text":"What are PDF/A, PDF/X and PDF Portfolio?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific variant?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"features","name":"Features","description":"Features.","layers":[{"id":"layout","name":"Layout","description":"Fixed layout.","findings":[{"id":"layout-finding","name":"Layout","description":"Layout.","questions":[{"text":"How does PDF preserve layout across systems?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"contents","name":"Contents","description":"Text, images, forms.","findings":[{"id":"contents-finding","name":"Contents","description":"Contents.","questions":[{"text":"What can a PDF contain beyond text?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"standard","name":"Standard","description":"Standard.","layers":[{"id":"iso","name":"ISO","description":"ISO standard.","findings":[{"id":"iso-finding","name":"ISO","description":"ISO.","questions":[{"text":"How did PDF become the open ISO 32000 standard?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits ISO standard?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"archiving","name":"Archiving","description":"PDF/A.","findings":[{"id":"archiving-finding","name":"Archiving","description":"Archiving.","questions":[{"text":"How does PDF/A support long-term archiving?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Use.","layers":[{"id":"accessibility","name":"Accessibility","description":"Accessibility.","findings":[{"id":"accessibility-finding","name":"Accessibility","description":"Accessibility.","questions":[{"text":"How do tagged PDFs support accessibility?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the information current?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"viewers","name":"Viewers","description":"Viewers and tools.","findings":[{"id":"viewers-finding","name":"Viewers","description":"Viewers.","questions":[{"text":"What tools open and create PDFs?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is the information neutral across vendors?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Create, read, convert and validate PDF files the user is entitled to handle.","Explain PDF variants such as archival and accessible PDF.","Check documents for accessibility tags."],"mustNot":["Bypass password protection or rights restrictions on a PDF without authority.","Alter the content of a signed or official PDF and present it as the original.","Treat a PDF as secure or tamper-proof without checking signatures.","Open PDFs from untrusted sources in a way that runs embedded code."],"requiresHuman":["Signing or certifying a PDF on someone's behalf."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["PDFs carry contracts and records; tampering can defraud people.","Inaccessible PDFs exclude people with disabilities."],"affectedParties":["Document authors","Readers with disabilities","Parties relying on the document"]},"owners":{"steward":"The author or owner of each document; ISO maintains the format.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1924634","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q336705","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"document file format","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"word processing format","type":"related"},{"target":"image file format","type":"related"},{"target":"ISO standard","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.pdf","Wikidata: Q42332 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42332)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["full name: Portable Document Format note","standard: ISO 32000 note","registry parents: document file format, metafile note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Portable Document Format file","PDF/A archiving, PDF/X printing, PDF Portfolio","Word or ODF documents are editable text; JPEG and PNG are single images","Not a visible object; a document file that renders the same page layout on any viewer."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the format and its purpose","relay features and variants","describe the named variants","distinguish it from other formats"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing variants","Assuming PDFs are always editable","Overstating security"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["ISO 32000","PDF/A and PDF/X sub-standards"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Presenting documents consistently across systems.","PDF/A","PDF/X","PDF Portfolio","tagged PDF"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q42332: PDF","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42332","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: PDF","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should variants be separate entries?","How should the ISO standard be linked?","How should accessibility features be documented?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q42332/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q42332/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-14T03:25:52Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:59+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}