A Practical Three-State Validation Model for User-Generated PDFs

Short summary

A practical guide to a three-state validation model (pass, needs_review, cannot_export) for document-generation products. The model goes beyond simple form validation by checking renderer output, layout constraints, text overflow, and minimum font sizes. This approach prevents exporting unusable PDFs while allowing users to proceed with non-blocking warnings.

• •Three-state model: pass, needs_review, cannot_export replaces binary valid/invalid
• •Validation consumes renderer output to catch layout and overflow issues field validators miss
• •Issues include fix anchors so users can jump directly to the problem section

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