Missing letters in pdf-file after export with "ImportExportTools NG"

[ExportBird]

Hello. I'm new to this forum because I have a current problem:

Under Thunderbird (128.7.0esr (64-bit)) I installed the add-on "ImportExportTools NG" version 14.1.5.
I'm using the add-on to export emails in PDF format. I've noticed that certain strings are missing. They're "ft" and "ti."
Instead of "Gemeinschaft Justine" it is "Gemeinsch Jusne".

Greetings from Werner

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
Odd considering those are just standard latin characters.
What is your output to html? The pdf is an api I have no control ove, but html is Its input so I wonder if we would see it there.
@cleidigh

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
I just did a pdf of your two words and the pdf was correct.
Can you send me an email that exhibits this behavior?
[email protected]
@cleidigh

[ExportBird]

Hello. I would like to apologize. My investigations were incorrect. It is true that the letter pairs I mentioned disappear. But that does not happen during export. I would like to make certain emails and their attachments available outside of Thunderbird. To do this, I have developed a VBA solution in Excel. I use "ImportExportTools NG" to export all emails in Thunderbird in PDF format, because they also contain certain email attachments. I need some information from the text of the email to display it in Excel. Since Excel does not offer a function for this, I use "PDFtoText". And this tool "loses" the letter pairs mentioned. /Mit freundlichen Grüßen/ /Werner Tomek/ /Hauptstraße 21/ /71277 Rutesheim/ Gesendet von meinem Pixel Smartphone mit FairEmail

…

---------------------------------------- 06.02.2025 19:54:34 Christopher Leidigh ***@***.***>:

@ExportBird[https://github.com/ExportBird] I just did a pdf of your two words and the pdf was correct. Can you send me an email that exhibits this behavior? ***@***.*** @cleidigh[https://github.com/cleidigh] — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub[#694 (comment)], or unsubscribe[https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BPHF3MFQFTJC5HGNPV3FZO32OOVWRAVCNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMNBQG4ZTINJXGI]. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. [Verfolgungsbild][https://github.com/notifications/beacon/BPHF3MEYWSHKKLOQHJ3UVLT2OOVWRA5CNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOWGG33NNVSW45C7OR4XAZNMJFZXG5LFINXW23LFNZ2KUY3PNVWWK3TUL5UWJTU5MZUWY.gif]

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
Glad you found the problem.
I will close.
@cleidigh

[ExportBird]

Hi Christopher. After Derek (software "PDFtoText") determined that the PDF files created with the Thunderbird export tool are faulty, and that no error in the PDFtoText software is to blame for the disappearance of various letter pairs, I am taking the liberty of contacting you again. Derek has described the problem, but I don't understand it. I have never had any contact with such things before. I would like to mention again that the "disappeared" letters are not special characters but normal letters, as used in English texts. I am thinking here of the "German Umlaut" With Derek's permission, I made printouts of his most important emails on Android, which I am now making available to you. I repeated the test mentioned by Derek in his last email. In my case too, after copying the displayed text, the already known letter pairs disappeared, even though they had been displayed before. I had provided Derek with the files created with the export tool in various types (EML, HTML and PDF) from a selected test email. I will also forward the relevant files to you. My hope is that the error will be found and that I can use this new solution. I am just wondering why the error was not known until now. Or is it simply because no one has had the "crazy" idea of exporting emails so that they can be viewed outside of an email software. I already have an idea of being able to easily display the exported attachments for the corresponding email. In a test version, I have now saved the attachments in a common directory so that it is clear which email they belonged to. There are terms that keep cropping up, e.g. "IMG001.PDF". No problem for me. Now that you are very familiar with the export tool, I would like to ask an additional question: The PDF format is well suited for displaying an email outside of an email software.  At the end of the generated file, the names of possible attachments are also given. But that doesn't really help me. For each email, if there are attachments, a separate subdirectory is created where these attachments are saved. I can only determine the name of the respective subdirectory using the export data in HTML format. Therefore, in addition to the PDF format, I have to export all emails in HTML format. Do you see another solution? I was hoping that in PDF format there would be an invisible link hidden behind the visible name. /Mit freundlichen Grüßen/ /Werner Tomek/ /Hauptstraße 21/ /71277 Rutesheim/ Gesendet von meinem Pixel Smartphone mit FairEmail

…

---------------------------------------- 09.02.2025 21:45:02 Christopher Leidigh ***@***.***>:

@ExportBird[https://github.com/ExportBird] Glad you found the problem. I will close. @cleidigh[https://github.com/cleidigh] — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub[#694 (comment)], or unsubscribe[https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BPHF3MANG6OFBLV5PBJB3OD2O6443AVCNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMNBWGU4DANJRGM]. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. [Verfolgungsbild][https://github.com/notifications/beacon/BPHF3MB5QAWE7RL2UHVEKOD2O6443A5CNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOWGG33NNVSW45C7OR4XAZNMJFZXG5LFINXW23LFNZ2KUY3PNVWWK3TUL5UWJTU5X6OSC.gif]

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
I have to say I don't understand as there are no issues with the pdf output concernig the latin sequence of "ft". The pdf below is an email I sent to myself then exported to pdf with IETNG. Now can you do this same and post a pdf output with the problem? Do not use PDFtoText. Thunderbird uses the widely used jspdf driver which is then used by IETNG so I have no control over that.
No one has ever reported such a text issue.

After we agree the pdf is fine we can address your other comments.
Lastly, why are doingpdf to text when you can export directly to text from IETNG?
Also I don't have any files from you.
@cleidigh

ft test.pdf

[ExportBird]

Hello Christopher. My last email was attached to a zip file. This package contained 3 files that were created by the Thunderbird export tool. They are exports in PDF, HTML and EML format from my test email. Try the test described by Derek with the PDF file: display with Acrobat, copy text and paste it somewhere: the letter pairs mentioned are missing. Werner ---------------------------------------- 12.02.2025 18:59:37 Christopher Leidigh ***@***.***>:

…

@ExportBird[https://github.com/ExportBird] I have to say I don't understand as there are no issues with the pdf output concernig the latin sequence of "ft". The pdf below is an email I sent to myself then exported to pdf with IETNG. Now can you do this same and post a pdf output with the problem? Do not use PDFtoText. Thunderbird uses the widely used jspdf driver which is then used by IETNG so I have no control over that. No one has ever reported such a text issue. After we agree the pdf is fine we can address your other comments. Lastly, why are doingpdf to text when you can export directly to text from IETNG? Also I don't have any files from you. @cleidigh[https://github.com/cleidigh] ft test.pdf[https://github.com/user-attachments/files/18771884/ft.test.pdf] — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub[#694 (comment)], or unsubscribe[https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BPHF3MHYRTY3CJTU7ZYWW7L2PODYRAVCNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMNJUGQ3DOOJZGQ]. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. [Verfolgungsbild][https://github.com/notifications/beacon/BPHF3MDX5XHOBMNZOYY5SJD2PODYRA5CNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOWGG33NNVSW45C7OR4XAZNMJFZXG5LFINXW23LFNZ2KUY3PNVWWK3TUL5UWJTU6G73ZU.gif]

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
There is no zip file.
Can you generate a pdf export and post here that shows an incorrect rendering?
@cleidigh

[ExportBird]

---------------------------------------- 12.02.2025 19:31:59 Christopher Leidigh ***@***.***>:

…

@ExportBird[https://github.com/ExportBird] There is no zip file. Can you generate a pdf export and post here that shows an incorrect rendering? @cleidigh[https://github.com/cleidigh] — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub[#694 (comment)], or unsubscribe[https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BPHF3MHE3QKG3MKLCI5IAV32POHR5AVCNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMNJUGUZTOMBWHE]. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. [Verfolgungsbild][https://github.com/notifications/beacon/BPHF3MES4FOYNLKGH47NKST2POHR5A5CNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOWGG33NNVSW45C7OR4XAZNMJFZXG5LFINXW23LFNZ2KUY3PNVWWK3TUL5UWJTU6HECW2.gif]

[cleidigh]

Nothing.
I think you cannot attach files using email, you have to log into github with a browser.

[ExportBird]

PDF Problem .zip

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
The pdf is rendered correctly in browsers. I don't understand why ft would be encoded as a ligature. If somehow jspdf is encoding something odd there is absolutely nothing I can do, it's not my software.
If you want text why not export to text. That would eliminate pdf converter Issues?
@cleidigh

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
Can you comment on using text export?
Also I think your issue with attachments directories can be solved by using
${subject}
in the attachments name field and
${subject}-EMB
for embedded attachments
@cleidigh

[ExportBird]

Hi Christopher. Unfortunately, Acrobat displays the text correctly. That's why I initially assumed that data would be exported correctly in Thunderbird. Derek then determined that the data in the PDF file was incorrect. To find out why Acrobat still manages to display the text correctly, please test by copying the text when displaying it with Acrobat and then pasting it somewhere. Then you will see that parts are missing. You mention jsdfp. I found out from Google that this is a module for Javascript. Is this module an integral part of your export tool or is there a possibility that a faulty version is installed on my computer. If so, where would I find the module? Why PDF? I want to display the text - outside of an email program - as the email program displays it. And in future I also want to display the attachments. That's why I want PDF. Werner ***@***.*** ---------------------------------------- 12.02.2025 20:22:02 Christopher Leidigh ***@***.***>:

…

@ExportBird[https://github.com/ExportBird] The pdf is rendered correctly in browsers. I don't understand why ft would be encoded as a ligature. If somehow jspdf is encoding something odd there is absolutely nothing I can do, it's not my software. If you want text why not export to text. That would eliminate pdf converter Issues? @cleidigh[https://github.com/cleidigh] — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub[#694 (comment)], or unsubscribe[https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BPHF3MG57WXZN3DZ2GT2Y4D2PONNTAVCNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMNJUGY2DEOBUGY]. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. [Verfolgungsbild][https://github.com/notifications/beacon/BPHF3MAJZVPQ5G2FWNBRDPD2PONNTA5CNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOWGG33NNVSW45C7OR4XAZNMJFZXG5LFINXW23LFNZ2KUY3PNVWWK3TUL5UWJTU6HKRJ4.gif]

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
I don't have acrobat, all my browsers display the pdf fine.
As I said above jspdf is within Thunderbird, I have no ability to change it.
I still do not understand why you are converting the pdf to text, that causes the problem for whatever reason, but it's out of our control.
Why can't you use text export directly??
@cleidigh

[ExportBird]

Hi Christopher. I don't understand your answer. How should I use "${subject)" and "${subject}-EMB" I use the options that the export tool offers me. Werner ---------------------------------------- 12.02.2025 21:06:09 Christopher Leidigh ***@***.***>:

…

@ExportBird[https://github.com/ExportBird] Can you comment on using text export? Also I think your issue with attachments directories can be solved by using ${subject} in the attachments name field and ${subject}-EMB for embedded attachments @cleidigh[https://github.com/cleidigh] — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub[#694 (comment)], or unsubscribe[https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BPHF3MCVVAIOIJI3H3ECRAD2POSS7AVCNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMNJUG4ZTCMZWHA]. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. [Verfolgungsbild][https://github.com/notifications/beacon/BPHF3MBJDV5ODEOQRTZZ5Y32POSS7A5CNFSM6AAAAABWTSYNQOWGG33NNVSW45C7OR4XAZNMJFZXG5LFINXW23LFNZ2KUY3PNVWWK3TUL5UWJTU6HP6GQ.gif]

[cleidigh]

@ExportBird
On the Filenames tab in options, there is a section for "Attachment folder names"
Under that you can define names for both regular attachments and embedded ones. Click the question mark and it will take you to help showing you all the tokens like ${subject} you can use. You can also have whatever text you wish