Pdf is generated but it's empty in email.

Hello,
i have a problem.

E2Pdf template generates and attaches to WooCommerce email successfully, but the PDF is **empty** (4142 bytes - blank PDF). When manually generating the same PDF from WooCommerce admin, it works correctly with content.

**Issue**: Custom shortcode `[greeting_card field="html"]` in template Value field is never being processed during email generation, while `[greeting_card field="font_e2pdf"]` in Actions is being called 6 times.

---

## E2Pdf Template Configuration

### Template Details
- **Template ID**: 2
- **Template Name**: "greeting"
- **Extension**: WooCommerce
- **Item**: shop_order
- **Format**: PDF
- **Activated**: Yes

### Template Element Configuration

**Element with Greeting Text:**
- **Type**: HTML element
- **Value**: `[greeting_card field="html"]`
- **HTML Worker**: v2
- **Disable WYSIWYG Editor**: No (checkbox unchecked)

**Actions Configuration:**

**Action 0:**
- **Sort**: 0
- **Action**: Hide Element
- **Apply If**: Any
- **If**: `[greeting_card field="font_e2pdf"]`
- **Condition**: != (not equal)
- **Value**: Bad Script Regular

**Action 1:**
- **Sort**: 1
- **Action**: Show Element
- **Apply If**: Any
- **Else**: - (dropdown)
- **If**: `[greeting_card field="font_e2pdf"]`
- **Condition**: = (equal)
- **Value**: Bad Script Regular

---

## WooCommerce Settings (E2Pdf → Settings → WooCommerce Tab)

### User Order List
- **Template**: --- Select --- (not set)
- **Order Status**: Pending payment ☐, Processing ☐, On hold ☐, Completed ☐, Cancelled ☐, Refunded ☐, Failed ☐, Draft ☐, Any ✓
- **Priority**: 10

### User Order Details
- **Template**: --- Select --- (not set)
- **Order Status**: Pending payment ☐, Processing ☐, On hold ☐, Completed ☐, Cancelled ☐, Refunded ☐, Failed ☐, Draft ☐, Any ✓
- **Hook**: woocommerce_order_details_before_order_table
- **Priority**: 10

### User Cart
- **Template**: --- Select --- (not set)
- **Priority**: 10

### User Checkout
- **Template**: --- Select --- (not set)
- **Hook**: woocommerce_review_order_before_submit
- **Priority**: 10

### Admin Order List
- **Template**: greeting
- **Hook**: woocommerce_admin_order_actions_end
- **Order Status**: Pending payment ☐, Processing ☐, On hold ☐, Completed ✓, Cancelled ☐, Refunded ☐, Failed ☐, Draft ☐, Any ✓
- **Priority**: 10

### Admin Order Details
- **Template**: greeting
- **Order Status**: Pending payment ☐, Processing ☐, On hold ☐, Completed ✓, Cancelled ☐, Refunded ☐, Failed ☐, Draft ☐, Any ✓

---

## Shortcode Used in Template

### Shortcode Name
`[greeting_card]`

This is a custom shortcode registered in our WordPress installation that retrieves greeting card data from WooCommerce order item meta.

### Parameters
- `field="html"` - Should return greeting text content
- `field="font_e2pdf"` - Should return font name for the greeting text

### Data Source
WooCommerce order item meta data with keys:
- **Text keys**: `Grußtext`, `greeting_text`, `_greeting_text`, `text`, `_text`
- **Font keys**: `font_e2pdf`, `_font_e2pdf`, `greeting_font`, `_greeting_font`

### Test with Standard E2Pdf Shortcodes
We have also tried replacing `[greeting_card field="html"]` with standard E2Pdf WooCommerce shortcodes:
```
[e2pdf-wc-product key="get_meta" meta_key="text" order="true"]
```

**Result**: Same issue - element Value is not being processed when generated via email.

---

## WooCommerce Configuration

### HPOS Status
- **Enabled**: Yes
- **Storage**: Custom Order Tables (not WordPress posts)
- Orders are stored in WooCommerce custom tables, NOT wp_posts

### Email Template
- **Email ID**: customer_processing_order
- **Template File**: customer-processing-order.php
- **Location**: /themes/hello-elementor/woocommerce/emails/

### PDF Attachment Method
We are using the E2Pdf shortcode to generate and attach PDF to emails:

```
[e2pdf-attachment id="2" apply="true" filter="true"]
```

This shortcode is processed via WordPress `do_shortcode()` function in the `woocommerce_email_attachments` filter hook.

---

## Test Data

### Test Order
- **Order ID**: 8130
- **Order Status**: Processing
- **Product**: Greeting card product

### Order Item Meta Data
```
Greeting Text: "This is the last test of this. Should be Druckbrief."
Greeting Font: "druckdrief"
```

### Meta Keys Present
- `text` or `Grußtext`: Contains greeting text
- `font_e2pdf`: Contains "druckdrief"

---

## Observed Behavior

### What Works ✓

1. **PDF generation**: PDF file is created successfully and attached to WooCommerce email

2. **Manual PDF generation**: When generating PDF manually from WooCommerce admin order page (using the E2Pdf button next to the order), the PDF contains **correct content** with greeting text

3. **Shortcode in Actions**: The shortcode `[greeting_card field="font_e2pdf"]` in the Actions (If condition) appears to be processed

### What Doesn't Work ✗

1. **PDF content is empty when generated via email**: PDF file is created but contains no content (approximately 4KB - empty PDF structure)

2. **Element Value field not processed**: The element containing `[greeting_card field="html"]` in the Value field appears to not be rendered at all when PDF is generated automatically via email

3. **Different behavior between manual and automatic generation**:
- **Manual** (from WooCommerce admin): PDF contains greeting text ✓
- **Automatic** (via email hook): PDF is empty ✗

---

## Suspected Issue

We suspect that the **Actions** (Hide Element/Show Element) configuration may be preventing the element's Value field from being processed during email generation.

### Actions Logic

The element has Actions configured as:
```
Action 0: IF [greeting_card field="font_e2pdf"] != "Bad Script Regular" THEN Hide Element
Action 1: ELSE Show Element
```

Since the actual font value is "druckdrief" (not "Bad Script Regular"), the condition in Action 0 is true, which hides the element.

### Possible Problem

If Actions are evaluated **before** the Value field is processed, the element gets hidden and its Value `[greeting_card field="html"]` never gets rendered, resulting in an empty PDF.

However, when generating manually from admin, the Actions may work differently or in a different order, allowing the Value to be processed correctly.

---

## Questions for E2Pdf Support

1. **Why different behavior?** Why does manual PDF generation from WooCommerce admin work correctly with content, but automatic generation via email hook produces empty PDF?

2. **Order of operations**: When are Actions evaluated relative to Value field rendering? Are Actions processed before or after the element's Value field?

3. **Actions and Value rendering**: If an element is hidden by Actions, is its Value field still processed, or is it skipped entirely?

4. **Alternative approach**: What is the recommended way to conditionally show/hide elements based on dynamic data without preventing Value from being rendered?

5. **HPOS compatibility**: Is E2Pdf fully compatible with WooCommerce HPOS (Custom Order Tables)? We noticed orders are stored in custom tables, not wp_posts.

6. **Email generation context**: Is there anything special that needs to be configured for PDF generation via WooCommerce email hooks vs manual generation?

---

## Desired Outcome

PDF should contain the greeting text from order meta when automatically generated and attached to WooCommerce "Customer Processing Order" email.

**Expected content**: "This is the last test of this. Should be Druckbrief."
**Current content**: Empty/blank

---

## Screenshots Referenced

We have screenshots showing:
1. E2Pdf template element configuration with Value: `[greeting_card field="html"]`
2. Actions configuration (Hide/Show based on font)
3. E2Pdf WooCommerce settings tab

---

## Expected Support Response

We need guidance on:

1. **Why manual vs automatic generation behaves differently** - same template, same data, different results
2. **How to configure Actions** so they don't prevent element Value from being rendered
3. **Order of operations** - when are Actions evaluated vs when is Value field processed
4. **Best practices** for conditional element rendering in email generation context
5. **HPOS compatibility** - any known issues or special configuration needed

---

## Contact Information

**Site URL**: https://michaelk570.sg-host.com
**WP Admin**: Available upon request
**E2Pdf Template ID**: 2
**Test Order ID**: 8130

---

## Summary for Quick Review

**Working:**
- ✓ PDF generates and attaches to email successfully
- ✓ Manual PDF generation from admin works correctly with content

**Not Working:**
- ✗ Automatic PDF generation via email produces empty PDF (no content)
- ✗ Element with Value `[greeting_card field="html"]` not being rendered during email generation

**Key Question:**
Why does the same E2Pdf template work correctly when generated manually from admin, but produces empty PDF when generated automatically via WooCommerce email hook?

---

Thank you for your support!