Emojis and Chinese characters cannot be PDF-exported

1 month 1 week ago - 1 month 1 week ago #1 by Carlos
Dears,
when a user exports a list to PDF on my site, emojis are garbled, and with Chinese characters happens the same - all are replaced by a question number:

 

This is a bug in my opinion, at least when it comes to Chinese characters. It creates a problem for multilanguage sites like mine.
How can we solve this?
I tried changing the "controller.php" file without success by inputting one of below parameters, but none works:
Content-Type: application/pdf; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Type: application/pdf; charset=utf-8 C

Can you please suggest how to overcome this restricton, or propose a new version to solve this issue?
 

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1 month 1 week ago #2 by Christopher Mavros
Replied by Christopher Mavros on topic Emojis and Chinese characters cannot be PDF-exported
Hello Carlos and thank you for posting.
The PDF export is done using the TCPDF library.

The TCPDF library requires a font to write your PDF. The default font used is freemono. I doubt that includes Chinese or emojis.
You can change the font used by MyShortlist by translating the MOD_MYSHORTLIST_PDF_FONT language key to your desired font.
Since MyShortlist displays this information on the website, it means that it supports Chinese and emojis.
TCPDF has other limitations that we cannot control. I believe changing the font to something that supports what you need will solve the problem.

P.S.: I would appreciate it if you allow me some time to respond before posting a review on the Joomla Extension Directory on a Sunday evening.
Thanks again.

Christopher Mavros
mavrosxristoforos@gmail.com
If you like our extensions, please rate us on the JED!

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1 month 1 week ago #3 by Carlos
Dear Mavros
Thanks for the reply. I will check the TCPDF documentation and try changing the font settings.
Thanks a lot!

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1 month 6 days ago #4 by Christopher Mavros
Replied by Christopher Mavros on topic Emojis and Chinese characters cannot be PDF-exported
I would be happy to help with that, if you want.
Let me know.

Christopher Mavros
mavrosxristoforos@gmail.com
If you like our extensions, please rate us on the JED!

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