Brontekst bekijken van WooCommerce PDF plugins (WP Overnight)

We frequently use two PDF-related plugins from ''[[WP Overnight]]'': The free <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips</code> and the paid extension to this: <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates</code>. As these plugins are quite intertwined with eachother, there are combined in this article.

== Identification ==

Somehow, PDF-related plugins seem to have names that are as hard to remember as they are to distinguish. The two WP Overnight PDF-related plugins that we use:

=== woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips ===

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! Class
! Identifier
! Value
|-
| rowspan="4" | Primary || DVB name || <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips</code>
|-
| Directory name || <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips</code>
|-
| Author || WP Overnight
|-
| Main PHP file name || <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packingslips.php</code>
|-
| rowspan="6" | Secondary || Author URI || https://www.wpovernight.com wpovernight.com
|-
| Text Domain || woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips
|-
| Plugin name<br>(main PHP file) || ''PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce''
|-
| @package<br>(main PHP file)    || ---
|-
| Description<br>(main PDF file) || ''Create, print & email PDF or UBL Invoices & PDF Packing Slips for WooCommerce orders''
|-
| External links
| https://wpovernight.com/downloads/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips-bundle/<br>(this product is not available anymore as a standalone product)
|}

=== woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates ===

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! Class
! Identifier
! Value
|-
| rowspan="4" | Primary || DVB name || <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates</code>
|-
| Directory name || <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates</code>
|-
| Author || WP Overnight
|-
| Main PHP file name || <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates.php</code>
|-
| rowspan="6" | Secondary || Author URI || [https://www.wpovernight.com wpovernight.com]
|-
| Text Domain || wpo_wcpdf_templates
|-
| Plugin name<br>(main PHP file) || ''PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce - Premium Templates''
|-
| @package<br>(main PHP file)    || ---
|-
| Description<br>(main PDF file) || ''Premium templates for the PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce extension''
|-
| Product links
| https://wpovernight.com/downloads/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips-premium-templates/
|}

=== Related plugins ===

Not to be confused with these plugins:

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! Some identifier; Reseller; A name
! External links
! Notes
|-
|
* <code>pdf-invoices</code>
* Andrew Benbow » WooCommerce.com
* PDF Invoices for WooCommerce
|
* https://woocommerce.com/products/pdf-invoices/
* Not available at [https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/WooCommerce+Print+Invoices+and+Packing+Lists/ wordpress.org/plugins/]?
|-
|
* <code>print-invoices-packing-slip-labels-for-woocommerce</code>
* WebToffee
* ''WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes and Shipping Labels''
|
* https://wordpress.org/plugins/print-invoices-packing-slip-labels-for-woocommerce/
* https://profiles.wordpress.org/webtoffee/
* https://www.webtoffee.com/
* https://www.webtoffee.com/product/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips/
|-
|
* <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips</code>???
* WebToffee
* ''WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips''
|
* https://www.webtoffee.com/product/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips/
* Not available at [https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/webtoffee+pdf/ wordpress.org/plugins/]?
| Identifier is unknown: The URL that the reseller uses on its site, isn't authorative. In this case, it would result in the same identifier as for the WP Overnight plugin mentioned earlier
|-
|
* <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips-bundle</code>
* WP Overnight
* ''WooCommerce PDF Invoices and Packing Slips Bundle''
| https://wpovernight.com/downloads/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips-bundle/
|-
|
* <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips-professional</code>
* WP Overnight
* ''WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips Professional''
| https://wpovernight.com/downloads/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips-professional/
|-
|
* <code>woocommerce-pip</code>
* SkyVerge » WooCommerce.com
* ''WooCommerce Print Invoices and Packing Lists'' & ''WooCommerce Print Invoices/Packing Lists''
|
* https://woocommerce.com/products/print-invoices-packing-lists/
* Not available at [https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/WooCommerce+Print+Invoices+and+Packing+Lists/ wordpress.org/plugins/]
| We use this plugin as well
|}

== Licensing ==

* GPLv2
* Gratis
* Reseller: [[WP Overnight]]

== Difference between these plugins ==

[[file:20241120-1704.png|thumb|Main menu, with both the plugins enabled]]
[[file:20241120-1705.png|thumb|Main menu, with the templates-plugin disabled - The ''Customizer'' menu item is gone]]

What's exactly the difference between <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips</code> and <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates</code>?

* <code>woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips</code> is the 'basic free PDF plugin'
* <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates</code> isn't just some templates: It als includes some additional functionality: Especially the ''Customizer'' menu item in the main menu
* Actually: I don't know exactly what the template-part entailed and I don't need to know it right now either
* You can see what's in either package, by disabling and enabling the template plugin and check the differences in the menu - See screenshots around here.

Conclusion: We really need the configurability that the ''Customizer'' menu from the template-plugin offers.

== PDF download location ==

Concerning the location of the downloadable PDF invoices, check:

<pre>
wp-admin » WooCommerce » PDF Invoices » Status
</pre>

For me, this is usually something like <code>var/www/example.com/wp-content/uploads/wpo_wcpdf_...</code>.

== Interface ==

After installation, you find stuff here:

<pre>
wp-admin » WooCommerce » PDF Invoices
</pre>

The tabs (main menu items) at this page:

* General
* Documents
* Customizer
* UBL (beta)
* Advanced
* Upgrade

== UBL ==

This plugin supports UBL (in beta, as of 2024.11). ''UBL'', or ''Universal Business Language'', is an internationally standardized format used for electronic business documents, such as invoices, purchase orders, and shipping notices. Developed by the OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards), UBL is a XML-based data format that allows companies to exchange standardized business documents electronically across different systems and organizations.

* '''Standardized Data Format:''' UBL provides a common format for electronic documents, which is especially useful in e-invoicing, ensuring that information like pricing, taxes, and customer details are structured uniformly.
* '''Tax Compliance:''' Many countries require electronic invoices for tax compliance purposes, and UBL's standardized format meets regulatory requirements in regions that mandate such formats (e.g., the European Union and parts of Latin America).
* '''Interoperability:''' UBL enables seamless cross-border business transactions because its format is widely accepted internationally. Businesses in different countries can easily interpret each other's documents without needing customized systems.
* '''Government Requirements:''' Some countries mandate UBL-compliant invoices to streamline tax reporting and reduce fraud. By using UBL, businesses meet these requirements more easily, particularly when trading within or with the European Union.

== Language ==

Thanks to the [https://docs.wpovernight.com/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips/multilingual-support/ excellent documentation] about these plugins: When you have the ''free basic plugin'' (as we have): The language of the documents is determined by the ''user language setting'' of the account that generates the document:

* I always have the backend of WordPress sites in English, so invoices or packing lists that I generate myself through the backend, are in English, regardless the language of the frontend of this site
* This has at least theoretically, some implications concerning ''paper trail'': These documents are generated at the moment that I request these documents, not historical documents
* Appearantly, with the ''professional extension'' of these plugins, you can set the language explicitly.

Maybe a solution if you absolutely have to be able to generate these documents in one other language, other than the backend language, without buying the ''professiona'' version of this plugin: Replae all strings from the backend-language into the desired front-end language.

Maybe a solution if you really want to be sure that the translations are correct in the target language: Create an additional admin-account for yourself, in the target language. Or change the language of you current account to the target language.

{|
|[[file:20250204-11.44.png|thumb|The packing list in my usual English-speaking admin-account]]
|[[file:20250204-11.45.png|thumb|The same packing list, after changing my profile language to French. Even ''SKU'' is translated to ''UGS - Unité de Gestion des Stocks'' very French, but I prefer ''SKU'' as it easier to understand by everybody. This can be overruled at the ''Customizer'' section of the plugin. The header fields, cannot be overruled so easily]]
|}

== Update translations ==

As mentioned earlier: PDF orders and packing lists (when using the free basic plugin) are generated in the language of the account of the person generating the document.

Nevertheless, more stuff can be done concerning translations

* Go to the ''Customizer'' tab: There you often can insert labels at the spot
* Go to <code>wp-admin » KB Shop Options » Shop invoice & mails</code>: Many of the fields are covered here.

If that doesn't work, you might want to experiment with the .po files. We typically use ''Loco Translate'' for this.

== Custom fields ==

The ability to include ''custom fields'', comes from the <code>woocommerce-pdf-ips-templates</code> plugin. How to incorporate custom and otherwise non-standard product-related fields in documents (packing slips to be precise)?

How some of this works for our specific situation:

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! Kind
! WordPress entity
! Item column
! Notes
|-
| Product field
| <code>wp_postmeta.sku_oem</code>
| Custom field (Product) » <code>sku_oem</code>
|-
| Product field
| <code>wp_postmeta.ean</code>
| Custom field (Product) » <code>ean</code>
| Unclear if this will be OEM-EAN or VAR-EAN
|-
|}

== Custom blocks ==

Through the ''Premium Templates'' extension, you can add ''custom blocks'' via the ''Customizer'' menu item. I want to use this to include GPSR-related safety information on the packing list (2024.12). There are two kinds of custom blocks: ''txt'' (flexible) and ''custom field'' (only the output of a custom field) - I'll use the former.

== Case: No PDF attached to order emails (April 2022) ==

=== Problem ===

PDFs were missing from order emails.

=== Debugging ===

* <code>wp-admin » WooCommerce » Orders</code>: When you click the PDF icon on an order (right side of the screen), you get a ''fatal error'' that something is wrong with VAT
* ''WooCommerce EU VAT Number plugin'' appeared to be deactivated
* The PDF template incorporates data from this plugin. It appears that there is no check whether this data is available or not (which is a good choice, by the way). Hence the crash.

=== Solution ===

Activate ''WooCommerce EU VAT Number plugin''.

== See also ==

* [[WooCommerce NL Postcode Checker (plugin)]]
* [[Woocommerce-pip (SkyVerge PDF plugin)]]
* [[WordPress plugin identification]]
* [[WP Overnight]]
* [[Wpovernight-sidekick (WordPress-plugin)]]

== Sources ==

* https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips/
* https://www.wpovernight.com

''' Documentation '''

* https://docs.wpovernight.com
* https://docs.wpovernight.com/topic/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips/
* https://docs.wpovernight.com/woocommerce-pdf-invoices-packing-slips/multilingual-support