diff --git a/src/ptf/tex.py b/src/ptf/tex.py
index 6a000ea913681429c0d405c51f718b8d4c9c1c30..156bad19a5298ec241b81ca579de42ca0be97cb3 100644
--- a/src/ptf/tex.py
+++ b/src/ptf/tex.py
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ def compile_tex(lines, article, update=False):
     to_path = os.path.join(
         settings.MERSENNE_TEST_DATA_FOLDER, relative_folder, article.pid + ".pdf"
     )
-    if settings.MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE:
+    if settings.get("MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE", True):
         utils.linearize_pdf(cedram_pdf_location, to_path)
 
     return to_path
diff --git a/src/ptf/utils.py b/src/ptf/utils.py
index 88129fc15674f2313f3ec300866b46fe6fdb1dc4..f5357d5dee759647617e182c720ede7ddc194750 100644
--- a/src/ptf/utils.py
+++ b/src/ptf/utils.py
@@ -65,11 +65,7 @@ def execute_cmd(cmd, force_execute=False):
     @param cmd: str which represents shell command
     @return: output of the command
     """
-    if settings.MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE or force_execute:
-        result = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
-        return result
-
-    else:
+    if not settings.get("MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE", True) and not force_execute:
         # pour debug
         returnStatus = 0
         output = cmd
@@ -77,6 +73,9 @@ def execute_cmd(cmd, force_execute=False):
             file_.write(f"cmd : {cmd}\n")
         return returnStatus, output
 
+    result = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
+    return result
+
 
 def get_file_content_in_utf8(filename):
     """
@@ -91,35 +90,35 @@ def get_file_content_in_utf8(filename):
 
 def pdf_to_text(pdf_filename, force_execute=False):
     # Extract full text from the PDF
-    if settings.MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE or force_execute:
-        txt_filename = os.path.join(settings.MERSENNE_TMP_FOLDER, "fulltext.txt")
+    if not settings.get("MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE", True) and not force_execute:
+        return ""
 
-        try:
-            os.makedirs(settings.MERSENNE_TMP_FOLDER, exist_ok=True)
+    txt_filename = os.path.join(settings.MERSENNE_TMP_FOLDER, "fulltext.txt")
+
+    try:
+        os.makedirs(settings.MERSENNE_TMP_FOLDER, exist_ok=True)
 
-            cmd_str = "pdftotext -raw -nopgbrk -enc UTF-8 " + pdf_filename + " " + txt_filename
-            execute_cmd(cmd_str, force_execute=force_execute)
+        cmd_str = "pdftotext -raw -nopgbrk -enc UTF-8 " + pdf_filename + " " + txt_filename
+        execute_cmd(cmd_str, force_execute=force_execute)
 
-            # Check if the output file has been created
-            if not os.path.isfile(txt_filename) or os.path.getsize(txt_filename) == 0:
-                raise RuntimeError(
-                    "The PDF file was not converted by pdftotext (output file is empty)."
-                )
+        # Check if the output file has been created
+        if not os.path.isfile(txt_filename) or os.path.getsize(txt_filename) == 0:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "The PDF file was not converted by pdftotext (output file is empty)."
+            )
 
-            body = get_file_content_in_utf8(txt_filename)
-            # strip control characters
-            body = "".join(ch for ch in body if unicodedata.category(ch)[0] != "C")
+        body = get_file_content_in_utf8(txt_filename)
+        # strip control characters
+        body = "".join(ch for ch in body if unicodedata.category(ch)[0] != "C")
 
-            return body
-        except Exception as e:
-            raise RuntimeError(f"An error occurred while processing the PDF: {str(e)}")
+        return body
+    except Exception as e:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"An error occurred while processing the PDF: {str(e)}")
 
-        finally:
-            # Ensure the txt file is deleted
-            if os.path.isfile(txt_filename):
-                os.remove(txt_filename)
-    else:
-        return ""
+    finally:
+        # Ensure the txt file is deleted
+        if os.path.isfile(txt_filename):
+            os.remove(txt_filename)
 
 
 def linearize_pdf(from_path, to_path):
diff --git a/src/upload/utils.py b/src/upload/utils.py
index c32112fbfa5904304f66801de93a2f03be731ee4..df34a9c53282fcf395209e4a1d1d845f7c7fe612 100644
--- a/src/upload/utils.py
+++ b/src/upload/utils.py
@@ -28,12 +28,9 @@ def compute_article_for_pcj(
     lines = tex.create_tex_for_pcj(article)
     pdf_filename = tex.compile_tex(lines, article)
     # Extract full text from the PDF
-    if settings.MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE or force_execute:
+    if not settings.get("MERSENNE_CREATE_FRONTPAGE", True) and not force_execute:
         body = utils.pdf_to_text(pdf_filename)
         return article, body
 
-    # for debug
-    else:
-        body = utils.pdf_to_text(pdf_filename)
-
-        return article, body
+    body = utils.pdf_to_text(pdf_filename)
+    return article, body