Installation on Linux

Supported Distributions

The current SDK release provides x86-64 packages for Debian 12, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, CentOS Stream 9, and openSUSE Leap 15.5. Install the package that matches the selected release, distribution, and architecture.

Availability scope
Contact TEC-IT if you need another platform or architecture. Availability is assessed on request. Package availability is release-specific.

TFORMer Designer, the report and label designer, is available only for Microsoft Windows.

Installation and Documentation Locations

Installation paths:

Default SDK installation prefix: /usr/local/
tfprint command-line application: /usr/local/bin/tfprint
TFORMer.xml, sample applications, and other shared SDK resources: /usr/local/share/TFORMer9/

If you use a TFORMer.ini license file, place it in the shared SDK resource directory listed above.

The shared SDK resource directory contains the following subdirectories:

APIDocs: API references
Copyright: license notices for third-party software
Demos: sample shell scripts that demonstrate tfprint. See TFPrint Interface.
Examples: sample source code for the installed interfaces. See Sample Applications.
Templates: contains ready-to-use layout templates designed with TFORMer Designer

The Java API library is installed at:

/usr/local/share/TFORMer9/JTFORMer9.jar

The native C API header TFormer.h and its supporting TECITStd/ headers are installed under:

/usr/local/include/TFORMer9/

The SDK documentation start page and the English and German Developer and TFPrint PDF manuals are installed in /usr/local/share/TFORMer9/. Generated API references for the native C API, Java, and .NET are located in the following directory; open cplusplus/index.html, java/index.html, or NET/index.html in a browser:

/usr/local/share/TFORMer9/APIDocs

The package also installs a man page for tfprint. Open it with:

$ man tfprint

Supported APIs

The Linux package provides the following interfaces:

.NET APIs: Choose TECIT.TFORMer.dll or TECIT.TFORMer.Std.dll for the target application. Both assemblies are installed in /usr/local/lib.
Native C API: Keep the complete package-provided shared-library chain in /usr/local/lib: libTFORMer9.so, its SONAME link, and the fully versioned target. The Linux library exposes the same TFormer function family as the Windows DLL. Linux uses UTF-8 for string parameters; Windows provides narrow and wide string variants. Printer-specific options remain platform dependent.
Java API: Use JTFORMer9.jar together with the complete package-provided libTFORMer9JNI.so shared-library chain.
Command-line application: Use tfprint.

Sample Applications

Installed examples are located below /usr/local/share/TFORMer9/Examples/.

The sample repository is installed below /usr/local/share/TFORMer9/Examples/Demo Repository/:

Demo Repository: The forms in Demos.tfr are used by the sample applications.

The package includes the following sample applications and source code:

C command line: TFORMerSimpleX.c opens the sample repository and generates barcode labels as a PDF document.
C# .NET command line: The .NET 8 sample opens BusinessCard_Multi from the installed demo repository, supplies in-memory records, and lets you choose the output type. On Linux, its project references /usr/local/lib/TECIT.TFORMer.dll.
Java command line: The Java sample opens BusinessCard_Multi, supplies in-memory records, and generates the selected output through the Java API.
Legacy Java (J2EE) example: The package retains servlet source for historical reference. The servlet generates PDF and streams it in the HTTP response, but its build and deployment script is not current guidance.

Platform Specific Installation Hints

Linux® (deb- or rpm-based)

Use the self-extracting package supplied for the selected release, distribution, and architecture.

After a successful RPM or Debian package installation, the self-extracting installer asks whether to run a barcode-label test. If you answer yes, it runs /usr/local/share/TFORMer9/Demos/DemoBarcodeLabels.sh; the script uses tfprint to write BarcodeLabels.pdf to the current working directory.

RPM Installation

Run the supplied package as root:

$ su
$ sh <LinuxPackageFile>

The installer displays the license agreement and installs the embedded RPM package.

RPM Deinstallation

For an RPM installation, uninstall the package as root:

$ su
$ rpm -e TFORMer

DEB (Debian) Installation

Run the supplied package with root privileges:

$ sudo sh <LinuxPackageFile>

The installer displays the license agreement and installs the embedded Debian package.

DEB (Debian) Deinstallation

For a Debian installation, uninstall the package with root privileges:

$ sudo dpkg -r tformer