How to install and use FastReport FMX 2.8 for FmxLinux

2021-01-25

Recently we've released FastReport FMX 2.8 which includes support of FMXLinux framework.

In this article I'd like to describe installation process and requirements based on trial version of FastReport FMX 2.8Embarcadero RAD Studio 10.4.1FmxLinux 1.52 from GetIT package manager and Ubuntu 20.04.1.

We won't go deep inside installation and compilation process for Linux under RAD Studio. There are already good articles on Embarcadero website about it: Linux Application Development and FireMonkey for Linux.

Here is a short check-list of steps which should be made before installation of FastReport FMX 2.8 (If you have already made a setup of RAD Studio IDE and compiler for Linux and FmxLinux application compiles successfully, just skip these steps): 

  1. Install Linux distribution or use installed one (This article based on Ubuntu 20.04.1 distribution );
  2. Install dev packages of gcc and curl. Embarcadero recommends do it through:

    1
    
    sudo apt install joe wget p7zip-full curl openssh-server build-essential zlib1g-dev libcurl4-gnutls-dev libncurses5

    In this case dev package of 7zip installs all dependencies includes gcc (binary files of trial version FastReport FMX 2.8 builds with gcc 9 !);

  3. Install dev packages of zlib. For Ubuntu it should be:

    1
    
    sudo apt-get install zlib1g-dev
  4. Install x11, gtk3 dependencies packages through:

    1
    
    sudo apt install libgl1-mesa-glx libglu1-mesa libgtk-3-common libgstreamer1.0-0 libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-0

    I made a clean installation on new virtual machine and join all installation commands to one: 

    1
    
    sudo apt install joe wget p7zip-full curl openssh-server build-essential zlib1g-dev libcurl4-gnutls-dev libncurses5 zlib1g-dev libgl1-mesa-glx libglu1-mesa libgtk-3-common libgstreamer1.0-0 libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-0

     

    Installing Packages

  5.  Install PAServer(check Linux Application Development);

  6.  Install FmxLinux through GetIt package manager (Tools > GetIt Package Manager);
    GetIT

     

  7. Connect to Linux machine and download SDK.
    SDK Manager

 

Installation of FastReport FMX 2.8 for FmxLinux is the same as for the usual FastReport FMX 2 installation. It needs to download installation, for example trial version from here and close developer environment. All paths for compiler installation add automatically.

FastReport FMX 2 Installation

That's it. FastReport FMX 2.8 is ready to be used! Now we can check how FastReport FMX works on Linux. Let's run IDE(in my case Embarcadero RAD Studio 10.4.1) and open a demo example with reports. The Main demo example can be found in installation folder of FastReport FMX 2 by default in C:\Program Files (x86)\FastReport FMX 2 Trial\Demos\Main.
Open the project and select platform.

Platform

Before running the demo application we need to check that all files required for the demo application will be sent via PAServer (Project>Deployment). In my case one checkbox in front of MIDAS library is missing. Just make sure it's selected for the used platform.

Deplayment

It's time to compile and run the demo application.

FastReport on Linux

Now we can select a report and run the report designer.

FastReport Designer

Build a report and show it in the preview window.

FastReport on Linux

And, of course, we can make an export to available formats.

FastReport PDF Export on Linux

Just like for other platforms it's possible to use recompile utility for language change and recompilation of binary files.

It's necessary to select path to FmxLinux libraries (by default C:\Users\Public\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\21.0\CatalogRepository\FmxLinux-1.52\lib\Release for Embarcadero RAD Studio 10.4.1), compiler version, gcc version, and FastReport version. It's important to notice that recompile uses SDK paths from IDE Registry, that's why Linux SDK should be already properly set from RAD Studio before start to use recompile.

Let's change a language.

Recompile

Compile and run the demo application again.

Changed language

Language was changed.

As we can see, installing and using FastReport FMX 2.8 for FmxLinux is quite simple.

November 26, 2024

Installing FastReport on .NET 8.0 and Creating a Simple Report

The purpose of this article is to explain step by step how to install FastReport on .NET 8.0 and how to create a simple report. Taking the reporting process from the beginning, it will show how to connect, design and view reports.
November 20, 2024

Localization and Language Switching in FastReport VCL

FastReport VCL supports 40 languages for interface localization and allows you to change the language on the fly through menus or code, without recompilation.
October 28, 2024

How to Set Up WSL 2 for Working with FastReport and FastCube

In this article, we will explore how to set up WSL 2 for working with FastReport and FastCube components in Lazarus for Linux.
Fast Reports
  • 800-985-8986 (English, US)
  • +4930568373928 (German)
  • +55 19 98147-8148 (Portuguese)
  • info@fast-report.com
  • 66 Canal Center Plaza, Ste 505, Alexandria, VA 22314

© 1998-2024 Fast Reports Inc.