Designer Linux

Running the Designer on Linux

The RdlDesigner is a WinForms application that requires Windows. On Linux it can be run under Wine with the .NET Desktop Runtime installed inside the Wine prefix.

For cross-platform report viewing and server-side export, no Wine is needed — the core engine and the Avalonia viewer run natively on Linux. Wine is only required if you need the visual designer on a Linux desktop.

Setup

1. Install Wine — use your distribution's package manager:

   # Debian / Ubuntu
   sudo apt-get install wine
   
   # Fedora
   sudo dnf install wine
   
   # Arch
   sudo pacman -S wine

2. Install .NET Desktop Runtime 8 (or newer) inside Wine:

   Download the Windows x64 .NET Desktop Runtime installer from dotnet.microsoft.com and run it through Wine:

   wine dotnet-desktop-runtime-8.x.x-win-x64.exe

   Follow the installer prompts inside the Wine window.

3. Run the designer:

   wine RdlDesign.exe

   Or point Wine at the installed path if running from a published build:

   wine /path/to/publish/RdlDesign.exe

Known limitations

• Font rendering may differ from the Windows experience; some fonts available on Windows are not present in the Wine prefix by default. Install winetricks corefonts to add common Microsoft fonts:

  winetricks corefonts

• File dialogs use Wine's native dialogs, which show the Windows-style drive layout (Z:\ maps to /).

• Performance is slower than native Windows; complex reports with many items may feel sluggish in preview.

• Printing via Wine is unreliable; use the export-to-PDF workflow instead.

Alternatives

• Use a Windows VM or CI runner for designer work and commit the .rdl files to source control.
• Use the Avalonia viewer on Linux for viewing and testing reports generated on Windows.
• RDL files are plain XML — lightweight edits (connection strings, query text, labels) can be made in any text editor.