Pdftk is not working in Leap 15.1

English Applications
#1

I have regularly used pdftk in Leap 42.2 and earlier for extracting pages from a PDF file or joining several PDF files into a single one. In 15.1, it is downloadable from the http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/alois/openSUSE_Leap_15.1/ site.

It loads without problem but no matter what PDF files I attempt to process using it, all it does is give the “Synopsis” which is normally provided with the “–help” argument is given. The input files are not being read and no output is generated.

#2

Quite possible that someone comes with help here, but I see that repo is a private one. Thus trying to contact the maintainer might be a useful shortcut.

#3

Can you start it from terminal and post all here?

#4 
~> **pdftk**
SYNOPSIS
       pdftk <input PDF files | - | PROMPT>
       input_pw <input PDF owner passwords | PROMPT> ]
       <operation> <operation arguments> ]
       output <output filename | - | PROMPT> ]
       encrypt_40bit | encrypt_128bit ]
       allow <permissions> ]
       owner_pw <owner password | PROMPT> ]
       user_pw <user password | PROMPT> ]
       flatten ]  need_appearances ]
       compress | uncompress ]
       keep_first_id | keep_final_id ]  drop_xfa ]  drop_xmp ]
       verbose ]  dont_ask | do_ask ]
       Where:
      <operation> may be empty, or:
       cat | shuffle | burst | rotate |
        generate_fdf | fill_form |
        background | multibackground |
        stamp | multistamp |
        dump_data | dump_data_utf8 |
        dump_data_fields | dump_data_fields_utf8 |
        dump_data_annots |
        update_info | update_info_utf8 |
        attach_files | unpack_files ]

       For Complete Help: pdftk --help

~> **pdftk term-dep.pdf cat output test.pdf**
SYNOPSIS
       pdftk <input PDF files | - | PROMPT>
       input_pw <input PDF owner passwords | PROMPT> ]
       <operation> <operation arguments> ]
       output <output filename | - | PROMPT> ]
       encrypt_40bit | encrypt_128bit ]
       allow <permissions> ]
       owner_pw <owner password | PROMPT> ]
       user_pw <user password | PROMPT> ]
       flatten ]  need_appearances ]
       compress | uncompress ]
       keep_first_id | keep_final_id ]  drop_xfa ]  drop_xmp ]
       verbose ]  dont_ask | do_ask ]
       Where:
      <operation> may be empty, or:
       cat | shuffle | burst | rotate |
        generate_fdf | fill_form |
        background | multibackground |
        stamp | multistamp |
        dump_data | dump_data_utf8 |
        dump_data_fields | dump_data_fields_utf8 |
        dump_data_annots |
        update_info | update_info_utf8 |
        attach_files | unpack_files ]

       For Complete Help: pdftk --help

~> **pdftk A=term-dep.pdf cat A1 output test.pdf**
SYNOPSIS
       pdftk <input PDF files | - | PROMPT>
       input_pw <input PDF owner passwords | PROMPT> ]
       <operation> <operation arguments> ]
       output <output filename | - | PROMPT> ]
       encrypt_40bit | encrypt_128bit ]
       allow <permissions> ]
       owner_pw <owner password | PROMPT> ]
       user_pw <user password | PROMPT> ]
       flatten ]  need_appearances ]
       compress | uncompress ]
       keep_first_id | keep_final_id ]  drop_xfa ]  drop_xmp ]
       verbose ]  dont_ask | do_ask ]
       Where:
      <operation> may be empty, or:
       cat | shuffle | burst | rotate |
        generate_fdf | fill_form |
        background | multibackground |
        stamp | multistamp |
        dump_data | dump_data_utf8 |
        dump_data_fields | dump_data_fields_utf8 |
        dump_data_annots |
        update_info | update_info_utf8 |
        attach_files | unpack_files ]

       For Complete Help: pdftk --help

~>
#5

Not a direct answer to your issue with pdftk, but perhaps ‘pdfseparate’ and ‘pdfunite’ might be acceptable alternatives for you? Both are part of poppler-tools.

#6

FWIW, I stumbled across this ubuntu bug report and a similar debian bug report outlining build problems and the need to drop it.

Hi,

pdftk depends or build-depends on GCJ. GCJ has been dropped upstream
since GCC 7, so we are dropping it from Debian. Thus please either
drop support for GCJ if you are just building an alternative package
with GCJ support (e.g. ant-gcj, ecj-gcj) or switch to default-jdk /
default-jre as appropriate.

Cheers, Emilio

Apparently there is a java fork being developed…

https://gitlab.com/pdftk-java/pdftk

#7

I have checked out pdfunite and pdfseparate and they do most of what I need pdftk for. Ghostscript can be used for other tasks. I will use pdftk if it becomes available again.