Installation

This guide covers installing mini-eric components for different use cases.

System Requirements

ceric/cotto Binary Requirements

• Operating System: Linux, macOS, or Windows

  • Linux: glibc 2.17+ and libgcc_s 4.2+

  • Windows: Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 14+

• Certificate: Valid ELSTER certificate for send/transmit operations

PHP SDK Requirements

• PHP: 8.3 or higher

• PHP Extensions: dom, libxml, mbstring, simplexml

• ERiC Binary: The ceric binary (included in the parent repository)

Installation Methods

Method 1: PHP SDK (Recommended)

The PHP SDK is the easiest way to get started as it includes the ceric binary and provides a clean object-oriented interface.

Install via Composer

composer require rechtlogisch/mini-eric-php

Verify Installation

<?php
use Rechtlogisch\MiniEric\Ceric;

$ceric = new Ceric();
$result = $ceric->version();

echo "ceric version: " . $result->cericOutput->message;

Method 2: ceric Binary Only

If you prefer to use the command-line tool directly or integrate it into non-PHP applications:

Download Binary

Binares are shared online from a secured server which required authentification.

Link with credentials is provided individually to each customer.

ERiC Libraries Setup

The ceric binary requires ERiC libraries to function. These must be placed in the correct directory structure:

bin/
└── eric/
    ├── ericapi.dll (Windows)
    ├── ericapi.dylib (macOS)
    ├── ericapi.so (Linux)
    ├── [other ERiC library files]
    └── plugins/
        └── [other ERiC plugins]

Default Paths

• PHP SDK: vendor/bin/eric-plugins/

• Standalone ceric: bin/eric/plugins/

Custom Path

You can specify a custom ERiC plugins path:

# CLI
./ceric --pathVendor /path/to/eric/plugins/ --pathXml file.xml --dataType Kontoinformation

# PHP SDK
$ceric = new Ceric();
$result = $ceric->draft(new CericInput(
    dataType: 'Kontoinformation',
    pathXml: 'file.xml',
    pathVendor: '/path/to/eric/plugins/'
));

Certificate Setup

For send and transmit operations, you need a valid ELSTER certificate:

Environment Variables

Set these environment variables:

export PATH_CERTIFICATE="/path/to/your/certificate.pfx"
export CERTIFICATE_PIN="your_certificate_pin"

Note: For complete environment variable configuration including all available variables, see Environment Variables.

Default Values

If not set, ceric will use these defaults:

• Certificate: bin/eric/test-softorg-pse.pfx

• PIN: 123456

The default certificate is for testing only. Use a valid ELSTER certificate for production operations.

Verification

Test your installation:

PHP SDK Test

<?php
use Rechtlogisch\MiniEric\Ceric;
use Rechtlogisch\MiniEric\Dto\CericInput;

$ceric = new Ceric();

// Test version
$version = $ceric->version();
echo "Version: " . $version->cericOutput->message . PHP_EOL;

CLI Test

# Test version
./ceric --version

# Test help
./ceric --help

# Test with a simple XML file
./ceric --pathXml examples/info.xml --dataType Kontoinformation --pathStorage ./test-output/

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Binary Not Found

ceric binary not found: /path/to/ceric

Solution: Ensure the ceric binary exists and is executable. Check the path in your PHP SDK or specify the correct path.

ERiC Libraries Missing

Could not initialize ERiC instance

Solution: Verify ERiC libraries are in the correct directory structure.

Certificate Issues

Could not load certificate

Solution: Check that your certificate file exists and the PIN is correct. Verify environment variables are set properly.

Getting Help

• Check the troubleshooting guide

• Review error codes

Next Steps

• ceric CLI Reference - Learn all command-line options

• PHP SDK API - Explore the PHP SDK features