FORM from PyPI

[tueda]

Currently, pip install form-bin installs a wrapper script named form, but the wrapper actually invokes tform (a stripped binary):

$ form -v  # (a)
TFORM 5.0.0 (Jan 27 2026, v5.0.0)

$ tform -v  # (b)
bash: tform: command not found

$ python3 -m form_bin -v  # (c)
TFORM 5.0.0 (Jan 27 2026, v5.0.0)

$ python3 -c '__import__("form_bin").form("-v")'  # (d)
TFORM 5.0.0 (Jan 27 2026, v5.0.0)

$ uvx form-bin -v  # (e)
TFORM 5.0.0 (Jan 27 2026, v5.0.0)

For the current implementation, see form-dev/form-pypi.

I'm wondering whether this is the best approach. Possible options include:

1. Keep the current behaviour. Use tform for (a) and (c)-(e). (b) results in an error.
2. Install both the form and tform binaries. Use form for (a) and (c)-(e). Use tform for (b).
3. Install both the form and tform binaries. For (a)-(e), automatically choose between form and tform depending on whether -wN is passed as a command-line argument.

The function name in (d) could perhaps be run rather than form.

Any thoughts?

[jodavies]

I think using tform as the binary name should work, people are used to that.

At the workshop we discussed getting rid of "form" altogether, and having it always be an alias for "tform -w0" anyway. It seems that the pip package is halfway there already ;)

[tueda]

Now FORM is available on PyPI for both v5.0.0 and v5.0.1: https://pypi.org/project/form-bin.