"Simple, efficient document-based client interfaces that utilize components of standard technologies. Saves money, increases efficiency, eliminates errors."

<-- This web form has 28 calculations that have been configured to assist authorized salespeople to securely connect to, accurately interact with, and correctly process orders using data from 3 SQL databases and 5 REST APIs.

Forms that can calculate can also communicate, using native functions to format, validate, merge, and send user-supplied parameters to PHP scripts that interpret the parameters, execute queries based on the parameters, filter the responses, and return the results to specified form fields in real-time.

In 2023, Claris FileMaker, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Adobe Acrobat can all be used to build dynamic calculation forms for desktop, mobile, or web. These types of forms can be extended with open-source PHP + technologies to enable secure, efficient 2-way interactions with SQL databases and REST APIs.

Each type of form provides different advantages depending on use case.

Any type of form can interact with any number of databases or APIs in any combination or event sequence, dynamically calculating, querying, parsing, merging, recalculating, and updating as users enter data into form fields.

Completed form results can optionally be packaged into virtually any required format and sent to virtually any specified location for additional processing.

+ PHP is a well-established general-purpose programming language, used by Amazon, Shopify, WordPress, Facebook, PayPal, Gmail, Slack, Tumblr, Wikipedia
+ PHP Data Objects and cURL code libraries simplify encrypted, securable, authentication-enabled, injection-resistant interactions with databases and APIs
+ PHP is open-source technology, so zero licensing costs, transaction fees, or subscriptions are required to utilize and own simple but industrial strength code

Claris FileMaker

FileMaker database forms can calculate and execute queries that use PHP, PDO, and cURL to interact with SQL databases and REST APIs. FileMaker provides an extremely advanced form-generation, calculation, scripting , automation toolkit, ideal for building bespoke programmable controls and data processing interfaces that can be shared via FileMaker Server, as FileMaker documents, as WebDirect forms, or through the FileMaker Data API.

Excel & Sheets

Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets spreadsheet documents can also use calculations and native functions to execute PHP scripts that interact with SQL databases and REST APIs. PHP scripts can filter and format scalar or aggregate query responses back to active cells in a variety of formats, including Excel dynamic arrays generated from XML-formatted results and Sheets dynamic arrays generated from HTML-formatted results.

Adobe Acrobat

Acrobat PDF forms provide extraordinarily adaptable programmable interfaces that can be used as freely deployable data calculation and interaction runtimes. Acrobat forms can be enhanced with JavaScript to add interactivity, making it possible to dynamically calculate, validate, and format data prior to sending it to PHP scripts that interact with SQL databases and REST APIs and insert filtered results back into form fields.

This PHP script executes a SQL query that returns summarized sales results...

This PHP script queries a REST API and returns a specified currency exchange rate...

This PHP script inserts a record into a SQL database and returns a unique identifier...

PDO can interact with lots of databases...





cURL can interact with practically any API...



After scripts are configured, you can...

return real-time
SQL or REST API query results to spreadsheet calculations...

share calculating web forms that merge data from distributed and disparate sources...

execute key performance indicator or complex aggregate queries in real time...

add dynamic
SQL or REST API Create, Read, Update, Delete capabilities to web forms, spreadsheets, Acrobat PDF forms...

deploy really, really, really well connected desktop and mobile workgroup apps



Extending forms with PHP means...

Minimal code



Minimal expense



Minimal dependencies



“Insanely efficient, ridiculously cost-effective.”


“Simplified, lightness added.”


“That is way, way, way less complicated. Thank you!"




Web-enabled desktop or mobile interfaces, simple deployment, minimized dependencies, integrating disparate technologies to build simple or complex data automation solutions.

Take a look at the examples at the top of the page and e-mail with any questions. Thanks!