In 2025, Claris FileMaker, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Adobe Acrobat can all be extended with open-source PHP technologies to enable secure, precise, dynamic 2-way data interactions with SQL databases or REST APIs.
Forms built with these applications can perform calculations and use native functions to send client-supplied query parameters to AI-coded PHP scripts.
The PHP scripts use the supplied query parameters to look-up information, or execute Create-Read-Update-Delete transactions, or call stored procedures, or trigger events, or interact with REST APIs, dynamically returning filtered query results to active form fields, updating related form calculations in real-time.
Each form type provides different features, options, functions and capabilities. All form types can work independently or post calculated data to other forms. Any form type can interact with unlimited databases or APIs in any sequence.
Claris FileMaker combines relational database engine with advanced form designer, calculation and script editors, process automation controls, integrated authentication and session management. FileMaker database files can be used individually or securely shared with up to 1,000 users via desktop application or WebDirect forms, and can optionally be extended with PHP to enable real-time interactions with SQL databases or APIs.
Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets spreadsheets can use calculations and native functions to send user-supplied parameters to PHP scripts in order to execute queries on databases or APIs, returning filtered query results to active spreadsheet cells in real-time, updating related spreadsheet calculations in the process. Excel spreadsheets can also optionally be converted to dynamic HTML web forms with SpreadSheetConverter.
Adobe Acrobat PDF forms can be used as programmable data interaction runtimes. Documents converted to PDF forms can post query parameters to PHP scripts that interact with databases or APIs and return filtered results to designated form fields in real-time. Acrobat PDF forms are far more securable than HTML forms because they are not susceptible to XSS, CSRF, or session attacks and can be password protected, encrypted, flattened, and digitally signed.
PHP is a popular general purpose server scripting language, currently used on approximately 75% of websites globally. PHP Data Objects (PDO) and cURL code libraries provide simple scriptable and securable methods for dynamically performing SQL or REST API interactions. PHP is open-source technology, meaning no licensing costs, transaction fees, or subscriptions are required to own and use simple, reliable, industrial strength code.
Copilot and GPT-5 know all about PHP, PDO, and cURL and, when prompted, can generate modern best practices PDO code that provides both securable and injection-resistant methods for managing user connections and interactions with MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server databases. Both models can additionaly generate modern cURL code, drastically reducing the time required to program secure data exchanges with REST APIs.
Text2SQL.ai is an LLM-based SQL generator that, provided a SQL database schema (tables, columns, types, relationships) will generate SQL query scripts from textual query descriptions, automatically translating simple or extremely complex query logic into optimized SQL code. Provides support for 12 different database types and syntaxes, and also provides additional generators for Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Regex formulas.