Is Web Server Required to Run Form Tools?

Yes. Form Tools is a Web application. So you need a system that offers a Web server with PHP script support like Apache Web Server.

Here is what you can do to verify Apache Web server on my macOS system.

1. If you don't have Apache Web Server installed, follow other tutorials to install Apache Web Server.

2. Make sure Apache Web Server is launched as a background job.

fyicenter$ sudo launchctl load \
   -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd.plist

/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd.plist: service already loaded

3. Update the httpd.conf to support PHP script and restart the Web server.

fyicenter$ vi /etc/apache2/httpd.conf

...
LoadModule php5_module libexec/apache2/libphp5.so
<IfModule mime_module>
...
    AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
</IfModule>
...

fyicenter$ sudo /usr/sbin/apachectl stop
fyicenter$ sudo /usr/sbin/apachectl start

4. Run a PHP test script on the Web server.

fyicenter$ sudo vi /Library/WebServer/Documents/test.php

<html><body><pre>
<?php
   $con = mysqli_connect('127.0.0.1','formtools','f0rmt00l$','formtools');
   print "MySQL server info = ".mysqli_get_server_info($con)."\n";
   mysqli_close($con);
?>
</pre></body></html>

5. Run the test script in a Web browser with this URL: http://127.0.0.1/test.php. You see the following output:

MySQL server info = 8.0.17

Apache Web Server is ready for Form Tools.

 

⇒ Install Form Tools Core

⇐ PHP Required to Run Form Tools

⇑ General Questions on Form Tools

⇑⇑ Form Tools - Frequently Asked Questions