Getting started

DataMaker forms are designed once and consumed anywhere. As a developer you’ll work with three things: the .dmf bundle, the submission API, and the form schema.

The shape of it

 form author                    you (a client)                form owner
 ───────────                    ──────────────                ──────────
 designs a form                 read the .dmf                 holds the X25519
 → publishes a .dmf  ─────────▶ render / collect values       private key
   (signed bundle)              validate + sealed-box encrypt
                                POST ciphertext  ───────────▶ /submissions
                                                              decrypts & stores

1. The .dmf bundle is a signed ZIP carrying the form definition, the publisher’s signature, and the recipient’s public key. You verify the signature and read what you need from it. See The .dmf bundle.
2. Submitting means: validate values against the schema, sealed-box encrypt them against the recipient public key, and POST the ciphertext to the public submissions endpoint. The server never sees plaintext. See Submission & encryption.
3. The schema inside the bundle describes the fields, layout, validation, and expressions — enough to render the form or build your own tooling. See the schema reference.

Fastest path: an SDK

If you just want to submit records, use an SDK — it does verify + validate + encrypt + post for you.

// JavaScript / Node
import fs from 'node:fs';
import * as dm from '@fobo-tools/datamaker';

const form = await dm.readForm(fs.readFileSync('contact.dmf'));
await dm.submit({ form, values: { email: 'ada@example.com', name: 'Ada' } });

# Python
import datamaker as dm

form = dm.read_form(open("contact.dmf", "rb").read())
dm.submit(form=form, values={"email": "ada@example.com", "name": "Ada"})

.NET

using DataMaker.Sdk;
var form = DataMakerClient.ReadForm(File.ReadAllBytes("contact.dmf"));
await new DataMakerClient().SubmitAsync(form,
    new Dictionary<string, object?> { ["email"] = "ada@example.com", ["name"] = "Ada" });

Full guides: JavaScript · Python · .NET · PHP.

Render a form

• Web — drop in the JS renderer + a <script> of config. See Web embed.
• WordPress — install the plugin, upload a .dmf, use a shortcode/block. See WordPress.
• Terminal — fill a form in the TUI. See Terminal.