Re: flexfax: Simple "portable" fax printer for HylaFAX

["Keith G. Murphy" <keithmur@mindspring.com>]

Thomas Waldmann wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> 
> I am looking for a simple and portable / platform independent method to
> "print" faxes from misc. clients (Windows 9x, NT, Linux, etc.) to a HylaFAX
> server.
> 
> I found a script (in mgetty-sendfax package) which filters out a magic string
> <faxnumber:012345678> out of a postscript file.
> 
> If one would install that as a printer filter in /etc/printcap and configure
> this printer also in Samba, one would have a simple, but highly portable
> solution (and there would be no need for client software, that needs to be
> installed and configured [except a PS printer driver]).
> 
> The user then could simply include a string <faxnumber:453453> anywhere in
> the document, print it to the fax printer (no matter if he uses windoze or
> unix) and it would get sent (the script may remove the string from the file
> before sending).
> 
> BUT: I was not successful in getting a verbatim string into postscript output
> (I tried with M$ Word97 and with StarOffice 5.1a/Linux). Both programs had
> single characters in their postscript output, followed by coordinates(?).
> StarOffice even had the characters in hex notation.
> I tried different fonts with no success.
> 
> So does anybody know how to get a verbatim string into postscript output ?

I'm guessing you'd have to write your own print drivers everywhere. 
They could put the string into the PS headers, even.
> 
> I also tried SuSEfax client (Java) : does not behave correctly here, esp. the
> buttons behave very strange.
> 
> WHFC: is only for Windows 9x/NT
> 
> misc. Tcl/TK or X11 based solutions: not for Windows.
> 
> So what do YOU use as platform independent, easy-to-use fax client ?

Take a look at Respond.  It takes the promising approach of *not*
interacting with the print system on the client machine at all; rather,
you just print to a Samba shared printer on the server.  A script there,
in turn, tells Respond on the client to prompt for the phone number,
etc., which it supplies to the script, which does the fax sending
command on the server.  By the way, the whole thing works with
mgetty/sendfax as well; there's no necessity of talking to HylaFax via
its protocol, as with WHFC.

The biggest inherent problem I've seen with it is a slight delay between
the user doing the print, and Respond popping up to prompt for the fax
number; but certainly no big deal.

You do get the source (in Delphi) unlike with WHFC, so it could be a
base for future development.  I have encouraged Horst to GNU-license it,
and he said he would consider it.  The missing pieces, with respect to
cross-platform:

(1) Currently in Delphi (souped-up Pascal), so inherently
native-Windows.  But Delphi is moving to Linux...

(2) Uses WinPopup for status messages to client.  This could be changed,
I think, to just use two-way communication with Respond.  And I think
there are WinPopup clone(s) for Linux...?  Have no idea about Unix &
Macs.  But I think changing Respond would be preferable overall, if
possible.

(3) Can all the other client architectures remote-print to a
Samba-shared printer?  I have no idea.  Or would you share the same
printer via another protocol, and what are the pitfalls there?  This I
know nothing about.

So, you ask a simple question, and someone tries to make you do a
project.  ;-)

Currently, I'm banging a few nails through Respond, for our
(Windows-client-only) network.

I wonder how hard it is to do something like WHFC on the other
platforms, as well?