Re: flexfax: Design for a portable Java hylafax clients: i want your opinions, please!

[Ulrich Eckhardt <Ulrich.Eckhardt@transcom.de>]

Bernd Proissl wrote:
> 
> Hello to all hylafax users.
> 
> I am currently developing a java hylfax client, there are some topics i
> am thinking about, maybe you can give me your opinions:
> 
> 1. is java 2 widely availabe on your (client) platforms?
>    or is it supposed to become availbe in the near future?

Hi,

i think if it's worth then everyone will install java 2
 
> 2. What is your prefered procedure for sending a fax?
> 
>    a1. redmon: capture the printout of an application on the client side
>        and let the hylafax client process it: e.g. ask user for fax.nr.
>        and the hand it to the hylafax server directly.

you should handle this so, that it runs on every platform. So
redmon will work only on Windows. Probably create a java
application which reads files from the commandline and create
OS-specific wrapper scripts.

>        advantage: faster than a2
>        disadvantage: - firewall must be opened for ports use by hfaxd
>                      - if you want access for remote users you must open
> hfaxd ports
>                        to the public.

It's not that bad, if you don't forget to implement passive connections.
HylaFAX supports it (and WHFC somewhere in the future).
 
>    a2: same as a1, but client will send an eMail to some dedicated process
> on
>        the server
> 
>        advantage: - no firewall problem if eMail is allowed
>                   - remote users can send faxes as if they where at the
> office
>        disadvantage: slower than a1

Other people can send also E-mail to this process. For a1 you can
create easy firewall rules.
  
>    b. printfax/repsond: capture the printout on the server side, make a
> "callback"
>       to the client to get fax.nr. etc.
> 
>       advantage: protocoll between client server can be easily adopted by
> other
>                  developers
>       disadvantage: - another port must be opened for client server
> communications

I think it makes no difference if you open the HylaFAX ports or
a special port for this protocol. But HylaFAX has already a
protocol which can handle this nicely.
 
> Currently it is usual that a client transfers a PS file to the server for
> sending.
> Receiving faxes are stored in TIFF.
> -> viewers for 2 different formats are needed on the client.
> 
> Does anybody know a free printer driver which can produce TIFF files from
> the printout
> of an application?

Probably here we should do it on the HylaFAX side, so that HylaFAX
stores all as tiff. This would help on other Clients like WHFC too.

> Can hylafax convert an arbitrary TIFF file to a TIFF file suitable for fax
> transmission?

According to the tiffcp man page yes (see tiffcp -c)

Also have a look on the phonebook. Probably a phonebook
which can be extended by plugins, so that it will later
be possible to use JDBC, LDAP and some sort of text
phonebooks.

You should also think about localization, so that it's
easy possible to translate your programm in a lot of 
languages.

Regards
Uli             
-- 
Ulrich Eckhardt                         Tr@nscom  
http://www.uli-eckhardt.de              http://www.transcom.de
                                        Lagerstraße 11-15 A8
                                        64807 Dieburg Germany