CapiFax

Faxserver for networks

© Shamrock Software GmbH
Version 6.21 - Jan 2024


Content of this manual

Basics
License
CapiFax features
System requirements

Fax server setup
Server installation
MSNs and clients
PBX and service
Accounts
Mail configuration
Fax gateway Channel usage
Robinson list
Anti-spam functions
Run as a service
Select language
The Client
Installation
Account selection
Account options
Fax polling
Redirection Using CapiFax
Address list
Sending faxes
Fax polling
Fax log

Details
CapiFax&CapiCall
File interface
More tips
Glossary
Keyword index
Deutsch




Basics

License agreement

The owner of a CapiFax license is granted to install and run the fax server module on one PC at one time. The other modules (clients) can be used simultaneously on other workstations within a local-area network if loaded from the same server.

Shamrock Software GmbH grants the right to use the software but does not transfer ownership. This right ends if the invoice is not paid in time or if any term of this license agreement is violated by the user.

Shamrock Software does not allow the use of this software for purposes which are illegal in the customer's country, e.g. sending advertisements to persons or companies who did not request them.

Distribution of the demo version on other web sites than the ones owned by Shamrock or on CD ROMs is prohibited. Shamrock Software is the author of the program and of this manual and reserves all rights, including copyright regulations.

For its OCR function, CapiFax uses the Tesseract software in accordance with the Apache License 2.0.

CapiFax features

CapiFax sends and receives faxes. It offers these features:

The software also supports system integration by providing a file-oriented application interface.

System requirements

Windows

CapiFax requires a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows. Versions with a 64-bit kernel require the AMD64 architecture which is also supported by Intel (not IA64), like Intel Core 2, AMD Turion, AMD Phenum and later.

To make sure the fax server status can be displayed in real-time in the client software, please make sure that the Windows firewall does not block file and printer sharing functions on both the fax server and the workstations (even if workstations do not share drivers or printers).

ISDN adapter

For ISDN connections, CapiFax requires an ISDN adapter with a T.30-compatible CAPI 2.0 driver. Not every card can be used: Some are only able to fax with a manufacturer-supplied software. You can check if a given card has a T.30-compatible CAPI by downloading the free CapiInfo utility from Shamrock (see "Freeware" page). For fax polling, the B3 protocol "T.30 with Extensions" is required.

External ISDN adapters are not recommended for CapiFax. Their serial or parallel port does not guarantee the required data rate, and USB adapters often cause latency delays. In general, internal cards are more stable and reliable and are preferred therefore.

ISDN line interfaces

CapiFax can be used with different types of telephone lines:

VoIP (All-IP): Either a SIP/CAPI driver can be used, or an ISDN card is connected to the internal S0 port of a DSL/cable router.

ISDN P2MP: Point to multipoint, standard S0/T0 interface, two channels and typically up to 10 numbers (MSNs) per line. It is possible to run a telephone or a PBX and an ISDN card in parallel at the same line.

P2P: Point to point, typically used for PBX lines with DDI (direct dial in). Not all ISDN cards can handle this protocol, but Primux cards are suitable. It is NOT possible to run a PBX and an ISDN card in parallel at the same line!

Primary rate line: CapiFax-S2M can use a primary-rate ISDN card like Primux to handle up to 30 channels on this special sort of P2P line.





Fax server setup

Server installation

Important: Do not install the software to the "Program Files" folder in Windows Vista! File access below C:\Program Files is restricted: Write access from the network is typically impossible, and even local file access results in contradictory content due to the Program Files virtualization used in Vista. Network-capable programs like CapiFax require write access in their own directory, e.g. for saving fax files from network users. This is why Shamrock Software no longer uses C:\Program Files but C:\Shamrock as the default installation path. Consequently, the default path for CapiFax is C:\Shamrock\CapiFax. If you would use "C:\Program Files\CapiFax" in Vista, using CapiFax from network clients would be impossible! - Please proceed as follows:

a) If you have downloaded the demo version as a ZIP file:

b) If you received the full version or the demo of CapiFax on a CD:

c) If you got the full version of CapiFax by e-mail:

CapiFax comes with a built-in fax viewer program (FaxView). If you prefer another program for some reason, like the Windows Imaging program, rename faxview.exe to faxview.bak in the clients folder below the CapiFax directory. However, please note that many conventional graphics programs have problems with Huffman-encoded multi-page TIF files.

The CapiFax server module can be launched automatically at system boot by linking it in the Startup folder of Windows. Alternatively, it can be run as a Windows service so that no user log-in is required (see configuration menu in the CapiFax server configuration). But before you do this, some basic settings should be entered and it should be proven that everything is working properly.

MSNs and clients

When you start the CapiFax configuration module, its buttons "New" and "Edit" require that you have created at least one client in the Account management. Normally each client gets its own number (MSN). However, if multiple clients use the same MSN, only the first one will receive faxes on this number, and the others are allowed to send only. - Each number can be configured as follows:

MSN: One of your local numbers which can be used by a specified client. The MSN typically consists of the local number without the area code (e.g. 96321). If the ISDN card is connected to an internal outlet of a PBX, the MSN is an internal number (e.g. 42). At a P2P line, it is also possible to shorten the number, e.g. only the first two digits of a four-digit DDI (see MSN group/length below). If your ISDN line does not use MSNs or DDIs at all, you may also enter a minus sign here (-).

MSN group/length: If you have entered a shortened MSN above, you must activate this option and enter how many digits the called number will have in total. This allows one client to use a group of numbers, e.g. for polling several documents, each with its own number.

Controller: If you have an ISDN card with multiple interfaces, each S0/T0 line is a "controller." Since each controller often has its own set of numbers, the software has to know which number belongs to which controller. Note: You must have started the fax server module before, so that the configuration program knows how many controllers (and lines) are present. The setting "any" must only be used if all MSNs are valid on all lines.

Account name: Enter the name of the client. All characters must be valid in file names. We recommend not to use spaces and eight characters maximum. If  the voice mailbox software CapiCall is installed on the same server, make sure to create an account "CapiCall" for its fax-on-demand function.

Fax ID, header line: These are the same fields as in the account configuration.

Fax reception: Sometimes it is useful not to accept received faxes on a number only used for sending, and you can deactivate reception with this option. If the same MSN is in use by another account, the reception cannot be activated for the secondary account.

Fax polling: The MSN can be used for fax polling if this option is set. If fax reception is deactivated, no calls are accepted on this number. The option cannot be activated if the CAPI driver of the ISDN card in use does not support "T.30 with extensions", or if the same MSN is used by another account.

Suppress number (CLIR): You can avoid that your own number is displayed at the remote side when sending a fax. However, this function depends on the configuration of the public switch or of your local PBX.

Automatic printing: You can select if received and/or sent faxes will be printed at the server. For sent faxes there is also an option to print the first page only. The printer selection box is usable only if the configuration is done locally at the server since the list of available printers is available only here. Network printers can be used as well as local printers but they have to be installed in Windows first. - Note: There is also a client-side option for automatic printing but it requires that the client program is running.

E-mail forwarding: You can enter an e-mail address here (or a fax number) where received faxes will be forwarded to automatically. This setting is identical with the one in the CapiFax client program at Configuration/Redirection in the MSN field. Of course you must first configure the e-mail options in the server configuation (SMTP or NetMail).

Duplication account: It is possible to select a different account here for archiving purposes where all incoming and outgoing faxes will be copied to. The remark field in the client log will contain the name of the originating account. (You can use Windows file access privileges to avoid that unauthorized persons change the archiving folder.)

Export transfered faxes as PDF: If enabled, transfered faxes are stored to the configured directory. Can be used for document storage solutions.

PBX and service indicator

This menu item of the server configuration is used for setting an external access digit (e.g. 0 or 9), for the ISDN service indicator used for outgoing faxes, and for the delay between retries. (The setting is irrelevant for fax gateways and e-mail tranmission.)

When sending a fax, the external access digit must not be entered, since CapiFax adds it automatically if the length of the destination number is beyond a specified threshold. The log file does not show the external access digit, too.

Account management

CapiFax can serve several accounts (e.g. two or three firms in one building). All users, whether at the server PC or at another workstation, are treated as clients. There must be at least one client to send, receive or poll faxes. All clients load the software from the fax server's hard disk.

With the "account management" item in the fax server configuration, names for clients are defined. If you are using a restrictive access policy at a file server, the clients must at least have access to their own .CLT subfolder and also to the CLIENTS subfolder below the CapiFax directory. The CLIENTS folder holds all executables required for the clients.

In each client folder (ending with .CLT) there are subfolders for faxes to be sent (Faxout), received (Faxin) and polled (Faxpoll). The .CLT folder also contains the private log for this account. The following buttons can be used to configure an account:

Mail configuration

If the CapiFax server should be able to forward received or sent faxes to an Internet or Intranet e-mail address, either the built-in SMTP client or alternatively the NetMail software from Shamrock can be used. The redirection rules can be configured in the client. The mail interface requires the following settings:

If a temporary SMTP error occurs, the mail will be retried after five minutes (or when the fax server program is restarted).
Other settings define how CapiFax handles the mail forwarding:

The cause of possible SMTP problems can be see using the "Log" button. If the authentication e.g at a Microsoft Exchange server fails, check this:

  1. Make sure that Exchange accepts e-mails from local IP addresses (like 19.2.168.*.*) without a log-in and leave the user name and password fields in the CapiFax e-mail options empty.
  2. Enter a user name and password in CapiFax matching the configured sender address and ensure that the AUTH LOGIN method is enabled in Exchange.

If you are using NetMail instead of SMTP, only "Sender" is configurable. The sender name is used in the "From" field of e-mails, together with the primary domain configured in the mail router program of NetMail.

E-mail destinations for redirecting received faxes are entered in the client configuration. The e-mail created contains all relevant data, including the caller's number (if available) and the called MSN. It is possible to replace the e-mail text with your own by creating FAX_OUT.TXT (status of sent faxes) and/or FAX_IN.TXT (received faxes with TIF attachment) in the client (.CLT) subfolder. Example:.

Subject: Fax to %NUMBER%: %OK% <- "from" instead of "to" for FAX_IN.TXT
The received fax is in the attachment %TIF%. <-only for FAX_IN.TXT
The call was redirected from: %REDIR%. <-only for FAX_IN.TXT
This e-mail goes to %EMAIL%.
The account name is %NAME%.
The date of the transmission is %DATE%.
The time of the transmission is %TIME%.
The duration was %CONNECT_TIME% minutes/seconds.
%PAGES% page(s) were sent.
The data rate was %SPEED% bps.
The MSN was %MSN%.
Remark: %REMARK%
The number was %NUMBER% and the ID was "%ID%".
The German status is %STATUS%.
The English status is %STATE%.

The remote fax ID is replaced by the name from the address book if the remote number was found there.

Fax gateway

Instead of using an ISDN line, CapiFax can send faxes as e-mail to a gateway provider who in turn sends it as a normal fax to the destination number. For this, CapiFax uses a virtual controller "G" together with virtual MSNs which can be freely defined. Either TIF or PDF is possible as fax format (though sent faxes are always saved as TIF locally).

Variables can be used In the gateway address:

%NUMBER% = the intended destination number
%MSN% = the sender number which shall be displayed
%ID% = the fax ID to be printed on the fax
%REMARK% = Remark, file name or other reference for the log

The format of destination address and subject depends on the provider, please see his documentation. For instance, the following data can be used for massenversand.de (requires registration), using time;recipient;password;accountID;referenceID;faxID in the subject:

Gateway address = fax@massenversand.de
Subject: 0;%NUMBER%;yx12345abc;198765;%REMARK%;Smith

Channel usage

CapiFax allows to restrict the number of used channels either to reserve some of them for other devices or applications using the same ISDN line. The fields "Use these S0 busses for sending" configure which busses should be used for outgoing faxes. This guarantees that reception is still possible even if more faxes are in the queue than channels are available. CapiFax will always use the last bus first to avoid conflicts with other applications.

If the setting "Length of internal numbers" is not 0 (and thus a PBX is used), only one outgoing connection is used per MSN since most PBXs do not allow several channels for the same MSN.

The setting "Maximum bit rate" allows to limit the reception and transmission speed in cases where the ISDN adapter or the line obviously has problems with higher rates. For example, 9600 bps may be a useful setting for VoIP lines to avoid many retries at 14400 bps. However, it may depend on the ISDN adapter type and CAPI driver if this setting is actually used; sometimes this is the case for transmission only.

Robinson list

It is possible to bar specific numbers or even groups of numbers. "Robinson list" is a common word for this function, often used for excluding customers who do not want to get advertisement faxes. Some examples:

0900 = No fax to premium-rate numbers
00 = Other countries not allowed
0123456 = No fax to 0123456

Please note that in many countries it is not allowed to send fax advertisements to persons or companies not having previous business contacts with you: an explicit opt-in is required.

Anti-spam functions

"Spam" is commonly used for unwanted advertisement faxes or e-mails. In the CapiFax server configuration, there are three mechanisms to block unwanted received faxes.

The anti-spam function is also accessible in the client software if the workstation can access the CapiFax main folder on the server, e.g. via the context menu (right-click on log line).

Run as a service

In the CapiFax server configuration menu you can "Activate CapiFax as a Windows service". In this case the fax server will work as service "CapiFax-Server" without a user log-in. (You can revert this later using the menu item "Deactivate CapiFax as a Windows service".)

If the CapiFax server is not launched from the local hard disk but from a network drive (e.g. NAS device), or if the menu item is used within a remote session, the installation as a service must be done in an administrator console (CMD.exe) in the CapiFax program folder using cfax_srv -i (which also starts the service). The command line  cfax_srv -u uninstalls the service later, if required.

A few restrictions apply to services, however, so running CapiFax as a service may not always be worthwhile:

We recommend not to run the demo version as a service. Since the demo fax server has to be restarted after 2 hours or 20 faxes to make it work again and restarting a service is a releatively complicated action, the demo should be run as a conventional application.

Select language

You can switch the program language between English and German at any time. The setting also applies to the client program and, if installed, to any other program from Shamrock Software as far as it is multi-lingual.





Client configuration

Installation

Setting up the fax printer driver

Prior to using a client on a workstation or on the fax server itself, it is necessary to run SETUP.EXE in the folder CAPIFAX\CLIENTS of the server PC in order to install the printer driver and enable the log viewer. (This is not the same SETUP which has been used before to install the server software!) Optionally, the required path to the client subfolder can be written in the command line, e.g.:
setup \\server\c\capifax\meier.clt

The SETUP program will create the required Start menu entries and asks for the network path of the client folder, which ends with ".CLT". The clients needs to know this for saving and viewing faxes. Depending on the Windows version you will be asked if you want to continue with the installation of a non-Microsoft certified driver; please click Yes in this case.

Only a small portion of the files are copied to the local Windows folder. Most programs are loaded directly from the server if required, so later software updates typically do not require any action at the workstations.

The client program, including the log viewer, can be found in the Windows Start menu after installation. It allows reviewing received and sent faxes.

Slotprox for terminal servers

The executable Slotprox.exe in the CLIENTS subfolder must run on a terminal server to make sure the fax server status can be displayed in real time in the fax client window. It can either be launched as a normal application from a local account on the terminal server PC, or as a service. To launch SlotProx as a service, please follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you are logged in with a local administrator account.
  2. Select "Run..." from the Windows start menu and enter c:\shamrock\capifax\slotprox -i (adjust path if required).
  3. Use the Services applet of the Windows control panel to start the service "Shamrock Mailslot Proxy".

SlotProx does not require any configuration. (If you wish to uninstall the service later, execute slotprox -u which removes the corresponding registry entries.)

Account selection

The account dialogue appears automatically when the client program is started the first time. Depending on the file access privileges on the server, the client can change his identity later using the menu item "Select new account" under "Settings."

Only accounts can be used which have been created in the server configuration earlier. It is also possible to have one account shared by several PCs; these can access the same protocol and also all faxes of this client name.

Account options

With this menu item of the client program, the fax ID and header line can be configured for sent faxes, depending on the MSN. Select a MSN on the left side and click on [>>] to configure a fax ID and a header line. You can only select MSNs which have been configured in the server. - Additionally, there are the following options which are valid for all clients:

When you click on an account line in the right-hand window and then on "Edit", the following settings are available:

Fax polling

There are four options to determine which document a caller gets if he sets up his fax machine for polling. The list is in the order of priority:

Caller fax ID
The fax ID of the caller who wants to poll a document (e.g. +44... in the UK). The number may be shortened to have different documents for some areas or countries.

Caller number
If the caller's number is displayed (ISDN CLIP), it can be used for holding different documents for specified callers, areas or countries. Note that national calls are displayed without the country code. Do not add an external digit here even if you are using a PBX.

Called number
This is the most typical way to make several documents available for polling. Using a P2MP interface, the MSN is used (typically without the area code). For P2P lines, the DDI number has to be entered.

Default document
If none of the criteria above matches, a standard/default document can be configured. For instance, if you have regional documents depending on the callers' numbers or IDs, and someone calls from a different area or his ID or number is not displayed, the default document will be presented to him.

Redirection

To redirect or forward received faxes automatically, you can use the following types of destinations:

  1. one ore more e-mail addresses (with one @), and/or
  2. one or more different fax numbers (digits only), and/or
  3. one another CapiFax account name. If the given name does not exist, this redirection will be ignored.

For entering more than one destination, use commas as delimiter.

Redirection types

The following redirection types can be used (in priority order):

Caller ID
The fax ID of the caller (e.g. +44... in the UK). The number may be shortened to have different redirections for some areas or countries.

Caller number
If the caller's number is displayed (ISDN CLIP), it or a part of it can be used for setting the destination. Do not add an external digit here even if you are using a PBX.

Called number
This is the most typical way to have different redirections for different clients. Using a P2MP interface, the MSN is used (typically without the area code). For P2P lines, the DDI number has to be entered.

Default destination address
If none of the criteria above matches, a default destination can be entered, typically sort of a "postmaster."

Envelope for e-mail forwarding

You can set an e-mail text for redirected faxes in the configuration menu of the CapiFax client. It will open an editor with the file EMAIL.TXT in the client subfolder. If this file exists, it will be attached to the e-mail.

Manual forwarding in the client

It is also possible to forward faxes manually by right-clicking selected entries in the list. In this case, the MAPI interface of the standard mail program will be used which is installed on the client.





Using CapiFax

Address book

Using the address book in the client program, you cannot only enter fax numbers, but also create groups for sending faxes to them. Depending on the server configuration, a private (for each CapiFax account) and/or public address book can be used. Each entry consists of these fields:

The option Windows address book attaches fax numbers from the Windows address book (WAB) to the list. However, no groups can be defined for them.

The Filter option displays only addresses matching a search string. The Group fax option (only available in the printer driver or poll dialogue) allows sending a fax to all selected groups, or to retrieve faxes from all selected poll numbers. By clicking on a column title (name or number) the sorting of the list can be changed.

The CapiFax address book is stored in a binary file, but entries can be imported and exported from and to any comma-delimited ASCII file, even automatically. The optional group bitmask allows one entry to be a member of several groups. The import function replaces a leading plus sign by 00 and the own country code by 0. If (0) is found between the country code and the area code, it will be removed. Example: +44(0)1234 will be converted to 01234 in the UK.

By configuring group names you can also set and change the names of fax number groups. If a private and a public address book exist, you will be asked for which one the names should be changed. (Of course the fax is sent only once to each destination even if the same number is a member of several selected groups.)

Sending faxes

Using the printer driver

To send a fax from any application, or to create a fax poll file, simply use "Print" in the file menu of this application. You will note that an additional fax printer will appear in the list of your printers after you have successfully set up the CapiFax client. The driver will not actually print but creates a TIF file with the contents of the page(s), and also asks you for the destination number.

It is even possible to join pages for one fax from two ore more applications. As long as you do not close the printer driver, you can continue to print even from a different application. The driver will then append these documents to the current fax.

When sending a fax, you may either enter a number manually, or select one or more destinations from the address book. Using selected groups, it is also possible to deselect some destinations or add others, not belonging to that group. You can enable or disable the following options:

The MSN list allows you to select which local number is to be used. The following action buttons are available:

It is possible to use a background image on the first page. To create one, use the printer driver and save the result as a page BACKGR.TIF in the client (.CLT) subfolder of the server. For high-resolution faxes, a file BACKGR-H.TIF can be used. If the file exists for the selected resolution, three options are available:

To attach one or more default pages, e.g. a product list, you can create a file ATTACH.TIF in the client (.CLT) subfolder of the server, or ATTACH-H.TIF for high resolution.

If a fax is not sent via ISDN but as an e-mail, a body text can be edited: If the destination contains a "@" symbol, a text editor field is displayed for this purpose. For faxes which are forwarded as e-mails, the dialogue "Body text for e-mail forwarding" is used.

Sending faxes automatically

CapiFax supports four methods for sending faxes without asking the user for the destination number when using the printer driver, e.g. for a database application. This can be used for personalized bulk faxes, for instance. The same settings apply as for the last manual sending, i.e. resolution, full page length, and MSN.

@Number@ as font "CapiFax Control"

For using the mail merge function of an application like Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or WordPad, you can write the destination number between two @ characters (typically as <fieldname>) and format this string with the special font "CapiFax Control". This font is important because it makes sure that the print function does not convert (render) the number as graphical printer data but sends it as ASCII characters to the CapiFax printer driver.

Please note that the font "CapiFax Control" may not appear in the list of available fonts if the printer "CapiFax" has not yet been selected in the application. However, most programs allow to type in the font name manually after selecting the @...@ text string. If the printer driver dialogue appears (without the fax number) when trying to send the fax, it does not work. In this case, please check if you have formatted the complete string including the two @ as "CapiFax Control" font; upper or lower case is not relevant.

A question mark behind the number demands a manual confirmation in the printer driver dialogue - but please do not use this for bulk faxes because then possibly dozens or hundreds of confirmation windows would open! A comment text for the log (no comma allowed) can be entered behind a comma, optionally with a start time after another comma, and possibly a fax account if it should not be the same as the one configured in the client:

@Number[,Remark[,Time[,Account]]]@

The same parameters (like resolution) will be in effect which were used for manual sending. If an account is given and it does not exist, the current account setting from the client is used. A given account does not change the client setting. A few samples (must always be in one line):

@012345678@ = The fax will be sent to 012345678 without manual intervention
@012345678,Test,12:00@ = Fax will be sent after 12:00 and "Test" is written into the remark field of the log
@012345678,Test,25.12.2012 12:00@ = Fax sent after 25 Dec 2012 12:00 with "Test" as remark (note dotted date format!)
@012345678?@ = The number is displayed in the printer driver dialogue and can be edited manually
@012345678?,Test@ = Number and comment are displayed in the dialogue and can be edited manually
@012345678?,Test,,Alex@ = Immediate transmission, remark "Test", fax account "Alex" (note the commas)

If a fax should be saved as a draft, the word DRAFT (not case-sensitive) and the related theme (no comma allowed) can be used instead of a sending time, sample:
@081379107,Test,DRAFT Dr.Stone@

@Number@ embedded in document as OCR

Not all applications support printer fonts. For this case, there is a setting "Use OCR in CapiFax printer to find destination number" in the client options (OCR = optical character recognition). The same parameters are possible as above, but please note:

@Number@ in document name

A second method for automatic faxes is placing the destination number between two @ characters in the document name (which is typically the same as the file name). The parameters can be the same as in the table above but please note that a question mark is not allowed in this case. Example:
Letter@012345678@.doc
The document name will appear as a remark in the log later but without the string @...@ since the number is present elsewhere in the log line.

Number in text file CAPIFAX.NXT

This third method can be used if the sending application does not allow to set specific fonts for parts of the text and if the number cannot be written into the file name.

Create a file CAPIFAX.NXT, e.g. using a VBA script, in the "Application Data" folder of Windows folder, in Windows 2000/XP/2003 typically:
C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Shamrock\capifax.nxt
or in Windows 7/2008/Vista respectively:
Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Shamrock\capifax.nxt

This file should contain one line with the intended destination number. Optionally multiple lines with one number in each can be written (without question marks, in this case). Optional parameters are the same as in the table above but without the @ before and after the string. Example:
012345678,Test,12:00

Then use the fax printer driver to create a fax. CapiFax deletes CAPIFAX.NXT when placing your fax into the internal queue, so it is best to wait until this file is gone before you create a new one. Multiple numbers can be given at one time with one number in each line (no question marks allowed in this case).

Your program must use these steps:

  1. Wait until a previous file CAPIFAX.NXT has been deleted by CapiFax.
  2. Create a new file CAPIFAX.NXT with the intended destination fax number.
  3. Print your document using the CapiFax printer driver, then continue with step 1 for the next fax.

(For compatibility with earlier CapiFax versions, CAPIFAX.NXT can also be created in the Windows folder or in a folder SHAMROCK below it. However, the Application Data path should be used for new developments.)

Fax polling

A client is not only able to send faxes, but can also poll a fax from anywhere else, e.g. the current stock prices. LCR and Robinson list are used in this case, too. The displayed address book can be reduced to one group (e.g. "Faxpoll") to show polling numbers only.

Processing the fax poll can take a few minutes. After the poll succeeds, the retrieved fax will show up like a received fax in the log.

Fax log

The CapiFax log window consists of the following parts:

If you right-click on a log in the left pane, e.g. on a specific month, you can split it into smaller logs. You can also join several logs into a bigger one by right-clicking on a year. Archive moves the specified log(s) to an external path or drive. Note that this is a final operation; it is not possible to re-import archived logs due to possible file name conflicts. You can use the Open function in the File menu later to view archived logs and faxes.

The fax list in the upper window pane consists of the following table columns (double-click a line to open the fax in a new window):

  1. Date and time: The time when the connection was initiated.
  2. Duration in minutes and seconds (ISDN connection time).
  3. Mode: Reception, transmission or poll.
  4. Pages: Number of actually transferred pages.
  5. bps: Fax data rate in bits per second, typically 9600 or 14400 for good connections.
  6. MSN: The local number involved. If more than one ISDN controller is used, its number is added.
  7. Number: The remote number (for reception and poll only if available).
  8. ID: Name in address book (if applicable), or the ID received from the remote machine.
  9. # / #: Number of retries (e.g. 1/3 = immediate success).
  10. Status: Success or error message. If missing files are displayed, please note that their path is seen from the fax server, not from the workstation.

You can drag the lines between the column titles. The log lines have characteristic colours:
blue = received or polled, green = sent, red = fax poll by remote, black = failed.

The "Filter" text box at the top left allows to show only lines containing a specified phrase. Upper or lower case is not relevant. Spaces and punctuation characters are ignored in the number and ID log fields.

To view received or sent faxes, simply double-click on the log line. The CapiFax fax viewer has a symbol bar:
Open, Print, Copy to clipboard, Zoom, Turn, Select page.

The right mouse key opens a context menu from the fax list:

To print the displayed log, select "Print log" in the File menu. The list can be reduced by entering a number or a date in the search box. Normally the fax number is printed; if it is missing (for received faxes), the fax ID of the sender is printed instead.

When you leave the log window after deleting a log file (or at least once a week), and if yearly, monthly or daily log files are enabled, all orphan fax files will be deleted which have a file date not matching any existing log file.

The Stop button in the symbol bar deletes all waiting outgoing faxes of the current account on the server. No log lines are written. Ongoing faxes will not be aborted but finished. Be careful if the same account is used on several workstations. (Note that the stop button in the server window deletes all outgoing faxes of all accounts!)





Details

CapiFax & CapiCall

CapiFax can be used together with the voice mailbox software CapiCall and should be installed on the same PC. Both programs can share one ISDN card. Be sure to create a CapiFax client "CapiCall".

The fax on demand function of CapiCall allows a voice caller to select a document and enter his fax number; the system then will send the requested fax to him by calling his fax machine (fax call-back).

File interface

Job file

SFF, TIF or even TXT files can be sent from other applications by creating a file FAX.JOB in the client (.CLT) folder. If FAX.JOB already exists, new lines can be appended. CapiFax will automatically delete the file when queuing the faxes. Each line should look like this:

Retries, Time, Number, MSN, [Filename[?Remark]]
Sample:
4,00:00,081379107,42,FAXOUT\OUT00001.SFF?test fax
The parameters have these meanings:

  1. Retries: Maximum tries when sending this fax.
  2. Time: Either 00:00 for immediate transmission, or the requested start time.
  3. Number: The destination number. Do not add an external access digit if you are using a PBX. A lower-case letter a or f can be appended to the number optionally to set the service indicator to either analogue or fax group 3.
  4. MSN: The local number, or an asterisk for "any". Behind the asterisk you can specify an e-mail address which then gets a confirmation. Sample:
    3,00:00,081379107,*info@example.com,c:\test\test.txt
  5. Filename: The name of the file to send, optionally with an absolute path (as seen from the server) or relative to a client folder. If the file name is missing, the fax server assumes that this is a poll request to the specified fax number. Optionally, a remark can be added behind a question mark; it will be displayed in the log.

The format of SFF files is specified in the CAPI standard (www.capi.org). TIF files must be Huffman-encoded and 1728 pixels wide. The maximum height is 1170 pixels, or 2340 for high resolution. To send graphics files, it is best to print them using the fax printer driver instead of trying to convert them to a fax-compatible TIF file!

Using a job file, the CapiFax server can even process .TXT files and converts them into the fax image format internally. A long line will wrap after 95 characters. After 62 lines a new page starts. The character set (ANSI or OEM/DOS) is detected automatically. The OEM/DOS set even supports the usual line symbols. The following control characters are interpreted for formatting (decimal codes):

All other control characters in TXT files will be printed as a symbol if one exists in the DOS/OEM font. - The sent TXT file will later be saved as a TIF file, or can be fowarded as PDF by email.

(For sending faxes automatically from another Windows application, in most cases using the fax printer driver together with CAPIFAX.NXT may be more convenient than using a job file!)

Automatic address book import

If you want to import an address book automatically on a regular basis, insert a line Autoimport=Filename under [Common] in the file CAPIFAX.INI in the CapiFax folder. The fax server look for this after it is started and later every 15 minutes. Each line of the file must contain three comma-delimited fields:
Name,number,group
Note that "group" is a bit map, where e.g. 3 means group 1+2.

The result of the last automatic import is logged in a text file CFIMPORT.TXT. If everything worked, it contains something like "OK: 1543" if 1543 entries were imported successfully, otherwise it displays an error cause.

Log file

Each line in the file FAX.LOG in the client folder has the following format:

Date,Time,Duration,Type,Pages,Baudrate,[Controller-]MSN,Number,ID,Tries,Status,Filename,Remark

The "Type" field consists of one character only: T = transmitted, R = received, A = transmitted after poll, P = received after poll.
The "Remark" field is first filled with spaces which can be replaced by text later without changing the length of the line or file.
The "Filename" field contains a relative path from the client folder if possible or an absolute server path otherwise.

Extending the context menu

To extend the context menu (which is displayed when you right-click on a line in the fax list), create a folder MENU.DIR in the client directory with executable programs or batch files. The path name of the corresponding TIF fax file is tranferred to them in a DOS-compatible command line.

A file START (without an extension) has a special meaning: When it is selected from the context menu, the application is called which is linked to the file extension in the Windows Explorer (Settings - File types).

Other files

IFAX_[msn].TXT = Body text for faxes which are sent as e-mails; displayed as default text in the printer driver.
IFAXAUTO_[msn].TXT = Body text for mailings (with automatic number insertion, variables supported.
EMAIL.TXT = Body text for faxes forwarded as e-mails..

More tips

To delete faxes waiting to be sent, use the right (secondary) mouse button to click on a line in the fax server window. A context menu opens allowing the deletion. The red Stop symbol in the server window deletes all faxes.

If you want to use a different file extension for your fax viewer instead of TIF, e.g. FAX (though you cannot really change the format!), enter TIF_Extension=FAX under [Common] in CLIENTS.INI in the folder CLIENTS. Be sure to link the extension to the intended application, using the Windows explorer.

If you have questions regarding CapiFax, please drop a mail to Shamrock (see form at www.shamrock.de) or dial +49 8137 5882.

Glossary

1TR6 - Deprecated old national ISDN standard, replaced by DSS1.

B channel - Bearer Channel. One S0/T0 line has two B channels with 64 kbps each.

BRA - Basic Rate Access (ISDN S0/T0 bus).

BRI - Basic Rate Interface, normal ISDN S0/T0 line, 2 B channels 64 kbps, 1 D channel 16 kbps.

CAPI - Common Application Program Interface; ISDN driver, current standard is 2.0.

Class 1+2 - Standards for analogue fax modems, not relevant for a true ISDN fax program like CapiFax.

CLIP - Calling Line Identification Presentation, displays the caller's number at the called side.

CLIR - Calling Line Identification Restriction, suppresses the caller's number at the called side.

D channel - The ISDN control channel with signalling information for connect/disconnect.

DDI - Direct Dialling In, local number part at a P2P line.

DSS1 - Digital Subscriber Service Type 1, also called Euro ISDN.

ECM - Error Correction Mode, optional error correction for fax transmission, supported by some drivers and machines.

Fax - Short for Facsimile; graphic transmission of documents over a telephone line (or other media).

Fax polling - Retrieving a fax document from a remote machine.

Huffman - Compression mechanism, based on the probability of certain codes.

Group 3 - Today's standard fax mechanism for up to 14400 bps using analogue modulation.

Group 4 - Digital fax transmission with 64 kbps, not too common until now.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network, public network for transmission of speech, fax, video, and data.

MAPI - Mail Application Program Interface, standard e-mail application interface.

MHC - Modified Huffman Code, one-dimensional fax compression (standard for fax group 3).

MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, standard for sending e-mail attachments.

MMR - Modified Modified Read, twodimensional fax compression, but rarely supported.

MSN - Multiple Subscriber Number, one of the local numbers of an ISDN line.

NTBA - Network Termination Base Access, the small box which is installed by the telecom.

PRI - Primary Rate Interface, also S2M, 30 B channels with 64 kbps each and one D channel with 64 kbps.

PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network.

S0 or T0 - Standard point-to-multipoint (P2MP) access.

S2M - Primary rate access, 30 B channels with 64 kbps each and one D channel with 64 kbps.

Service - ISDN service indicator, indicating the service being requested for a call, e.g. voice or data.

SFF - Standard Fax Format, fax file as defined by CAPI 2.0.

SMTP - Standard Mail Transfer Protocol, standard mechanism for sending e-mails over the internet.

T.30 - Official CCITT standard for group 3 fax transmission.

TIF - Tagged Image File; file format allowing multi-page graphics.

PBX - Private Branch Exchange.

Uk0 - Two-wire cable from the telecom switch to the NTBA.

Up0 - Two-wire cable between a PBX and a system telephone (not suited for ISDN cards!).

USB - Universal Serial Bus, allows connecting peripherals to the PC.

Index

Accounts
Anti-spam list
Autom. printing
Autom. sending
Bulk faxes
CAPI driver
CapiCall
Clients
CLT folder
Controller
Demo version
E-mail
External access
Fax redirection
Fax ID
Fax polling
Fax server
Fax on demand
Fax poll config.
Files
Folder
Folders
Gateway
Groups
Hardware
Identification
Import
Installation
Internet
Intranet
ISDN cards
Job file
Header line
License
Log
Log viewer
Mail config.
Mail redirection
Mailing
MSNs
P2MP interface
P2P interface
Passive cards
Polling
Printer driver
Protocol
Redirection
Resolution
Robinson list
S0/T0 interface
Server
Server setup
Service
SFF files
SMTP
Spam
Startup
Terminal server
TIF files
Voice mailbox
Windows
ZIP file

(You can also use Ctrl+F to search for a word in this manual.)

© Shamrock Software GmbH