Sending PDF documents via HlyaFAX

[JamesBowen]

Faxing PDF documents via HylaFAX

Hi

For the past two weeks I have been creating PDF documents using the PDFInclude Library and being able to output the documents to a Lasser Printer.

Now I want to be able to FAX the PDF documents and I have start to use HylaFAX. HylaFAX is just a FAX Server and does not provide an real client to use.

There are a truck load of clients which are compatible with HylaFax but nothing real works the way I want.

I've taking the bold step to write my own HylaFAX client in OE 10.1B. Now so far I have managed to achieve:

• Connect and login
• Status of the FAX Server
• Status of the SEND, DONE, RECEIVED Queue.
• Retrieve and view incoming Facsimiles.
• Send PDF documents to HylaFAX server ready for sending (to be FAXED).
• Delete Pending Facsimiles from the Send Queue.
• Move Pending Facsimiles from the Send Queue to the Done Queue.

Now there is a lot more code to write but I was wounding if this code once completed (basic working) would be useful to the Progress Community?

 

[JamesBowen]

Soon this code will be available for use.

 

[tamhas]

Why don't you post it to OE Hive when it is ready?

 

[joey.jeremiah]

Please do, and please post it @oehive.org

I really like your work !!

 

[JamesBowen]

My code is still in it's infancy and is available from the OE hive: http://www.oehive.org/node/1158

 

[JamesBowen]

How technology hardware moves on and software applications adapt.

Some time ago i wrote an ABL API to HylaFAX, but it was always was a bit of pig to maintain when things where not happening the way you expected them too.

Yesterday we needed to replace our existing FAX machine and because technology has moved on in the last four years, so trying to buy a simple fax machine became difficult. So we had to bend to the curve and buy a multifunctional printer.

We opted to buy a Brother MFC-490CW printer (it was cheap) and very quickly I found a very cool feature. PC-FAX! I know this is nothing new but brother has also developed drivers for Linux. Anyway after downloading two redhat rpm I was presented with a new command line tool, brpcfax .

Doing a simple test I was able to FAX a PDF via the Brother MFC-490CW and it worked first time. WOW, this was simple. So I have now made some simple changes to my application to now send faxes via the new command line tool.

So with the combination of PDFinc, Linux CUPS and the Brother MCF-490CW we now have a stable and robust FAXing solution.