Quick Fax Cover Sheet (QFCS) is a convenient shareware program for printing facsimile cover sheets under Windows 3.x. It allows the user to set up default sender information which will load whenever QFCS is started as well as the option to select alternate sender information. It also allows the user to set up a database of frequently used receivers along with their fax numbers. Fax cover sheets may also be saved to disk for later reference. A Quick-Icon control panel plus a graphical system to drag and drop Senders, Receivers and saved cover sheets insures ease of use.
SHAREWARE INFO
Registration
Distribution
QFCS is not PUBLIC DOMAIN NOR FREE SOFTWARE! It is provided for limited use for the purpose of evaluation only. Non-registered users of this software are granted a limited license to use an evaluation copy for trial use on a private non-commercial basis for the expressed purpose of determining whether QFCS is suitable for your needs. At the end of the 30 day trial period you should register your copy or discontinue using this product. If you register you will receive a version of QFCS which omits the shareware notices, a printed documentation, technical support, a free upgrade to the next major revision and automatic notification of new versions. To register use the Order option from the Help menu. The registration fee is a very nominal $20 for single users. Contact the author for multiple copy discounts and a network version. You may freely distribute, give away, trade, upload or bestow the unregistered version of this program to anyone you wish as long as all files that came with the distribution diskette or the archive file remain part of the package. You may not sell the program, however, you may charge a reasonable fee for your cost of diskettes. Any shareware distributors interested in QFCS should contact the author.
FILES INCLUDED
qfcs.exe - main program file
qfcs.hlp - help info called from help menu
qfcs.idx - help program index file
default.dat - default sender data
alt1.dat - alternate sender example
receiver.db - default receiver database file
sample.fax - sample fax cover sheet
status.dll - dynamic link library
psetup.dll - dynamic link library
enumfont.dll - dynamic link library
readme.doc - initial instructions
INSTALLATION
Copy QFCS.EXE, QFCS.HLP, QFCS.IDX, DEFAULT.DAT, ALT1.DAT, RECEIVER.DB, SAMPLE.FAX, STATUS.DLL, PSETUP.DLL and ENUMFONT.DLL to the directory of your choice (you may delete README.DOC after review). Use Windows Program Manager, the Windows Setup program or an equivalent process to install. Requires VBRUN100.DLL, not included - (Can be downloaded as VBRUN.ZIP in Compuserve MS Windows Advanced Forum).
UPGRADING
If you have been using a version of QFCS older than V2.0, do not use your existing *.DAT (Sender) files. A new field was added in V2.0 that provides for a description of the Sender, if you try to load the existing file two error messages will result "Input Past End Of File" & "File Already Open" - You will probably have to re-boot your system at this point so DON'T USE OLD *.DAT FILES!. Erase your old *.DAT files before installation! The RECEIVER.DB file is still compatible, however due to the file handling structure of V2.0+, no other *.DB files other than RECEIVER.DB are usable. If you created other *.DB files for different categories of receivers they will no longer be accessible from the program. When re-installing - copy QFCS.EXE, QFCS.HLP, QFCS.IDX, DEFAULT.DAT, RECEIVER.DB, SAMPLE.FAX and STATUS.DLL to a new sub directory and then copy your existing RECEIVER.DB into the sub directory overwriting the new RECEIVER.DB file. Any existing cover sheet .FAX files from version 2.0 may be loaded, however, only the first line of notes text will be loaded since this version now has a single multi line text box instead of the previous four single line boxes. Version 2.2 now requires all three .DLL files (STATUS.DLL, PSETUP.DLL and ENUMFONT.DLL) to function. Delete all existing QFCS.INI or QFCSR.INI files before installing version 2.2 since the format has changed from prior versions (if you don't your system may crash).
HELP
This help system may be accessed at any time by pressing the F1 key. Simply click on the topic of interest on the left side and you will see the topic explained on the right.
FIRST TIME USE
SENDER
After starting the program for the first time you will want to change the default Sender to match your needs - click CLEAR SENDER. Fill out the Sender fields as you want them to appear each time the program is started. Click SENDER menu and click SAVE CURRENT AS DEFAULT - click Yes on warning message box. The default Sender has been saved in a delimited file called DEFAULT.DAT in the same directory as QFCS.EXE.
ALTERNATE SENDERS
You may save Alternate Senders as follows: Click CLEAR SENDER. Type in the alternate Sender. Click SENDER menu - click ADD CURRENT SENDER AS ALTERNATE. You will be prompted to enter a file name for this alternate Sender - it must have a .DAT extension! Use something descriptive - as an example: John Doe, Home could be JDHOME.DAT. You may also enter a description of the Sender which will appear when you select an alternate Sender to load later (useful if many people are using the same Fax machine). Click OK - Repeat for as many Alternate Senders as you like and save each in it's own individual .DAT file. The alternate Sender of your choice may now be recalled at any time by: Clicking the Sender menu, Click SELECT AN ALTERNATE SENDER. Click on the Sender of choice and drag it to the main program window or double click the Sender file of choice - (a sample called ALT1.DAT is included with the program). Senders may be updated and deleted with the appropriate menu choices. The delete dialog box offers the option of dragging the Sender to a graphical trash can which opens for the Sender to be dropped in or you may simply double click or tap the spacebar once the Sender is selected.
RECEIVERS
The default Receiver data file, RECEIVER.DB, automatically loads when the program is started and since the database file with the package contains only the Author's Fax number you will want to add your own list of frequently used Receivers. Click CLEAR RECEIVER. Enter your first Receiver - A COMPANY NAME MUST BE ENTERED! You may leave the TO ATTENTION OF field blank if you like but do fill in the RECEIVING FAX NUMBER field. Click ADD. Repeat until you have added as many Receivers as you like. If you make an error or want to change a Receiver's information at a later date you may update the Receiver by clicking UPDATE - then double click the name of the Receiver you wish to update and the database will be updated using the information currently in the Receiver fields. You may then use FIND to locate the Receiver of choice - select the Receiver you wish to use from the list then either drag the Receiver of choice to the main program window, double click it or tap the space bar and it will be loaded. Should you wish to delete a Receiver simply use FIND to locate the Receiver that you wish to delete, click CLEAR RECEIVER, type the word "DELETED" in the Send To Company field and then click UPDATE - click on the name of the Receiver to be deleted. Should you wish to add a receiver in the future simply choose the "DELETED" record and update it with the new Receiver.
FAX COVER SHEETS
The Fax menu allows the current fax cover sheet to be saved to disk to a file with a *.FAX extension. You may enter comments in the SAVE CURRENT FAX COVER TO DISK dialog box, the current date and time are also saved. Saved fax cover sheets may be recalled or deleted with the appropriate menu choices. A sample fax cover sheet, SAMPLE.FAX is included with the package.
NOTES
The notes multi-line text box will hold as many lines of text as you would like to enter, however, your printer will produce 2 pages if you enter more than 10 lines for Courier and 8 lines for Roman and Modern (this assumes a page length of 60 lines, typical for laser printers).
CONFIGURE
This menu provides the option of having the Quick-Icon control panel enabled or disabled as well as the option of having all data entered into fields converted to upper case regardless of your keyboard caps lock setting. If you do not wish conversion to upper case click on ALL DATA MIXED CASE. Your preferences are retained in QFCS.INI.
QUICK-ICONS
The Quick-Icons perform the following functions from top to bottom: 1> Help 2> Print Cover 3> Select An Alternate Sender 4> Add Current Sender As Alternate 5> Delete A Sender 6> Retrieve A Fax Cover From Disk 7> Save Current Fax Cover To Disk 8> Delete A Fax Cover From Disk 9> Windows Control Panel 10> Windows Printer Setup 11> Exit Program.
PRINTING
QFCS checks your system for installed printer fonts when you start the program. Some combinations of BOLD, ITALIC and POINT SIZE may not be available depending upon your system setup. If you change printers while QFCS is running the correct fonts will not appear in the font selection dialog box. Output quality will vary depending upon your system. A font manager such as Type Manager makes a significant difference, hopefully Windows 3.1 will address this issue more directly.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Questions
Comments
Suggestions
You may leave any questions, comments or suggestions for the author as follows:
Michael Haschka
Compuserve 73027,3307
Or call (818) 372-1250 and leave a message
Or send me a FAX at: (805) 482-6213
TROUBLESHOOTING
If the default Sender file is missing you will receive an error message at startup. Simply type in a new default Sender and use the Sender menu to save it as the Default. Should the Receiver database file RECEIVER.DB be missing the program will automatically create a new empty database file at startup. Should the QFCS.HLP or QFCS.IDX files be missing or damaged an error message will be displayed prompting a re-installation of the help files. Most other error messages received during usage of QFCS should be fairly self explanatory - if not, leave me a message on Compuserve or send me a fax. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
KNOWN BUGS
Attempting to enter too many lines (more than about 9) in the notes text box has been known to cause a UAE at print time. One user reported that dragging a sender or fax cover file to the trash can icon caused a UAE but tapping the spacebar successfully deleted the file - this remains a mystery since the code for the two events is identical. PLEASE let me know if you encounter any bugs or problems - Send me a fax at (805) 482-6213 - Please be sure to mention which version you are using.
FUTURE VERSIONS
Future versions will include the ability to import and print logos and bitmaps on the cover sheet (this is a limitation of the current version (1.0) of Visual Basic, some techniques exist to do this currently, however they are somewhat unreliable and will not work on Postscript printers. Future versions will also have the ability to print a list of the Receivers in the database. YOUR feedback is very much welcome, comments gathered will go towards making QFCS even better.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My special thanks to Don Funk, Section Leader for Visual Basic in the Compuserve Microsoft Basic Forum and other members for their feedback on development problems, to George Campbell whose public domain program EZHELP made compiling this help system a breeze, to Ed Staffin for Status.dll, to Costas Kitsos for Psetup.dll, to Erez Carmel for Enumfont.dll and to my girlfriend Kim who put up with my long hours and mood swings in writing my first Visual Basic application!
WARRANTIES & LEGAL
MICHAEL HASCHKA MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The customer's sole remedies are set forth in the warranty clause above. Michael Haschka's liability for damages shall not exceed the current registration fee for the product. In no event will Michael Haschka be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages even if Michael Haschka has been advised of the possibility of the same. MICROSOFT WINDOWS, WINDOWS, MICROSOFT and VISUAL BASIC are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. TYPE DIRECTOR is a registered trademark of Agfa Corporation. All other product names are copyright and registered trademarks/trade names of their respective owners.
REVISION HISTORY
1.00
11/12/91 - Initial release.
1.10
11/20/91 - Interface re-sized to run at VGA resolution. Program now loads in center of screen. Ability to edit delimited Sender and Receiver Data.
1.11
11/23/91 - New opening screen, minor updates to text fields, animation added.
1.20
12/02/91 - Major update - Receivers are now saved in random access file format - any Receiver can be recalled from a pop up list. Default Sender appears when program is started - may be changed as necessary - alternate Senders may be saved and selected later from a list. Option to have all data entered as upper case. New colors.
2.00
01/02/92 - Another major revision - Date & time are now displayed on lower status bar. Option to choose fonts for cover sheet. Senders, Receivers and individual cover sheets may be saved to disk and recalled, updated or deleted as necessary using the mouse to drag and drop the selected information. New registration & opening screens. Cut, copy and paste selectable from menu. New help system. Evaluation copies of this version "Expire" after 30 days. Major reworking of error routines and improved ease of use over past versions.
2.10
01/10/92 - Multi-line text box replaces four individual fields for notes entry.
2.10a
01/19/92 - Bug fix solves problem of small fonts in cover sheet on some printers. Registered copies now have INI file to retain configuration menu settings.
2.20
01/23/92 - Quick-Icon control panel for most major functions added. All installed system specific printer fonts now available. Windows control panel and printer setup dialog boxes may now be called from within QFCS. Interface re-sized for most screen resolutions (tested on EGA, VGA, SUPER VGA). INI file to save preferences added for all copies, registered or not. Other minor changes in controls and code.
