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║ ║ ║ FaxMail: a PCBoard Facsimile Gateway ║ Version 1.01 ║ ║ Copyright 1993 by Mark Herring All Rights Reserved NOTICE SPARKWARE GRANTS NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, BY STATUE OR OTHERWISE, REGARDING THE DISK, PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATERIALS, THEIR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE, THEIR QUALITY, THEIR MERCHANTABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THE LIABILITY OF SPARKWARE UNDER THE WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID BY THE CUSTOMER FOR THE PRODUCT. IN NO EVENT SHALL SPARKWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY. SPARKWARE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THESE PROGRAMS, DOCUMENTATION AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT PLANS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. THIS SOFTWARE PROGRAM IS A PROPRIETY PRODUCT OF SPARKWARE AND IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL TREATIES. YOU MUST TREAT THIS SOFTWARE LIKE ANY OTHER COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, EXCEPT THAT YOU MAY MAKE AN ARCHIVAL COPY OF THE SOFTWARE FOR EACH COPY THAT IS LICENSED TO YOU. YOU MAY NOT DECOMPILE, DISASSEMBLE, REVERSE ENGINEER, COPY, TRANSFER, OR OTHERWISE USE OR MODIFY THIS SOFTWARE EXCEPT AS STATED HEREIN. SPARKWARE GRANTS YOU THE RIGHT TO USE THIS SOFTWARE FOR TRIAL PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED THIRTY (30) DAYS. USE AFTER THIRTY DAYS REQUIRES REGISTRATION AS DOCUMENTED IN THIS PACKAGE. PCB/FaxMail Entire work copyright 1993 by Mark Herring All Rights Reserved Sparkware Post Office Box 386 Hendersonville, Tennessee 37077-0386 (615) 230-8822 (BBS) (615) 230-MAIL (Office) 10am-5pm CT weekdays PCBoard is a trademark of Clark Development Company Program Hardware Requirements............................3 Distribution and Registration............................3 What is FaxMail?.........................................4 Installing FaxMail.......................................5 Create a PCBoard Conference..............................5 Your Fax Board Software..................................6 Configuring FaxMail......................................6 Paths & Filenames...................................9 Mail Door/Network Site ID......................9 Name/Loc of Text Editor........................9 Name/Loc of your LIST program..................9 Name of the Sysop..............................9 Location of any PCBoard subdirectory..........10 Location of the FaxMail subdirectory..........10 Location of the Upload directory..............10 Name/Loc of the FaxMail message base..........10 Name/Loc of the WORK file.....................10 Name/Loc of the HEADER file...................10 Name/Loc of the LOG file......................11 Loc of the FaxMail COSYSOP list...............12 Loc of the FaxMail TCAN file..................12 Loc of the FaxMail ALIAS file.................13 Loc of the FaxMail USER file..................13 FAX board DOS command.........................14 FAX software Verify command line..............14 Last Message Scanned..........................15 Cycle Count for Temp Work file................15 Configuring Area Codes & Exchanges.................17 Master Exchanges..............................17 Create New Area Codes.........................17 Exchange-Specific TCAN files..................19 Fax Type Definitions...............................20 Form-Letter Messages...............................21 @Variables supported..........................21 Incorrect Message Format filespec.............22 Telephone Number Unreachable filespec.........22 Message TCAN filespec.........................22 Incorrect fax TYPE filespec...................22 Msg sent (VERIFY not used) filespec...........23 Successful Transfer filespec..................23 Telephone Number Busy filespec................23 Unsuccessful Transfer filespec................23 Transmission times.................................24 Scanning for Outgoing FaxMail......................25 Interfacing FaxMail with PCBoard........................25 Multinode systems..................................26 A Sample $$LOGOFF.BAT..............................26 Scanning for "BUSY" messages.......................26 Using the /TEST Switch.............................26 How to Use FaxMail......................................27 Special imbedded commands..........................27 Trouble Shooting FaxMail................................29 Support BBS........................................31 Acknowledgements The author gratefully acknowledges the help of these beta testers in the development of this program; Andy Keeves, Jud Newell, Michael MacDonald, Mike Glenn, Tom Hughes, David Pottier, Patrick Siglin and Michael Simmons. Program Hardware Requirements FaxMail has been tested on IBM XT compatibles, 286 and 386 class machines running MS or PC-DOS 3.3 or greater as well as under the Novell Operating system. Other environments tested include Lantastic v2.57, v3.0 and Novell/386. The use of this program requires a facsimile card (FAX) that can accept two DOS command line file specifications which contain the message text and destination phone number. We have developed and tested this software using the BitFax fax board and Bitfax software, a low- cost generic FAX board. Any FAX modem of this type can be used with FaxMail. Distribution and Registration of this Program FaxMail is distributed as a fully functional working DEMO. It can be distributed on any bulletin board or via a user group library system provided the files remain unaltered and intact. This DEMO can send up to three lines of a message to a receiving FAX machine so that you can test this software on your system. When you register and receive a FAXMAIL.KEY file, this same software will function without a message length limitation. ==>> If you use FaxMail, we urge you to register! <<== FaxMail is available for $30.00 (US Funds). You may print the file ORDER.DOC in this distribution package and send your check by US Mail or call our support BBS to place your order using script questionnaire #4. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discovery and American Express credit cards. 3 What is FaxMail? FaxMail is a facsimile gateway system designed to interface with your PCBoard BBS (v14.0 or higher). FaxMail allows your callers to enter messages into a conference on your PCBoard system and send them to another standard Group III fax machine using an internal "fax modem" installed in your system. FaxMail is one-way; there is currently no provision within FaxMail to receive incoming faxes from other fax machines. FaxMail is designed to work with practically any facsimile software available on the market, with one important stipulation. The software must be capable of accepting two command arguments from the DOS prompt, one for the actual text to be sent, the other, the phone number of the receiver. This is an example: SEND FILESPEC.TXT 555-1212 Command line options for different fax board software will probably be different but the idea is the same. Some of FaxMail's features: ■ Easy installation and maintenance. ■ Invisible to your callers. ■ Sysop has complete control over the area codes and exchanges that callers can access. ■ You can set up a list of names of callers that have unlimited FAX capability, including long distance, without limitations, if you wish. ■ You may restrict usage of the gateway to only certain users. ■ Messages are processed against TCAN files that can filter outgoing mail ■ Callers may upload complex graphics for inclusion into messages (GIFs or TIFFs if your fax card supports it). ■ FaxMail can automatically retry telephone numbers that are busy. ■ NetBios compatible. ■ Compatible with our alpha PAGER Engine system. ■ Logs the status of their fax transmission back to your callers through messages. ■ PCRelay-compatible. This lets you send a message from Los Angeles to a system in New York running PCB/FaxMail and have your message transmitted locally from the New York site. 4 Installing FaxMail FaxMail requires that you make a few changes to PCBoard and have installed and tested your fax card software. After this, the FaxMail software installation is a snap. If you can use PCBoard, you already know how to use FaxMail! Create a PCBoard Conference FaxMail scans mail entered into a message base in your PCBoard system. We strongly recommend that you create a special conference reserved only for FaxMail. To learn how to create a new conference please consult your PCBoard operations manual. These are the recommended switch settings for your new conference: ■ All messages are marked PRIVATE. This is also known as a FORCED R/O (receiver only) conference and is done to protect the Sysop since users may leave confidential information in a fax message. ■ Set "Echo Mail in Conference" to YES so that PCBoard will not verify the user's name when callers enter a destination telephone number. ■ Assign a unique upload subdirectory to this conference. You need not add this directory to your new FaxMail conference's download path as files will only be uploaded, not downloaded. You might like to set the path of the public upload directory to match the same path specified for the private upload directory in this conference only. If you have already installed your fax board software, you can skip to the section "Time to Install FaxMail" 5 Your Fax Board Software If you have not yet installed your fax board software, we recommend you do so by placing it in the FaxMail directory (especially if you this is new to you). To do this, create a subdirectory named C:\PCB\FAX The location of this directory can actually reside anywhere on your system, but we will keep it simple and suggest a subdirectory off your PCB directory. Copy your fax board software into C:\PCB\FAX. You should also take this time to read the manual that came with your fax board software and send a test fax using their software. The software must work correctly before you can continue to install FaxMail. Time to Install FaxMail After you have verified that your fax board software is working correctly, copy all of the files that came in this FaxMail archive into the subdirectory. In our example above, this was C:\PCB\FAX, but the files can reside anywhere on your system. Configuring FaxMail FaxMail creates a FAXMAIL.DAT file that contains your configuration information. If it cannot find this file, FaxMail will automatically move you directly into the configuration mode. All you need do is change to the C:\PCB\FAX directory and execute FAXMAIL.EXE FaxMail configuration is easy and completely menu driven. As a PCBoard sysop, you may recognize the interface. Simply move the arrow keys up or down to select an option from the menu. Pressing the [ENTER] key will choose that option or you can press the letter associated with the option. Once you have finished one screen, pressing [PgDn] will move you to the next one. The [ESC] key will move you back one screen and finally return you to the DOS prompt after saving your configuration. 6 Main Menu Selections: ╓────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ > Select "Paths and Filenames" ║ ║ Area Codes and Exchanges ║ ║ Fax type definitions ║ ║ Form Messages ║ ║ Transmission times ║ ║ Scan for outgoing FaxMail ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ Select Paths and Filenames This sets up paths to programs needed by FaxMail, like your choice of Text Editor and LIST, and locations of other auxiliary display files. Area Codes and Exchanges This selection allows configuration of "blocked" area codes and dialing prefixes within certain area codes. It also allows you to set up area code or exchange- specific TCAN files. Fax Type Definitions Some fax boards can transmit TIFF and PCX files. If you wish to give your callers the ability to send these graphics through FaxMail you must enter the correct DOS commands used by your fax board software to transmit them. Form Messages This menu entry allows easy creation and editing of messages sent to the caller in response to a fax request. These messages are entered into the FAXMAIL conference automatically when a FAX encounters a problem such as a busy line or contains words you've filtered out in the TCAN file. 7 Scan for outgoing FaxMail This option allows you to scan for new messages in your FaxMail system directly from the menu. In most cases, you will probably run this program in your EVENT or as the BBS recycles. Command line parameters for FAXMAIL.EXE You can use several DOS command line parameters when starting FaxMail. The parameters are: /SCAN Scan for new messages automatically. When the scan is complete FaxMail will return to to the DOS command line. /BUSY Tells the FaxMail system to scan the message base for all messages marked as BUSY. You would want to use this feature during an event. Note that ONLY busied messages are sent - no new messages are scanned. /TEST Test the FaxMail system. Messages are scanned and transmitted by the software but the messages are not marked as being "Read" inside PCBoard, message counters are not updated and form letter messages are not inserted by FaxMail. This parameter lets you continually test your setup until you are satisfied. /CFG= This parameter is immediately followed by a filename. This tells FaxMail to use this file for its configuration information. Using this parameter you can use the same software to scan different conferences. You may use /TEST and /CFG= on the same command line with either /SCAN or /BUSY, but do not mix /SCAN and /BUSY on the same command line. 8 Paths & Filenames Throughout the configuration of FaxMail, the program will try to be helpful and will fill in drive and path information for you. You should edit these entries to fit your system's configuration. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Mail Door/Network site ID...................SPARKY │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This field contains the network name of your BBS. If you use PCRelay software this is your SITE name. If you use an offline mail door on your BBS then you should fill in the name of your .QWK packets (leaving off the .QWK extension). FaxMail will use this name to identify messages that have been routed to your system for transmission. Any replies created by FaxMail are automatically routed back to the sender's mail site. Please note that if you have registered FaxMail that you will be unable to change the name of your mail site. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Location of Text Editor............C:\UTIL\Q.EXE │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This field is reserved for the name of your text editor program. Any editor will work, provided it can create simple ASCII text files. We recommend and use QEdit from Semware. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Location of your LIST program...C:\UTIL\LIST.COM │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ To view the LOG files that FaxMail creates, you need an ASCII file viewer like Vern Buerg's excellent LIST program. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name of the SYSOP........................MARK HERRING │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ When FaxMail finds mail addressed from "SYSOP", the software replaces "SYSOP" with this entry on outgoing faxes. You may use upper and lower case values in this entry. The @variable "@SYSOP@" is replaced by this entry (see "@Variables Supported" for more information). 9 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Location of any PCBOARD directory.........C:\PCB │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This entry points to a PCBoard system subdirectory that contains a PCBOARD.DAT file. Any node subdirectory will work. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Location of the FAXMAIL directory.....C:\PCB\FAX │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This entry points to the location of the FaxMail files. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Location of the upload directory.......D:\FAX\UP │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ FaxMail lets your callers upload graphics and other text files for inclusion into their own messages. This entry tells FaxMail where to find files callers have uploaded. If you do not wish for your callers to include files within their messages please leave this entry blank. See "How to Use FaxMail" under "INCLUDE:" for more information on file inclusion. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Location of the FaxMail msg base......D:\MESSAGES\FAX │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This entry points to the PCBoard message base that is dedicated to FaxMail messages. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Loc of the WORK file.............C:\PCB\FAX\WORK │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This filespec is the name of the file containing the caller's message that is transmitted by your fax board software. It is created by FAXMAIL.EXE. You can also create unique WORK filespecs by using the @variable "@MSGNUMBER@". This entry will create a work file that is the number of the message from inside PCBoard. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Loc of the HEADER file.........C:\PCB\FAX\HEADER │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ You can create a "header" file that is attached to each FaxMail message. The header file is defined here. A sample HEADER file is included with FaxMail. If you choose not to use a header file then leave this entry blank. Remember that you may use @variables defined later in the manual with the HEADER file. 10 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name/Loc of the LOG file...........C:\PCB\FAX\LOGFILE │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you would like FaxMail to maintain an activity log activity then enter the LOG's file specification in this entry. This is an example of a successful log entry: MSG: 1504,JOHN DOE,555-1212,TEST MESSAGE,PARTY,254 An unsuccessful log entry: REJECT: 1504,JOHN DOE,555-1212,TEST MESSAGE,1,<REASON> "MSG:" is provided so any future software developed to process the log will know that this was a FaxMail message. "1504" is the message number "JOHN DOE" is the name of the caller who sent the message. "555-1212" is the telephone number. "TEST MESSAGE" is the subject of the message. "PARTY" is the network SITE (if the message was routed through a network system). The number "254" as the last field of the successful log entry is the size (in bytes) of message. "REJECT:" is provided so that any software developed to process the log knows this message was not sent by the FaxMail software. When a fax fails, the number after the subject line is a result code, in this case a "1". The result codes are: 1 - Incorrect message format 2 - Telephone number was unreachable 3 - Message was TCANned by FaxMail "<REASON>" is a text entry that describes the result code in greater detail. FaxMail also sends a form message to the caller telling them of the problem. See "Form Messages" for more information. 11 ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Loc of the FaxMail COSYSOP list....C:\PCB\FAX\COSYSOP │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The FaxMail COSYSOP file is a simple ASCII text file that contains a list of callers who are allowed to send faxes anywhere without first checking to see if you have enabled the area code and exchange. This feature is great for friends or family who might like to use FaxMail on long distance calls. The SYSOP is automatically allowed to call anywhere - after all it's your dime! Please note that users in this file do NOT have to be co-sysops on your system. You may edit the COSYSOP file by pressing the [F2] key. There is no limit on the size of this file and upper and lower case is ignored. Simply place the names in the file, one name per line, like this: Dan Moore David Terry Charles Grisamore <EOF> ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Loc of the FaxMail TCAN list..........C:\PCB\FAX\TCAN │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The TCAN file contains a list of "nasty" words or phone numbers that will be checked against outgoing fax messages. If a message or a header contains one of these words, the message is not transmitted and the user may receive a message explaining why the message was not sent. This is particularly useful in screening calls to specific long distance phone numbers. You may also create "telephone exchange" specific TCAN files that restrict any message sent to a particular telephone exchange. See "Area codes and exchanges" for more information on how to create them. You may edit the TCAN file by pressing the [F2] key. The TCAN file may contain as many entries as you wish, one entry per line. Upper and lower case is ignored. Helpful hint: You can use your PCBoard TCAN file if you wish for FaxMail. Just enter the name of your PCBoard TCAN file in this field. 12 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Loc of the FaxMail ALIAS list........C:\PCB\FAX\ALIAS │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The ALIAS file contains a list of names that FaxMail replaces with telephone numbers. Sometimes it is easier for callers to remember "JOHN SMITH" than his telephone number. You must enter one name per line in the file. Example: USER NAME=TELEPHONE NUMBER If you wish to provide your users with the ability to easily send fax messages to United States senators then point this entry to the file SENATORS.FAX. This file contains a list of all published fax telephone numbers for The United States Senate. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Loc of the FaxMail USERS list........C:\PCB\FAX\USERS │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The USERS file keeps a list of networked users who are allowed to use the FaxMail Gateway. If your FaxMail system is only used locally then you can control access to the FaxMail conference through PCBoard security measures. However, if you allow network mail into your FaxMail conference you may wish to limit access to FaxMail to only a few users. You can allow their access by entering their names into this file. The format of the entries is: USER NAME SITE=SITENAME Example: JOE DOE SITE=PARTY This entry means that JOE DOE from "PARTY" can have access to your FaxMail system. You can change the function of this file from allowing access to the FaxMail Gateway to restricting access by adding the word "RESTRICT" on one line of the file. 13 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Fax Software DOS command..........BF -F%FILE -P%PHONE │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This field contains the DOS command that your fax software uses to transmit the WORK (message) file. FaxMail provides two command line variables that are replaced by FaxMail. These variables are: %FILE - name of the WORK filespec %PHONE - telephone number to call %NUMBER - The PCBoard message number The command you use depends on the fax board software you use. If you are using BitFax software version 2.062 the command is: BF -F%FILE -P%PHONE The command your particular fax board software requires will probably be different. Please consult your fax board manual for this command. FaxMail shells to DOS to execute the fax board software. Make sure you have enough memory available for this software to work as a DOS shell beneath FaxMail. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Fax Software VERIFY command.......... │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This DOS command is used to verify that the message transmitted by the fax board DOS command was successfully sent. This command is optional. If you do not wish to verify the fax's transmission, leave this field blank. We provide a program that will parse the BitFax log file and determine if the message was successfully transmitted. If you own a different type of fax board system that maintains a different form of caller's log then this program must be custom written for your fax board software. Before you attempt to write your own software please call our customer support BBS at (615) 230-8822 and see if we already have a free program available that supports your software. All FaxMail files are stored inside conference #1 on our system. 14 After the fax board log file has been parsed by the VERIFY program, the log is deleted for the next message transfer. The VERIFY program will then create a file named "OK" in the current subdirectory. This file contains either: SUCCESS - Message was successfully transmitted BUSY - The telephone number was busy NOGOOD - A fax machine could not be reached. FaxMail will read this information from "OK" to determine if the fax transfer was successful. If the message was transmitted then the message is marked "READ" in PCBoard and the SUCCESS form message is sent to the caller. If "BUSY" was returned then the message is marked as "BUSY" so FaxMail can try again later to resend the message and a form message is sent to the caller. Finally, if the message was unsuccessful, a form message is sent to the caller only. If you are maintaining FaxMail activity logs then the software will write: RESULT: <result> to the activity log. Any additional lines of text stored inside "OK" are also copied into the activity log. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Last Message Number scanned..........................0 │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This field stores the last message number scanned by FaxMail in the PCBoard message base. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Cycle count for temporary work files.................0 │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Some fax board programs transmit their text files in the "background" while other programs execute. If your fax board software does this then you need to set a "cycle count" so FaxMail does not overwrite them while they are in use. NOTE: IF YOUR FAX BOARD SOFTWARE DOES NOT TRANSMIT FAXES IN THE BACKGROUND THEN SET THIS VALUE TO "0" AND IGNORE THE REST OF THIS EXPLANATION. 15 A cycle count can be a bit confusing. If you set the cycle count to "20" this means that FaxMail will create: WORK.1 - stores the first message WORK.2 - stores the second message ...... WORK.20 - stores the twentieth message Since the fax board software works in the background the FaxMail software cannot simply use "WORK" because it is probably in use by the fax board software. Assigning a cycle count assures the software that WORK.1 is not overwritten while in use. When the 21st message is processed by the software then WORK.1 is reused, or cycled back. It is up to you to decide how large the cycle count needs to be on your system. Too few and you will probably experience problems. Too large and disk space may be wasted. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Return back to the "Main Menu" │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ You are now finished with this screen. Press the [ESC] key to return back to the "Main Menu" or press [PgDn] to go onto the next configuration screen. 16 Main Menu Selections: ╓────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ Select "Paths and Filenames" ║ ║ > Area Codes and Exchanges ║ ║ Fax type definitions ║ ║ Form Messages ║ ║ Transmission times ║ ║ Scan for Outgoing FaxMail ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ Area Codes and Exchanges In order to keep your telephone bills from skyrocketing, you may want to define exactly which area codes and prefixes your callers can reach using FaxMail. The following screens configure FaxMail to select or block calls to these area codes and local prefixes. An exchange-specific TCAN file can also be created for each area code to give you total control over where your caller's message. This is useful, for example, in blocking calls to radio stations or to other private/public fax machines that may be targets for abuse. ╓────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ Master Exchanges ║ ║ New Area Codes ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────╜ Master Exchanges This selection will allow you to place entries in a master exchange list that will be used to save time when setting up new area code lists. New Area Codes This option allows you to select area codes that your callers can access, and block certain exchanges within an area code. 17 ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │ Master Exchanges │ └──────────────────────────────────┘ The master exchange file contains a list of telephone exchanges that you wish to have selected automatically each time you create a new area code entry. This file is optional but can help you save time. Selecting this option will shell to your text editor. Create a file containing the telephone exchange prefixes on a separate line. There is no limit to the number of exchanges you can set up. ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ New Area Codes │ └─────────────────────────────────┘ You need to tell FaxMail which area codes and telephone exchanges should be accessible by your fax board. If you enter only your local area, all long distance faxes will be blocked (except for the Sysop and those users entered into the COSYSOP list). When you select this option, enter the three-digit area code in the field provided. You should begin by defining your local area first. -------------------------------------------------------- Do not enter your local area code here as your fax board will try to dial the prefix and the call will not work. Instead, enter the word "LOCAL" in place of the three- digit local area code to configure local exchanges. -------------------------------------------------------- Several screens of possible prefixes will appear. Unless a selection has a block character beside it (■), the selection is unavailable for FaxMail. You should use your arrow keys to move around the screen and press [ENTER] to make your selection. The top left hand corner of the Area Codes and Exchanges screen contains the entry "ALL". This entry, when selected with a ■ character, selects all prefixes for FaxMail even though each individual number is not marked. When this selection is made, the program places an asterisk (*) next to exchanges "001" through "100", "411", "555" "911" and "976". Asterisks denote blocked phone prefixes. These exchanges, which have no fax capability are automatically blocked by the program. 18 Select the exchanges that are local to your calling area. This information is usually available in the front of your telephone white pages. You can create an ASCII text file of the exchange list you support by pressing [ALT-L]. This may be useful to include in a user bulletin describing the FaxMail system. Save your changes using the [ESC] key and follow the prompts. Remember to add the "800" exchange to your list so that callers can send toll-free faxes. To delete an entire area code listing, simply use [ESC] until you are at the Area Code and Exchanges Menu and highlight the area code. Press [DEL] to delete the exchange. Exchange-specific TCAN files In addition to restricting messages by using the TCAN file described earlier, you may also further restrict messages by creating an exchange-specific TCAN file. If the fax message clears the first TCAN file, FaxMail checks to see if there is a TCAN file associated with the exchange. If one is found then the message is scanned again to see if a match was found. If a match is found, the message is not processed and a form-letter message is sent to the user. The exchange-specific TCAN files are great to use when you wish to block certain fax numbers - like messages sent to radio station fax machines. To create exchange-specific TCAN files, simply press [F2] while you are in the Area Codes and Exchanges screen and your cursor is highlighting the desired exchange. The format of the TCAN file is a simple text file, one entry per line. 19 Main Menu Selections: ╓────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ Select "Paths and Filenames" ║ ║ Area Codes and Exchanges ║ ║ > Fax type definitions ║ ║ Form Messages ║ ║ Transmission times ║ ║ Scan for outgoing FaxMail ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ Fax type definitions Some fax board software will allow you to transmit TIFF, PCX and other forms of graphics. If you wish to make these features available to your callers then this section defines the DOS commands needed to translate the messages. The caller can tell FaxMail the type of graphics used in the message by using the "*TYPE:" command. This command is included inside the message they upload. It is always entered "flush" to the left margin of the message. The keyword that follows "*TYPE:" identifies which DOS command is to be used by FaxMail to transmit the message. The caller can then use the "*INCLUDE:" command to include the graphics they upload to PCBoard. These keywords are listed on the left side of your screen in this section. The corresponding DOS command is to the right of the keyword. Keywords could be "TIFF", "PCX", "WP", etc. They can be whatever values you wish to use. Press the [ESC] key to return to the main menu. 20 Main Menu Selections: ╓────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ Select "Paths and Filenames" ║ ║ Area Codes and Exchanges ║ ║ Fax type definitions ║ ║ > Form Messages ║ ║ Transmission times ║ ║ Scan for outgoing FaxMail ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ Form messages Form-letter messages are sent by the FaxMail system to callers to keep them updated on how their fax messages were processed. These messages are always from "SYSOP" and are posted in the FAXMAIL conference. If you do not wish to send these messages to your callers, simply leave these filenames blank. @variables supported If you are familiar with PCBoard 14.5's "@variables", you'll be creating these messages easily. The variables listed below are replaced by FaxMail with the appropriate information just before the message is posted to the caller. PLEASE NOTE: Your callers cannot use these variables in messages they send to the FaxMail gateway. You can use these variables with your HEADER file if you wish. @USER@ - User's FIRST and LAST name @FIRST@ - User's FIRST name only @SUBJECT@ - Subject of the message @FAXPHONE@ - Telephone number to reach @MSGNUMBER@ - Message number @TCAN@ - If the message was TCANned then this variable contains the offending word. @SYSDATE@ - Current system date (MM-DD-YYYY) @SYSTIME@ - Current system time (HH:MM) @SYSOP@ - Name of the sysop 21 These variables are read from the user's PCBoard user record (if found). @CITY@ - User's CITY entry @PASSWORD@ - User's PASSWORD @DATAPHONE@ - Business phone @HOMEPHONE@ - Home phone @SECURITY@ - Security level @TOTALTIME@ - Total time on today @NUMTIMESON@ - No. of times on @PROLTR@ - Transfer protocol @COMMENT1@ - User maintained comment @COMMENT2@ - Sysop maintained comment ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Incorrect msg format filespec....C:\PCB\FAX\FORMAT.MSG │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This message is sent to the caller if they address a message to "FAX GATEWAY" and forget to place the telephone number in the first line of the message. This is a secondary way of addressing the FaxMail system. We prefer that the caller enter the telephone number inside the "TO" field of the message from inside PCBoard or an offline reader. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Tel number unreachable spec......C:\PCB\FAX\NUMBER.MSG │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This message is sent to the caller if the telephone number was not reachable from the system. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Message TCAN filespec..............C:\PCB\FAX\TCAN.MSG │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This message is sent to the caller if the message contained a word that was an exact match to one in the TCAN files. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Incorrect fax TYPE filespec.....C:\PCB\FAX\BADTYPE.MSG │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Callers will receive this message if they use the *TYPE: command inside a message and the TYPE was not defined in your FaxMail setup. 22 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Msg sent (VERIFY not used).........C:\PCB\FAX\TCAN.MSG │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This message is sent to a caller if you are not using the VERIFY command in FaxMail (see "Paths and Filenames" for information about the VERIFY command). This message tells the user when FaxMail scanned the message. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Successful transfer spec........C:\PCB\FAX\SUCCESS.MSG │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This message is sent to the caller if the VERIFY command determined that the message was successfully transmitted. If you are not using a VERIFY command then this message is not sent to the caller. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Telephone number busy filespec......C:\PCB\FAX\BUSY.MSG │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If the telephone number was busy then this message is sent to the caller so they know that the message was not sent. FaxMail can rescan the message base later for BUSY messages and attempt to send them again (see "Scanning for 'busy' messages"). If you are not using a VERIFY command then this message is not sent to the caller. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Unsuccessful transfer spec........C:\PCB\FAX\NOGOOD.MSG │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ This message is sent to the caller if the VERIFY command determined that a fax machine did not answer. If you are not using a VERIFY command then this message is not sent to the caller. Use the [ESC] key to exit and save your changes. If you have made any changes in your configuration, you will be asked if you wish to save changes. Remember that if you do not wish to use any of these form messages you may simply leave the filespec entries blank and FaxMail will not send them to your callers. 23 Main Menu Selections: ╓────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ Select "Paths and Filenames" ║ ║ Area Codes and Exchanges ║ ║ Fax type definitions ║ ║ Form Messages ║ ║ > Transmission times ║ ║ Scan for outgoing FaxMail ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ Transmission times This section lets you control the times that FaxMail will transmit messages. You can enter the starting and stopping times for each day of the week. Remember that all times must be entered as "military" time. That is, 1:00 pm becomes "13:00" hours. If you wish to transmit messages 24 hours a day then leave the entry blank for that day. Press the [ESC] key to return to the main menu. 24 Main Menu Selections: ╓────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ║ Select "Paths and Filenames" ║ ║ Area Codes and Exchanges ║ ║ Fax type definitions ║ ║ Form Messages ║ ║ Transmission times ║ ║ > Scan for Outgoing FaxMail ║ ╙────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ Scanning for outgoing FaxMail This option will scan for messages and prepare the fax for transmission. Interfacing FaxMail with PCBoard Finally, you must setup FaxMail so that it is scanned every so often. One way you can do this is to make use of PCBoard 14.5a's $$LOGOFF.BAT file. This batch file is executed after a caller logs off from PCBoard. If you have enough free memory available when PCBoard executes $$LOGOFF.BAT you might like to execute FaxMail here. You can also modify BOARD.BAT to call FaxMail after a caller hangs up and the board recycles. If you decide to install FaxMail in your BOARD.BAT remember to go into PCBSetup and set the "Exit to DOS After Each Call" flag in the "Options #1" screen. Finally, you can use FaxMail inside your event. Simply add the following line to your EVENT.SYS file: CD \PCB\FAX FAXMAIL /SCAN As you can see, it's up to you where you insert calls to the software. Just make sure that you place it into a location that runs the software periodically. 25 Multinode systems If you are using PCBoard /E3 or higher then FaxMail only requires one fax board for your entire system. We recommend that install the fax board on a frequently accessed node so it cycles often. Because FaxMail scans one conference for the messages they can be left on any node and the messages will be transmitted when the node with the fax board cycles. A Sample $$LOGOFF.BAT If you were to use $$LOGOFF.BAT with BitFax software then your batch file might look something like this: ECHO OFF CLS CD \PCB\FAX BITSCHED FAXMAIL /SCAN RMVSCHED CD \PCB Scanning for "busy" messages If you are using the VERIFY command and messages couldn't be transmitted because the destination telephone number was BUSY then FaxMail can attempt to send them again. Use the command "FAXMAIL /BUSY" to scan the message base for any messages marked as "BUSY". The message base is scanned from the very beginning and if the telephone number is busy again then the BUSY form message is not sent to the caller. Remember that /BUSY only scans for messages marked BUSY. It does not scan for newly entered messages that have not been faxed. We recommend that you insert this command into your EVENT so the software tries to send BUSY messages at least once a day. Using the /TEST switch If you start the FaxMail software using the /TEST switch, the last message read pointers are not updated, messages are not marked as READ and form messages are not sent to callers. 26 How to Use FaxMail If your callers can enter messages, they already know how to use FaxMail! All they need to know is a telephone number of a fax machine and how to join the FaxMail conference. The caller would use the "Enter a message" command from inside PCBoard. When asked for the "TO" information simply enter the telephone number instead of a user's name. Then type the message and save it. That's it! We also support a second method of addressing a FaxMail message, though we prefer the above way of doing it. The second way is to address the message to the account "FAX GATEWAY". The telephone number of the fax machine must then be placed on the first line of the text body of the message. The subject line is ignored in this case. Special imbedded commands There are three commands available to the caller for use inside the body of the message. These commands must be entered flush to the left side of the message on a separate line. These commands are: *TOF If the message contained *TOF on a line, FaxMail will insert enough blank lines to start a fresh page. This lets the user enter more text without wasting lines in the message. *INCLUDE: <filespec> Example: *INCLUDE: mylogo.gif If you have enabled a FaxMail conference upload directory then your callers can upload a bitmapped graphic or text file that can be included within their message. Most fax messages can fit within PCBoard's 99 line limit but if the caller needs more space they can upload the text first as a file and *INCLUDE it inside the message. After the message is processed then FaxMail will automatically delete the <filespec> from the upload subdirectory. 27 *TYPE: <Message type> Example: *TYPE: GIF This command, when inserted into a caller's fax message, will try to match <Message type> against a list of keywords you defined in "Fax type definitions". This command indicates the type of graphic that is included in the message with the "*INCLUDE:" command. Some fax boards will send graphics in GIF, TIFF format, even WordPerfect .WPG format. You may also maintain certain graphic and text files that your callers may include in their messages. These graphics could be bitscanned logos for your bulletin board system or standard text files and must reside inside C:\PCB\FAX and have a .FAX extension. Unlike caller uploaded files, these files are not deleted by FaxMail after they are included within the messages. Example: *TYPE: WPG *INCLUDE: SPARKY.FAX 28 Trouble shooting FaxMail If you encounter problems executing FaxMail with your PCBoard system try these steps first and see if they can help. ■ Test your configuration first Remember that FaxMail supports the "/TEST" command line switch. Simply start FaxMail using the DOS command: FAXMAIL /SCAN /TEST and you can execute FaxMail over and over without the software flagging messages as being read or updating message pointers. This lets you debug your setup without having to constantly enter new messages. ■ Everything is installed but the fax board software does not transmit the message. There could be a number of reasons why this might happen to you. The first explain may be that your fax board software simply isn't configured correctly. Remember that FaxMail has no control over how your fax board software actually works. Try using the fax board software from the DOS command line using the same DOS command used to transmit the message. Of course, you will need to supply the values for "%FILE" and "%PHONE". If this setup does not work then you either have entered the command incorrectly or you have a problem with your fax board software. If this step works then go back to FaxMail's "Path and Filenames" screen and temporarily change the DOS faxing command to "LIST %FILE". This command will SHELL FaxMail to Vern Buerg's LIST program so you can see the output file. If you do not see the file as it should be faxed then you need to check out the FaxMail configuration parameters. ■ All of the above works but FaxMail still will not transmit the message. If this is the case then you likely do not have enough free memory available to run FaxMail. This usually happens if you try to use FaxMail from within PCBoard's $$LOGOFF.BAT file. 29 PCBoard does not have the capability to SWAP its memory to disk or EMS memory while executing $$LOGOFF.BAT. This reduces the amount of memory available to FaxMail. The best solution in this case is to move FaxMail from the $$LOGOFF.BAT file into your BOARD.BAT file. This step frees up all of your memory for FaxMail because PCBoard is no longer loaded. Follow these steps so you can execute FaxMail from inside BOARD.BAT: 1. Create a batch file named FAX.BAT in a PATHed subdirectory. This batch file will actually execute FaxMail for you so its contents will change for different fax boards. Our FAX.BAT reads like this for BitFax: CD \PCB\FAX BITSCHED FAXMAIL /SCAN RMVSCHED DEL \PCB\PCBOARD.SYS BOARD 2. Edit your BOARD.BAT file and insert this statement directly under PCB145: PCB145 IF ERRORLEVEL 5 FAX This step will execute the FAX.BAT file when BOARD.BAT cycles. Remember that if your PCBoard system is a multinode setup then you only need to modify the BOARD.BAT file for the node that contains the fax board. The other nodes on your system can operate normally. 3. Go into PCBSetup and select the "Options 1" screen and set "Exit to DOS After Each Call" to "Y". This flag tells PCBoard to cycle through BOARD.BAT for each caller. ■ FaxMail and my fax board software works, but the message still doesn't get transmitted. The problem is, more than likely, you have entered your local area code by its NUMBER (XXX) rather than as "LOCAL". Because of this FaxMail looks to see that the telephone number has been entered as "1-XXX-555-1212". FaxMail knows that messages entered without an area code reference the exchanges stored inside "LOCAL". Simply return to DOS and rename "XXX.NUM" to "LOCAL.NUM" and everything should work. ■ Take your time If the above steps do not solve your problems please double-check everything. If you still cannot find the problem feel free to call our PCBoard customer support system. ■ Product Support We support our software. If you have questions or comments or need help, call our support BBS or our offices at the following numbers: Office: (615) 230-MAIL (10am - 5pm) BBS: (615) 230-8822 24hrs HST-9600 baud If you decide to register FaxMail then you will have access to our FaxMail registered users conference. This gives you access to our exclusive "PAGER" service. If you need to reach us directly join the FaxMail registered users conference and leave a message to "PAGER". The first 200 characters of your message will be transmitted to my alphanumeric pager. If you are interested in obtaining this "PAGER" service for your own system please contact us. We offer this product for sale as well! 31