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README.1ST
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1997-03-10
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Before you use QuickStar FAX Pro V1.08 for the first time...
If you are eager to jump into tesing out this shareware FAX program
and do not want to spend too much time reading all the documentations,
you can now press the PageDown key and go directly to near the end of
this readme.1st file. There you will find a section "QUICK START UP GUIDE"
and that tells you all you need to know to start using QFAX. But if you
will read on from here you will see an introduction of QFAX's features,
it's history and what you can use it for.
QuickStar FAX Pro is a MS-DOS shareware program which allows you
to send plain text faxes from the DOS command line of your PC computer,
using a Class 1 or Class 2 fax/modem in your PC computer that's connected
to a telephone line. QFAX can be used manually to send faxes. Or it can
be called from a batch file or from your own program repeatedly to send
out batch faxes to multiple fax receivers. QFAX is very small, takes very
little memory to run and is very simple to use, which makes it very good
to be called by other applications as a automatic fax engine. QFAX is
very suitable to be used on 80x86 CPU based palmtop computers, too, due
to it's small size and easiness of usage. There is a specific HP palmtop
version available, though this DOS version will work on both regular PCs
and palmtops as well.
Newest version of QFAX can be found and downloaded by visiting the
World Wide Web site: http://WWW.QFAX.COM. Or by visiting some popular
shareware sites. Inquiries should be sent by E-Mail to QFAX@QFAX.COM.
Two new features are added to QFAX Version 1.08:
a.You can insert PCX graphics files in the fax by editing the
original text file and insert something like this:
~<myfile.pcx>
b.You can insert pre-defined strings in the fax by editing the
original text file and insert something like this:
~<$STRNAME>
And you can define the string on QFAX command line like this:
QFAX -def STRNAME John_Smith
or, in the QFAX.CFG file you can define it like this:
Define STRNAME John_Smith
Then on the received fax the string "John Smith" will be shown.
The first new feature means you can easily insert your signature or
the logo of your company in the fax if you have the right PCX files. The
PCX graphics files must be monochrome (line-art) graphics files and it
will be mapped to fax pages dot-to-dot.
The second new feature makes it very easy to use QFAX as a tool to
send personalized fax broadcastings.
Four remarkable things of QFAX are:
1.FAST SPEED
QFAX normally faxes 3 pages per minutes at 14400 bps speed
for multiple page fax sessions.
2.SMALL AND POWERFUL
The executable program is less than 60 KB in size and takes
very little memory to run. But yet it is powerful and a number
of useful features have been added to this small tiny chuck of
codes. When most programmers are talking about several MBs of
minimum memory requirement to make a Windows fax program work
properly, I am one of a few who stick to coding efficiency and
believe people still appreciate programs small and cute and
simple to use.
3.EASY TO USE
As easy as typing in a DOS command like this:
QFAX myfile.txt fax_number
4.FLEXIBILITY
You can write your own application and call QFAX and use it as
an automatic fax engine. All you need is a simple spawnl()
function in your C/C++ application. A C program is included
as an example as well as a useful tool.
QFAX is a DOS program. It can be used in a pure DOS environemt or be
used in a DOS session launched from the MS Windows. But if you run it in
the DOS session launched from Windows, keep in mind that Windows simulate
the Com Ports in the background. For any fax or communication programs to
work properly in such situation you must configure the Com Ports in the
Windows properly. In most cases it's aready properly configured in Windows.
But if not you can open the "Main" program group and select "Control Panel".
Then select "Ports" to configure the 4 Com ports.
After you downloaded the QFAX Version 1.08 package from the network
and unzipped it, please do a few things before you use it.
1.First check the completeness of the package you get.
It should include the following files:
file_id.diz A small file describing QFAX (required by BBS's)
vendinfo.diz A description file used by shareware distributors
readme.1st The file you are reading now
qfax.cfg The QFAX configuration file
qfax.exe The main fax sending program
qfrec.exe The fax receiver, decoder and converter program
qfaxconf.exe Small program to help you to determine the modem
port and create or modify qfax.cfg file
manyfax.c A simple C program for personalized batch fax
sending automatically, without user attendance.
manyfax.exe The compiled program of manyfax.c
manyfax.lst A file listing fax numbers (used by manyfax.exe)
usage.txt The file explaining detailed usages of QFAX
register.txt A text file telling you how to register QFAX
register.frm Registration form to be used for registration
miscinfo.txt Misc notes. About the Author. Where to find QFAX.
init.lst List of proper InitStrings of various modems
2. The QFAX.CFG may need to be edited and configured to meet the
specific configuration of your computer. You can either edit
QFAX.CFG file using the DOS edit, or you can use qfaxconf.exe
program to help create a customized QFAX.CFG file. You may simply
type "qfaxconf" at the DOS command line to start. But if you want
QFAXCONF.EXE to detect the modem port, use "qfaxconf -d" instead.
Please read the USAGE.TXT file for details.
3. Read the REGISTER.TXT file for the license agreement and statement
of limited warranty. Simply using QFAX implies that you have read
and understand those conditions. And you agree to those conditions.
4. Read the USAGE.TXT for information on how to use QFAX and on trouble
shoting tips. The usage is simple and straightforward but you may
still want to learn all the useful features of QFAX.
If you have done all of the above and have configured the QFAX.CFG file
according to the instructions given in the USAGE.TXT file, you can go ahead
to test QFAX and use it regularly.
If you find QFAX useful to you, please register it with the author. The
REGISTER.TXT tells you the benefit you will obtain from registration and
method of how to register. The registration is simple and cheap! QFAX is
developed by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)
and is distributed as a shareware program. For contact information of ASP,
the official ASP OMBUDSMAN's statement and the concept of shareware please
read the register.txt file.
If you have any further questions regarding the usage of QFAX that you
can not find the answer from the USAGE.TXT file, do not hesitate to ask the
author. The REGISTER.TXT file has contact information on how to reach the
author. Or you can simply E-Mail QFAX@QFAX.COM
QFAX is a shareware program and may be redistributed freely. But there
are some conditions: You must distribute QFAX in its original and complete
and zipped format and you are not allowed to change content of any file.
You are not allowed to distribute QFAX for purpose of profit. No charge
can be made on the distribution of QFAX except for a reasonable charge for
the handling and material cost of the distribution. Under above conditions
please feel free to distribute the QFAX software package.
Finally, if you ever forget how to use QFAX, simply type "qfax" and it
will give you a quick reminder screen!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update History of QuickStar Fax Pro:
Sep. 1, 1995 First Release of QFAX. Filename: qfaxv10.zip
Sep. 2 - Sep. 30 Some modifications to make QFAX work more reliable. Add
an option to let user decide whether to pause or not
before the beginning of fax transmission.
Oct. 1, 1995 Release of V1.01. Filename: qfaxv101.zip
Oct.2 - Dec.9 More tests and improvements made to QFAX. Some bugs fixed.
Dec. 10, 1995 Release of V1.02 Filename: qfaxv102.zip
Feb. 25, 1996 Release of V1.03 Filename: qfaxv103.zip
Apr. 8, 1996 Release of V1.04 Filename: qfaxv104.zip
Apr. 20, 1996 Release of V1.04B Filename: qfax104b.zip
Jun. 16, 1996 Release of V1.05 Filename: qfaxv105.zip
Jul. 15, 1996 Release of V1.06 Filename: qfaxv106.zip
Aug. 15, 1996 Release of V1.06 for HP Filename: hpfax106.zip
Sep. 15, 1996 Release of V1.07 Filename: qfaxv107.zip
Sep. 25, 1996 Release of V1.07b (fixed a bug) Filename: qfax107b.zip
Mar. 10, 1997 Release of V1.08 Dos Version Filename: qfax108.zip
Release of V1.08 for HP palmtop Filename: hpfax108.zip
Release of V1.08 Hebrew Version Filename: qfaxh108.zip
Release of V1.08 Chinese Version Filename: qcfax108.zip
Improvements of V1.03 comparing with V1.02 include the following:
a.Greatly reduced the amount of memory used by QFAX, making it more
suitable to be called by other programs so the user can construct
their batch fax sending system.
b.A fax receive and/or decode program is added to the package.
c.Some improvement of the fax subroutines.
Improvements of V1.04 from V1.03 include the following:
a.A memory allocation bug fixed.
b.Self-check subroutine added to make sure that the program is an
authentic file. If it is infected by a computer virus or modified
by a computer hacker, it will give warning.
c.Added some more configurable parameters, including the Wait For Modem
Connection Time. The qfaxconf.exe program is improved to include the
new parameters in configuration of qfax.cfg file.
d.QFAX104B.ZIP is the same as QFAXV104.ZIP except it stores 8x16 font
directly in the program. QFAX104B.ZIP can be used on HP100LX/HP200LX
palmtop computers.
Improvements of V1.05 from V1.04 include the following:
a.The memory usage of qfax.exe has been reduced by more than 100 KB.
So the program is more suitable to be called from other applications.
b.A few improvements made the Post Page Message more reliable.
c.The self-check subroutine in V1.04 has been removed to reduce the
size of the program.
Improvements of V1.06 from V1.05 include the following:
a.Improved the fax part greatly so it works more reliably on some USR
modems and others. Total fax connection time is displayed at the end.
b.Improvement of the command line interface so it can now be used to
fax pre-processed fax files and support wild card file names. Now
multiple files can be faxed together in one fax session.
c.QFAXREC.EXE has more functions. It can now be used to receive a fax
call, or convert fax files of ANY format into a PCX file, or into a
fax file that can be used by QFAX.EXE.
d.QFAXREC.EXE now takes much less memory to run.
Improvements of V1.07 from V1.06 include:
a.Some discovered bugs are fixed. The fax procedure is more reliable now.
b.New features added to QFAX.EXE. Now you can configure pause time
before re-dial if the phone line is busy. You can specify whether
to remove the created *.fax file or not in the qfax.cfg file.
c.Improved QFAXREC.EXE so it's more reliable, and now fax receive works
with Class 2 fax/modem, too.
d.Modified QFAXCONF.EXE to adopt added features in qfax.cfg file.
Improvements of V1.08 from V1.07 include:
a.Use improved serial com subroutine and works more reliably.
b.Added the capabilities of insert PCX files, insert pre-defined
character strings, and word wrapping at end of each line.
c.Two parallel versions are added: the Hebrew language version and
the Chinese version.
If the current version of QFAX you have is more than a few months old,
the author may have already released a newer version of QFAX. Please check
the author's web site: http://WWW.QFAX.COM. Or contactb the author by E-Mail
at QFAX@QFAX.COM, QFAX@USA.NET or make phone call to 1-(814)-867-3385(H).
===========================================================================
QUICK START UP GUIDE
QFAX can be used to send plain text files as faxes, though one new
feature in Version 1.08 allows you to insert PCX graphics files into
the fax pages. QFAX can also send faxes received by QFAX or fax files
converted from fax files used by other fax softwares, like WinFax's *.FXD
and *.FXR files. QFAX Can NOT be used to fax MS WORD, WordPerfect or other
word processor documents. Those documents are not plain text files. You
have to save those documents to a different file as "plain text", "ascii"
or "DOS text" format before you can use QFAX to fax them.
A number of files are included in the QFAX distribution package. But
only the following files are essential in sending and receiving fax:
QFAX.CFG The QFAX configuration file
QFAX.EXE The fax sending program
QFREC.EXE The fax receiving/converting program
You have to put QFAX.CFG under the same directory as the executable
programs, otherwise the program may not be able to find it.
To start using QFAX, you need to do two things:
a.Edit and configure the qfax.cfg file for your PC and fax/modem
==> Configure the correct CommPort number
==> Use the correct InitString for your modem
==> Put your own phone number in the PhoneNumber line
b.To send a plain text fax, the easiest way is use a DOS command:
qfax text_file_name fax_number
for example:
qfax myfile.txt 1-800-555-1212
There are other possible QFAX command line syntaxes. The formats
all look like this:
qfax [-option flags] file1 [file2] [file3...] fax_number
You can have zero, one, or many option flags right after the
QFAX command and before the file names. All option flags will
start with a '-' sign and that's how QFAX will know it is an
option flag instead of a file name. Check the usage.txt file
for a detailed description of possible option flags.
You can specify one or many file names followed by a fax number.
If you forgot the fax number QFAX will ask you for it after the
program starts. The fax_number string should starts with a number
and ends with a number, though commonly used symbols like - and +
and ()'s are allowed within the string (but try to avoid using
these extra symbols if the fax number itself is already too long)
QFAX.CFG is a plain text file and you can use any plain text editor to
change it, like using the DOS edit command. Or you can run the qfaxconf.exe
program to configure and modify qfax.cfg file. To run qfaxconf.exe, just
type "qfaxconf" from the DOS prompt. This program is pretty self-explained.
The format of QFAX.CFG file is pretty straight forward once you see the
example qfax.cfg file. The detail of the format is described in USAGE.TXT.
The 3 MOST IMPORTANT things you need to configure in QFAX.CFG is the
CommPort number, InitString and PhoneNumber. You do not need to change any
thing else if you just want to use the default setting.
CommPort
The CommPort number is the COM Port that the modem occupies. QFAX need
number to access the modem correctly. Available numbers for CommPort are
from 1 to 8. The base addresses and IRQ numbers are listed as below. Check
your modem manual or consult a knowledgable person to find out what port
your modems is set to. If you are not sure, run the qfaxconf.exe program
like this:
qfaxconf -d
This -d tells qfaxconf.exe to detect the modem port for you.
CommPort COM/IRQ Base_address Description
1 COM1/IRQ4 3f8 --> commonly used by the mouse
2 COM2/IRQ3 2f8 --> most commonly used modem port
3 COM3/IRQ4 3e8
4 COM4/IRQ3 2e8 --> commonly used modem port
5 COM3/IRQ2 3e8 also called COM5
6 COM4/IRQ2 2e8 also called COM6
7 COM3/IRQ5 3e8 also called COM7 -> commonly used alternative port
8 COM4/IRQ5 2e8 also called COM8
InitString
The InitString is an AT command string that QFAX sends to the modem
to initialize the modem for faxing. QFAX will not be able to send fax
properly if the InitString is not set up properly, even if it may say
"Modem Initialize OK". Setting up the correct InitString is the most
tricky part of getting QFAX to work for you. Unfortunately different
modems may have different Initialize string and it is hard to figure
out what you should use if you have an unusual modem.
For QFAX to recognize the string correctly, do NOT leave any space
within the string. And all letters should be upper case letters, i.e.,
capital letters.
Most fax/modems works using one of the following InitString:
AT&F&C1&D2
AT&F
AT&F&C1&D2&K3
AT&F&A3&B1&H1&R2&I2&C1&D2 <--- Recommended for USR modems
For initial test of QFAX you may want to attach "M2L3" to the end
of the InitString, like "AT&F&C1&D2M2L3". This AT command will keep
the speaker of the modem on during fax so you can hear the sound and
learn how the fax process goes on. Once you tested it and it works
fine you can remove "M2L3" to keep the modem quiet.
Some popular fax/modems, like U.S.Robotics, use unusual InitStrings.
There are 6 solutions you can use for solving the InitString issue:
1.Check the included file INIT.LST which lists recommended InitStrings
2.Find out what other fax or communication program use for your modem
and copy the same string to see if it works.
3.Check your modem manual to find a recommended AT initialize string.
4.Visit the World Wide Web site "Ask Mr. Modem" to find out. They list
InitStrings of many brands of modems: http://molly.ipa.net/modem/
5.Ask for the help from QFAX author by E-Mail: QFAX@QFAX.COM
6.Try to construct an InitString yourself.
For the last resort 6, consult the manual of your fax/modem and keep
in mind two things: The InitString should always start with "AT&F..".
This &F command will set almost every thing to factory default so it is
always used. Second, you must set it to use "Hardware Flow Control" or
some times it is called "RTS/CTS Flow Control".
PhoneNumber
The PhoneNumber is a string that Identifies your fax when your
fax/modem communicate with other fax machines. Normally it should be
your phone number. The length of this string should NOT exceed 20
characters. You can use your name instead. But please do not leave
this item blank.
The rest of qfax.cfg is about font selection, page formatting etc. You
can keep the default as it is for initial trials. For detailed information
of those options please check the usage.txt file.
You may put the name of the path that contains QFAX in the autoexec.bat
file's PATH statement so next time you reboot the computer it will recognize
QFAX from any directory. It is preferable that when you start QFAX, you go
to the directory where your text file to be faxed is located. Even though
usage like the following are allowed, too:
QFAX \mydir\myfile.txt 1-800-555-1212
There are certain LIMITATIONS to the un-registered shareware version
of QFAX. Those limitations includes:
1.Nag screen at start to ask you for a license number (hint: enter 0)
2.You will be unable to adjust page size, line spacing and character
spacing, after a certain trial period. though the faxing is still
fully functional.
All those limitations will be lifted once you register the QFAX
shareware with the author. If you want to use QFAX for the purpose of
un-attended automatic batch fax sending, it is 100% sure you need to
register to make it work, otherswise it will keep asking you for a
license number, which means you will have to sit there to enter zero to
get it going.
To register QFAX, please read the file REGISTER.TXT for how to
register. Or you may simply print out and fill out the REGISTER.FRM
text file, and send it to me together with US$20 registration fee.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For helps, contact me by E-Mail QFAX@QFAX.COM, or call 1-814-867-1468(H)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------