VsiFax and filePro -- frustration! --- RE: Filepro-list Digest, Vol 79, Issue 39
Steve Parker
sparker at abccompuserve.com
Mon Aug 30 08:10:20 PDT 2010
-----Original Message-----
From: filepro-list-bounces+sparker=abccompuserve.com at lists.celestial.com
[mailto:filepro-list-bounces+sparker=abccompuserve.com at lists.celestial.com]
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Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 3:53 AM
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Subject: Filepro-list Digest, Vol 79, Issue 39
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Today's Topics:
1. RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration! (Steve Parker)
2. RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration! (Richard Kreiss)
3. Re: Termcap (was Re: FilePro from Linux xterm or other
terminal?) (Bill Campbell)
4. Re: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration! (Bill Campbell)
5. Re: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration! (Jean-Pierre A. Radley)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:40:54 -0400
From: "Steve Parker" <sparker at abccompuserve.com>
Subject: RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
To: "'Jim Asman'" <jlasman at telus.net>
Cc: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
Message-ID: <AE505F88B7CC4F7382085FA0B37B4E69 at ABCMAIN>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Asman [mailto:jlasman at telus.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 4:35 AM
To: sparker at abccompuserve.com
Subject: Re: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
--------------- Original Message ---------------
At 12:44A Sat Aug 28 2010, Steve Parker wrote:
>
> The selected records are processed one by one through the report, hitting
an
> "end" statement at the end of each record. When the customer number
changes,
> a GOSUB statement sends the FAX. I've even gotten clever enough that the
> file names are unique with the "customer number" { "-" { date (without
> slashes) so the failed FAXes can be easily tracked and processed manually.
>
> At this point I'm looking for some ideas. I'm pretty lost on this right
now,
> and pretty burned out as well!! LOL!
>
> Any ideas? In particular, can anyone shed light on "block" #1 with the
extra
> line feeds, or with "block" #2 some insight on the PRINTER FILE command
that
> will help me understand what I am doing wrong?
Steve,
Your extra CR/LF's are likely from filepro where the "# lines to print" is
less than "# lines per page". Filepro does the padding after the record is
processed. You may need and appropriate PCL page formatting command to
keep it all in synch between filepro and vsifax.
Before your PRINTER FILE command, issue a PRINTER RESET and see if you
get the entire record.
Jim
--
jlasman at telus.net Spectra Colour Services Ltd.
Jim Asman 10221 144a Street
Phone: (604)584-0977 Surrey, BC V3R 3P7 CANADA
Cell: (604)619-0977 www.spectracolorservices.com
---------------
Jim,
Thank you for your input, but here's what I have in response.
Using my original programming with the "PRINT" command, the first page
always comes out as 64 lines, which is what VsiFax seems to like. The next
record prints with 12 lines at the top. I have even tried to remove those
lines in a number of ways: 1) using the system command to "rm" the file (the
process prints no more!) 2) using the system command to "cat" the output
file to "null", 3) using the system command to "cat" an empty file (or a
file with 1 ^M in it over top of the last output file.
None of this has worked. I think I even tried the "cat" command just prior
to "printing" a new record and right after "faxing" a record. Same story.
As for the PRINTER FILE command, I have tried PRINTER FLUSH and PRINTER
RESET to try to get all of the information "pushed" out. Part of the problem
seems to be that the file is being created in pieces, as a given statement
is the assembly of multiple records. The PRINT command seems to "PRINT" just
what is processed at the "END" command, so the first one encountered prints
the "header" with the first record, then each succeeding one adds just one
line to the file, until the last record is hit with the @WBR1 is hit. This
forces the processing to go to this point where the "totals" are calculated,
printed, and the end of the record is added.
Then the processes goes into a routine that "faxes" the record.
Here is where my problem is. No matter what I do, I seem to get the 12 lines
at the top of the next record.
But each PRINTER FILE command creates a whole 64 line page, be it the
header, additional records, or the end.
Steve
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:08:01 -0400
From: "Richard Kreiss" <rkreiss at gccconsulting.net>
Subject: RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
To: <sparker at abccompuserve.com>, "'Jim Asman'" <jlasman at telus.net>
Cc: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
Message-ID: <005401cb46c2$cee56150$6cb023f0$@gccconsulting.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com] On
> Behalf Of Steve Parker
> Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 9:41 AM
> To: 'Jim Asman'
> Cc: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Asman [mailto:jlasman at telus.net]
> Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 4:35 AM
> To: sparker at abccompuserve.com
> Subject: Re: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
>
> --------------- Original Message --------------- At 12:44A Sat Aug 28
2010, Steve
> Parker wrote:
> >
> > The selected records are processed one by one through the report,
> > hitting
> an
> > "end" statement at the end of each record. When the customer number
> changes,
> > a GOSUB statement sends the FAX. I've even gotten clever enough that
> > the file names are unique with the "customer number" { "-" { date
> > (without
> > slashes) so the failed FAXes can be easily tracked and processed
manually.
> >
> > At this point I'm looking for some ideas. I'm pretty lost on this
> > right
> now,
> > and pretty burned out as well!! LOL!
> >
> > Any ideas? In particular, can anyone shed light on "block" #1 with the
> extra
> > line feeds, or with "block" #2 some insight on the PRINTER FILE
> > command
> that
> > will help me understand what I am doing wrong?
>
>
> Steve,
>
> Your extra CR/LF's are likely from filepro where the "# lines to print" is
less
> than "# lines per page". Filepro does the padding after the record is
> processed. You may need and appropriate PCL page formatting command to
> keep it all in synch between filepro and vsifax.
>
> Before your PRINTER FILE command, issue a PRINTER RESET and see if you
> get the entire record.
>
>
> Jim
> --
> jlasman at telus.net Spectra Colour Services Ltd.
> Jim Asman 10221 144a Street
> Phone: (604)584-0977 Surrey, BC V3R 3P7 CANADA
>
> Cell: (604)619-0977 www.spectracolorservices.com
> ---------------
>
> Jim,
>
> Thank you for your input, but here's what I have in response.
>
> Using my original programming with the "PRINT" command, the first page
> always comes out as 64 lines, which is what VsiFax seems to like. The next
> record prints with 12 lines at the top. I have even tried to remove those
lines
> in a number of ways: 1) using the system command to "rm" the file (the
> process prints no more!) 2) using the system command to "cat" the output
> file to "null", 3) using the system command to "cat" an empty file (or a
file
> with 1 ^M in it over top of the last output file.
>
> None of this has worked. I think I even tried the "cat" command just prior
to
> "printing" a new record and right after "faxing" a record. Same story.
>
> As for the PRINTER FILE command, I have tried PRINTER FLUSH and PRINTER
> RESET to try to get all of the information "pushed" out. Part of the
problem
> seems to be that the file is being created in pieces, as a given statement
is
> the assembly of multiple records. The PRINT command seems to "PRINT" just
> what is processed at the "END" command, so the first one encountered
> prints the "header" with the first record, then each succeeding one adds
just
> one line to the file, until the last record is hit with the @WBR1 is hit.
This
> forces the processing to go to this point where the "totals" are
calculated,
> printed, and the end of the record is added.
>
> Then the processes goes into a routine that "faxes" the record.
>
> Here is where my problem is. No matter what I do, I seem to get the 12
lines
> at the top of the next record.
>
> But each PRINTER FILE command creates a whole 64 line page, be it the
> header, additional records, or the end.
>
>
> Steve
Since you seem to be having a lot of problems with your current processing,
might I suggest a change in processing.
Set the output up as a form using a lookup next to get all of the data
wanted. This should put all of your output on one page.
You could also use your report output but have everything Print at the break
(using dummy fields to hold your data).
The last option would be to replace Vis Fax with Printwiz which would allow
you to fax your output. This option would also allow you to email the
reports rather than faxing them. I have, as part of one of my applications
(Windows), set up this type of operation,. Depending on a flag, a monthly
report is either emailed or faxed to a person.
Richard Kreiss
GCC Consulting
rkreiss at gccconsulting.net
?
-------------------------
Richard,
I did try a Full Page Form approach for a bit. Biggest problem I had was
that many of the customers have statements that cover more than one page.
Couldn't seem to get the pages to line up right.
I've spent a lot of time on VsiFax and feel I am close. I'm not very
interested in starting all over again on a different product. By the way,
VsiFax, once working, does support emailing as well.
Steve
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:54:13 -0700
From: Bill Campbell <bill at celestial.com>
Subject: Re: Termcap (was Re: FilePro from Linux xterm or other
terminal?)
To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
Message-ID: <20100828175413.GA28697 at ayn.mi.celestial.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
On Fri, Aug 27, 2010, Kenneth Brody wrote:
>On 8/27/2010 1:10 PM, Bill Campbell wrote:
>[...]
>> Back in the day, FilePro would search two termcaps, /etc/termcap,
>> or the file in the TERMCAP environment variable, then the
>> appl/fp/termcap file. This was to get around the 1024 character
>> limitation on the termcap entries for a particular terminal. I
>> think it merged the two, generally getting the key codes, cursor
>> control, etc. from the first, and the FP specific P? and L? codes
>> were define in the fp/termcap file.
>
>filePro still uses both /etc/termcap (or $TERMCAP) and $PFPROG/fp/termcap.
>It will use all entries from both termcap files (as opposed to some from
>one, and others from the other), and anything in filePro's termcap will
>override the "normal" termcap.
Does that mean I have to hack $PFPROG/fp/termcap instead of
creating a copy which is specified in the $TERMCAP variable? I
really don't like hacking distribution versions of files like
that or /etc/termcap as vendor updates will probably nuke my
changes. Needless to say, I learned this the hard way.
Bill
--
INTERNET: bill at celestial.com Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/ PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
Voice: (206) 236-1676 Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820
Fax: (206) 232-9186 Skype: jwccsllc (206) 855-5792
Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history
will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of its arms as
the blackest. -- Mohandas Gandhi 1927,
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:05:16 -0700
From: Bill Campbell <bill at celestial.com>
Subject: Re: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
Message-ID: <20100828180516.GB28697 at ayn.mi.celestial.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
On Sat, Aug 28, 2010, Steve Parker wrote:
...
>
>Your extra CR/LF's are likely from filepro where the "# lines to print" is
>less than "# lines per page". Filepro does the padding after the record is
>processed. You may need and appropriate PCL page formatting command to
>keep it all in synch between filepro and vsifax.
All my printer interface scripts keep a count of blank lines,
then send that number of LF characters when they see a non-blank
so no trailing blank lines are printed at the end of the job. At
the end of the job with HP printers, the script sends <ESC>E
which prints anything remaining in the printer's buffer, and with
non-HP printers, it sends a FF (ctrl-L) character to eject the
last page.
This is pretty simple in python or perl, something like
blanks = 0
for line in sys.stdin:
line = line.rstrip()
if not line:
blanks += 1
continue
if blanks:
print '\n' * blanks
blanks = 0
print line
Perl is similar with lots of modem noise.
Bill
--
INTERNET: bill at celestial.com Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/ PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
Voice: (206) 236-1676 Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820
Fax: (206) 232-9186 Skype: jwccsllc (206) 855-5792
Democracy must be sometihng more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what
to have for dinner -- James Bovard
-------------
Dear Bill,
Thank you for your input! But the number of lines per form is correct,
whatever number of lines I set it to. But after it "prints" the 64 lines for
the report for a given customer, properly padded and all, it then pads the
next record with exactly 12 lines every time.
Perhaps this is coming out of a termcap for filePro. If so, then perhaps
there is a command I need to edit out that is producing the unwanted data.
So where would I find this? What would the termcap entry be called if I am
using "NO CODES" as the printer driver?
You may have hit on the answer here Bill!!
If not, then I think I am going to think about going the direction of
embedding the commands in the files and letting VsiFax process them. But
even here I am faced with having to properly format a page.
Thanks to all!
Steve
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:07:18 -0400
From: "Jean-Pierre A. Radley" <appl at jpr.com>
Subject: Re: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
To: FilePro Mailing List <filepro-list at lists.celestial.com>
Message-ID: <20100828200718.GA25838 at jpradley.jpr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Steve Parker propounded (on Sat, Aug 28, 2010 at 12:44:04AM -0400):
|
| But there is only one way I've found that will send an entire file by FAX,
| and that is by embedding codes through filePro that VsiFax can interpret
for
| FAX the number, etc. And one person suggested taking that file and parsing
| it with a Unix shell script into separate files organized by customer
number
| and date (embedded in the "report" file for each customer, copied out to
the
| VsiFax auto-send directory and away they go.
Steve, I think we had some discussion of this on another mailing list,
and the "one person" you mention is me, yes?
If so, I wasn't using Vsifax, but Hylafax.
Hylafax's logs clearly show shich transmissions failed and which
succeeded.
I pointed you to my Hylafax binaries on my ftp site. ever try them?
--
JP
------------
JP,
Thank you for your input.
Indeed, I believe you are the person I was referring to! And yes, I do
remember you were referring to Hylafax!
But I also am aware that there is little or no support for Hylafax -- at
least no the newer release -- for SCO OSR6 which is what I am on. And I
guess I am reluctant to become the "guinea pig" in testing it, with little
or no support. You may also remember I did make an offer a long time ago,
before I invested the time I have into this project.
Steve
------------------------------
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