VSI-FAX & Logs === RE: FilePro-list Digest, Vol 79, Issue 40

John Esak john at valar.com
Mon Aug 30 09:36:05 PDT 2010


I never saw any fax sent that did not have a fax-id, and this was always
logged with the other info.  Then the response rom the fxsedn command would
eventually get logged as well. BUSY... NO ANSER... Etc.  I'm sorry I don't
know what the autofax directory is. Could it be somewhere it places faxes
that are to be sent out at a later time?  We always sent faxes immediately.
And I can't think of any time when they weren't logged.  

Goog luck.  I would think about writing the fax-id and some unique number
off of whatever
is sending the fax. That way you can browse them all later.  You can NOT get
the fax-id any  other time than when it is first sent.  The faxid is
returned as the spool-id just like the LP spool system does. If you send a
fax from the command line with vfxsend or fxsend or what4ever it is these
days, you'll see the number returned by the 1 channel.  So you can redirect
this into a file, and then re-redirect (> and >>) the unique record id. The
two lines in this uniquely named file will let you search the logs later.
Plus, it's extremely important that you store the fax-id *on* the filePro
record which is sending the fax.  The little two line file can be thrown
away after you retrieve the info from it.  There are a lot of ways to do
this,  







> From: filepro-list-bounces+john=valar.com at lists.celestial.com 
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+john=valar.com at lists.celestial.co
m] On Behalf Of Steve Parker
> Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 10:43 AM
> To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: VSI-FAX & Logs === RE: FilePro-list Digest, Vol 79, Issue 40
> 
> Dear John,
> 
> I do appreciate your response, and what you have done is what 
> I eventually
> hope to be able to do.
> 
> But according to VsiFax, there are TWO situations where their 
> program does
> NOT log FAX results. 1) If the data to be faxed it directly 
> sent to the
> "autofax" directory, their technical support claims that no 
> log is created.
> 2) If an approach using VsiFax CODES is used, where CODE 
> FAXNUMBER, CODE
> CUSTOMER NAME, etc is EMBEDED into the file, there is a 
> different command
> that does not require the fax number that will then send the fax,
> interpreting the codes and stripping them from the file.
> 
> The second approach would be an easier approach to use, but again, and
> according to VsiFax technical support, there is no log file created.
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
> filepro-list-bounces+sparker=abccompuserve.com at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+sparker=abccompuserve.com at lists.c
elestial.com]
> On Behalf Of filepro-list-request at lists.celestial.com
> Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 3:52 AM
> To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: Filepro-list Digest, Vol 79, Issue 40
> 
> Send Filepro-list mailing list submissions to
> 	filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> 
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> 	http://mailman.celestial.com/mailman/listinfo/filepro-list
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> 	filepro-list-request at lists.celestial.com
> 
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> 	filepro-list-owner at lists.celestial.com
> 
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Filepro-list digest..."
> 
> 
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. FW: Attempted theft warning. (John Esak)
>    2. RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration! (John Esak)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:01:58 -0400
> From: "John Esak" <john at valar.com>
> Subject: FW: Attempted theft warning.
> To: <filepro-list at lists.celestial.com>
> Message-ID: <201008300602.o7U62M4L076560 at admin114.securesites.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
>  
>  
> I don't know *why* he asked me to post this for him... but 
> Tim Barr is one
> of the people I can count on one hand, that I would do 
> anything for, at any
> time, without question.  It is devastating to imagine his 
> treasure trove of
> proprietary intelectual property and information might be or has been
> compromised.  I would hope that all filePro developers read 
> this carefully.
> It is the first time I'm hearing about it.
>  
> John Esak
>  
> 
> 
>   _____  
> 
> From: Tim Barr [mailto:tim.barr at 21appr.com] 
> Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 8:11 AM
> To: john at valar.com
> Cc: tim.barr at 21appr.com; glenn.freeman at 21appr.com;
> jennifer.pisasik at 21appr.com; gene.porterfield at 21appr.com;
> lee.machan at 21appr.com
> Subject: Attempted theft warning.
> 
> 
> John,
> Would you please post the following to the filepro list?
> 
> Attention filepro developers. 
> Toga County, Pennsylvania, our customer since 1995, has 
> decided to switch
> from us and filepro to a competitor. That is their right and 
> we have offered
> to extract their data from our complex system at a reasonable time and
> materials rate.
> 
> They abandoned an in-house reassessment in 2008 (that we 
> provided support
> to) and used us for unjustified political cover. Now they 
> desire to sever
> the relationship.
> 
> Unfortunately they have chosen to break our license and 
> copyright agreements
> and search for a third party filepro developer to assist them 
> in delivering
> our entire software design and proprietary data to our competitor. 
> 
> They are apparently hoping to avoid having to pay over $40,000 in
> contractual, overdue license and support payments.
> 
> We will be taking serious action against the county and 
> anyone assisting in
> this clear theft of our intellectual property. With a 
> complete clone of our
> data design and system (even if excluding processing tables), this new
> out-of-state competitor can build on what we have spent over 25 years
> customizing. Obviously the damage to us would be substantial.
> 
> Feel free to email or call me for further information or to 
> alert us of
> contact from Tioga.
> 
> Tim Barr, CTO
> 21st Century Appraisals, Inc
> tim.barr at 21appr.com
> 717-985-0200 ext 1131 (office)
> 717-514-6902 (cell)
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL:
> http://mailman.celestial.com/pipermail/filepro-list/attachment
s/20100830/236
> f6446/attachment.html 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:16:15 -0400
> From: "John Esak" <john at valar.com>
> Subject: RE: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
> To: <filepro-list at lists.celestial.com>
> Message-ID: <201008300616.o7U6GdIY078454 at admin114.securesites.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
> 
> I know this is not close to the answer you want. But, I wrote a fairly
> simple process to capture the output of the vsi command which 
> sends the fax.
> This number is used by the ongoign VSI logs to track whether a fax is
> eventually successful or not.  I then attached the output of the logs
> (filtered by this number to the appropriate customer/order record in
> filePro, so anyone could press an @key and trace all the 
> faxes and whether
> they were successful or not.  It was just a matter of storing 
> the value
> returned by the fax spooler. To the appropriate  filePro record and
> depositing it in a field.  When it became obvious that there 
> were going to
> be several faxes attached to that filePro record, I started 
> storing the
> retrieved spool/log ID's in a detail file attached to the 
> order/customer
> record.  This was not a lot of processing, just a few lines.
> 
> So, I am just responding to the thing you said about VSIFAX 
> not keeping a
> log of what happens to the faxes... It does.
> 
> John 
>  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: filepro-list-bounces+john=valar.com at lists.celestial.com 
> > [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+john=valar.com at lists.celestial.co
> > m] On Behalf Of Steve Parker
> > Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 12:44 AM
> > To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> > Subject: VsiFax and filePro -- frustration!
> > 
> > Dear All,
> > 
> > I am finally at a point of total frustration trying to get VisFax to
> > interface properly with a filePro "report" I need to process.
> > 
> > SCO Unix 6.0	Problem #1	I have not been able to install 
> > the latest
> > version of VsiFax. Unknown errors to their technical support, 
> > so I finally
> > have ignored it, as it is not that important. At least not at 
> > this point,
> > but who knows about later. LEAST of my problems right now. 
> > Using version 6.0
> > and not 6.1.
> > 
> > I simply want to be able to FAX monthly statements and be 
> > able to track
> > their success / failure through a log. (There are about 2000 
> > +- sent each
> > month.)
> > 
> > So we have a statement form that prints monthly and works 
> > fine. So far, so
> > good.
> > 
> > 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.
> > 
> > But once done, there is no way to track what fails, as there 
> > is not log file
> > created by VsiFax using this process.
> > 
> > So I opted for an alternate method where a file is created on 
> > the fly, a
> > system command sends the FAX, another system command removes 
> > the file and
> > then the next customer is run. This method uses the -p 
> > /path/filename on the
> > menu's command line, and a careful sprinkling of the "PRINT" 
> > command to
> > create the file in question.
> > 
> > After I was all done, it worked -- except after the first FAX 
> > was sent, the
> > second, and every succeeding FAX, contains ^M (line feeds / carriage
> > returns) at the TOP of the next record. I was told this was 
> > because the Unix
> > "spooler" was open and that there is no way around it.
> > 
> > And so approach #3 (or so) where I am NOT using a -P command 
> > (or if I do, it
> > is to a /path/junk file that is not used) but instead am 
> > trying to use the
> > "PRINTER FILE" command. Problem is that I cannot seem to 
> > "assemble" a full
> > document! Mostly what I get is just the END of the form, with 
> > the totals and
> > closing information from the sub-total lines, like "THANK 
> YOU FOR YOUR
> > BUSINESS" or "WE BUY USED CAT LITTER AT TOP DOLLAR" at the 
> > very bottom.
> > 
> > I'm pretty sure the problem is that I don't entirely 
> > understand how the
> > PRINTER FILE command works, unlike the PRINT command that I 
> > DO understand!
> > If not, then this approach may not work at all.
> > 
> > The records are selected through a -v process.
> > 
> > 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?
> > 
> > Thanks!
> > 
> > Steve Parker
> > ABC Computing Services
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Filepro-list mailing list
> > Filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> > http://mailman.celestial.com/mailman/listinfo/filepro-list
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Filepro-list mailing list
> Filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> http://mailman.celestial.com/mailman/listinfo/filepro-list
> 
> 
> End of Filepro-list Digest, Vol 79, Issue 40
> ********************************************
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Filepro-list mailing list
> Filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> http://mailman.celestial.com/mailman/listinfo/filepro-list
> 



More information about the Filepro-list mailing list