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Automatically specify the recipient of a fax in an own application
With so-called data fields, ActFax offers a simple way to specify all kind of information (i.e. the fax number, subject, priority, etc.) already inside an application. That way, sending fully automated faxes and emails can be done very easily without big effort.
On Windows systems, data fields are usually written directly to the document or added as part of the document name. On Unix and Linux systems, data fields can also be written directly to the document the same way as printer commands. The knowledge of complex programming techniques, like DDE or OLE, is not required in that case, since data fields are a normal part of the document. The fax server automatically processes such data fields and filters them out, so they are not visible in the later fax.
For example to set the recipient's fax number for a fax, you just need to add the data field with the number 211 to the document. To set the subject of the fax, the data field with the number 307 has to be used. For example to send a document with the subject Purchase Order #1234 to the fax number 800-123-4567, add the following two data fields to the document at any position:
- @F211 800-123-4567@
- @F307 Purchase Order #1234@
When using data fields on a Windows system, you also need to take care to format the data fields with the "ActiveFax" font, since otherwise the fax server does not detect and process them. For print jobs that are not created through the Windows printer driver (i.e. from Unix or Linux), no special formatting for data fields is required.
Detailed information about adding data fields to print jobs as well as a complete list with all data fields can be found in the online help of the fax server and in the user's manual, available for download in the download area.
On the fax server, there is also an example for data fields used with Windows applications included in the file activefax\server\sample.doc (Winword file). The file activefax\server\sample.txt contains an example for data fields and HP-Laserjet (PCL) printer commands used with documents not directly created with the Windows printer driver (i.e. from Unix or Linux).