FastFax Tech Tips - Quadrant Software



FastFax Tech Tips | |

|  |

|  |

| |

| |

| |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Is anything Happening? |

|  |

|My users are reporting that their faxes are slow. I can never really tell what FastFax is doing, and if it is busy or not. Is |

|there an easy way to figure out if anything is happening? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Automatically let the customer know their fax was received. |

|  |

|We receive our inbound faxes via FastFax. We have a particular customer that sends a fax, and right away starts calling and asks|

|us "Did you get my fax?" It interrupts our workflow to drop what we're doing to check our faxes. In addition, since the customer|

|has us on the line, he takes the opportunity to start talking about local sports. Is there any way that FastFax can |

|automatically let the customer know we got the fax? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Update the email server name with new hardware |

|  |

|I have a new email server. Where do I update the email server name within FastFax? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Saving our outbound purchase orders in PDF format in FastFax |

|  |

|We need to start saving our outbound purchase orders. It would be ideal if the files could be in PDF format. There's been some |

|discussion that eventually we'll want the files to have a custom file name which includes the document number and recipient |

|company. These documents will eventually be picked up by our archiving system. Is there any way FastFax can handle this? Answer!|

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Auto-Converting Documents in FastFax |

|  |

|I have MS Word documents that I want to attach to FastFax Extractor-Templates jobs, but I don't want to go through the process |

|of converting them into a .TIF or .PCX image and then entering them into the FastFax Graphics Table. If I have to do this |

|conversion every time we need to fax it's going to waste a lot of time. Is there any other way? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Including Coversheets in Emails |

|  |

|We acquired the FastFax Email Gateways module, and love the fact that we can send and receive faxes through our email client. |

|However, when a document is emailed, the cover sheet fails to get attached, while the cover sheet notes appear in the body of |

|the email. This is problematic since there is information on our cover sheets that our customers have to acknowledge, initial, |

|and fax back to us. Is there any way to get the cover sheets included when we transmit via e-mail? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|I want to ensure that we have the latest FastFax version. How do I find out what version we currently have? |

|  |

|I would like to start taking advantage of FastFax's advanced features and tools that later versions provide, such as the ability|

|to manage faxes from the desktop using a windows-based application, and the ability to send and receive faxes directly from an |

|email client. How do I find out what version I currently have, and how do I go about upgrading? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Can the "Description" be modified to select different - and more meaningful - information? |

|  |

|We use FastFax Extractor to automatically fax and e-mail our purchase orders, invoices and acknowledgements. We think it's |

|terrific since we didn't have to touch our applications to set it up, and non-programmers can maintain our Extractor templates. |

|The one thing we wish would improve is the information that shows up under "Description" in Work with Fax Messages. This |

|description also shows up in the subject line of our customer emails. It appears to be the UserData on the original spooled |

|file. Can the "Description" be modified to select different - and more meaningful - information? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|How do I use departments cover sheet instead of a generic one? |

|  |

|We love FastFax's ability to send faxes, that are going to the same phone number, in batch. This speeds up the transmission time|

|and makes efficient use of our telephone lines. The batch cover sheet feature is also very beneficial, since it clarifies who is|

|sending and receiving what during a batch transmission. (As you know a batch job can have multiple senders and recipients.) |

|However, when a batch cover sheet is used, we find that we have to use the same "one-size-fits-all" cover sheet for all of our |

|departments. How can I create individual batch cover sheets for each department? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Use "26.3" Filenames in FastFax |

|  |

|Our application generates spooled files with the FastFax API commands embedded at the top of the first page of each document. We|

|attach price sheets developed in Excel by embedding a *AP command. The ability to attach documents developed on PC's is a very |

|useful tool. However& your "8.3" file name limitation (Ed Note: the maximum length of the attached file name is 8 characters |

|plus the file extension) creates an extra step for us: we have to rename all of the files - and be careful in doing so - before |

|saving them out on the iSeries' IFS. Can you help us out on this? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Get FastFax System Messages Delivered To Your Email Inbox |

|  |

|Is there any way for FastFax to send a message to my e-mail inbox to notify me when my outbound faxes fail to transmit? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Increase FastFax Security & Continue To Use Auto-Logon |

|  |

|Our IT department is becoming increasingly strict on rules relating to security. While we have a rule that no server can |

|auto-logon we have continued to leave the FastFax processor/file-server as it has always been set up. That is, due to the |

|operations on the processor/file-server – and it’s mission-critical role in our business – we want the unit to come back up to |

|“active” status without someone having to go down to the server room and logon. |

|We have used the screen-saver feature to place the processor into a locked-up status, but there still is a small period of time |

|where the auto-logon has occurred and the desktop appears. Eventually we’re going to be required to disable the auto-logon |

|feature, but this will be very inconvenient for those of us in IT. Any suggestions? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Batch Faxing: Increase Efficiency & Throughput while Saving Money! |

|  |

|There are times when we generate a lot of fax jobs and our outbound faxes queue gets pretty backed up. Someone in our office |

|thought they heard that FastFax can send more than one fax in a single phone call. Is this true? If so how does it work and |

|where do I turn the feature on? Thanks for your help. Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Auto-Routing FastFax Documents |

|  |

|We use FastFax for receiving inbound faxes and then having them forwarded automatically to specific users (i.e. FastFax |

|automatically sends the inbound fax to the user’s e-mail inbox). Within one of our departments, we want a copy of all of these |

|inbound faxes sent to the department’s manager. The only way we can think to do this is to have each user forward a copy of the |

|inbound to the manager. For a variety of reasons this doesn't always get accomplished, and sometimes it’s a burden on the users.|

|Is there anything in FastFax that can help us out? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|FastFax API: Including Messages with Fax & Email Jobs |

|  |

|We use the FastFax API to automate the creation of our fax / e-mail jobs (we have FastFax eDocMail). I want to send a message |

|along with the faxes and e-mails. How do we do this and how will they appear? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Auto-Converting Documents in FastFax |

|  |

|I have MS Word documents that I want to attach to FastFax Extractor-Templates jobs, but I don’t want to go through the process |

|of converting them into a .TIF or .PCX image and then entering them into the FastFax Graphics Table. |

|If I have to do this conversion every time we need to fax it's going to waste a lot of time. Is there any other way? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Optimize Line Allocation In Four Easy Steps |

|  |

|Is there a way to determine if my allocation of lines among the *SEND, *RECEIVE and *BOTH groups is optimal? For example, I've |

|dedicated three lines for receive, and would like to know if they are frequently going unused when I could be using them for |

|sending. However, I don't want to have a system that can't receive any faxes at all because all lines are being used for |

|outbound. I've looked at the statistics that are now available through the system status screen, and they don't tell me what I |

|want to know. |

|[Ed. Note: This customer utilizes a 16-channel, fractional T1 circuit-type PRI. The T1 is connected from the FastFax processor |

|to a PBX.] Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|[pic] |

|Taking Scanning Out of the Equation with FastFax / Enterprise |

|  |

|I know that graphics files to be uploaded into FastFax need to be PCX or TIF, 200 x 200 dpi, and two-color (black and white). |

|The problem for us is that it's very cumbersome to get the scanning done. Do you have any suggestions? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|How To Only Send System Message To The FastFax Administrator |

|  |

|I’m the Administrator of our FastFax system and I find it helpful to receive the system messages that FastFax sends to my |

|message queue. However, in order to get those messages I also seem to have to receive a lot of additional messages that I’d |

|rather not get in my queue. I have the "Default Message Type" set to *ERR. Is there any way to set FastFax to send me only the |

|system messages? Answer! |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Use Partial ANI Entries for More Flexible Routing Rules |

|  |

|Our FastFax system uses a T1-type PRI telephone circuit along with ANI service to route inbound faxes using the sender's fax |

|telephone number. Automatically directing faxes from a particular sender fax numbers to particular FastFax users, printers, |

|email inboxes, and paths works out very well for us. |

| |

|However, all incoming faxes from numbers that haven't been previously entered into FastFax inbound routing table get sent to the|

|general Inbox for manual routing (or entry into the routing table). We'd like to cut down on tracking and entering individual |

|sender numbers by automatically routing all faxes originating from a particular state/province to a particular person/location. |

|Any way to accomplish this? Answer |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Using Auto-Purge To Clean Out Old Faxes & Records |

|  |

|I understand that FastFax can automatically clean out old and no longer wanted faxes/e-mails, but I'm unsure how to set up this |

|clean-up feature. Where is it, and can you explain how it works? Answer |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Save Time When Changing the Default Cover Sheet |

|  |

|We have a lot of FastFax users in our system. I'd like to change the default cover sheets from time, but I'm reluctant to do so |

|– it takes a considerable amount of time to go into each User’s FastFax Profile and change the default cover sheet. Any way to |

|make this simpler, easier, and faster? Answer |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Quickly Find Old Faxes Using a" Unique Identifier" |

|  |

|I frequently need to locate old faxes on FastFax's "Inbound Fax" screen. Here's the catch: all I usually have is a printed copy |

|that was produced from FastFax several days ago. How do I pull this off without wasting a lot of time? Answer |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|New Processing Options in FastFax Extractor |

|  |

|Is there a way that FastFax will generate API commands into my spool file without doing any programming? Answer |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|[pic] |

| |

|  |

|  |

|Save Time! Directly Attach Documents to Faxes & Emails! |

|  |

|Is there some way that I can directly attach files to an outgoing fax or email without going through the process of converting |

|everything to TIF or PCX? It would be a real time-saver if I can. Answer |

| |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download