FAXIT 1.1
Copyright 1995 by Jamal Mazrui


Consult the file UPGRADE.TXT for version change information.

FAXIT.EXE is a simple program to send a fax from DOS.  You need a fax or faxmodem
installed, either internal or external.  Unlike other fax software, however, no CAS
(Communicating Applications Specification) device driver is needed--which tends to
reduce available memory.  Among other things, this makes Faxit especially compatible
with memory resident accessibility software used by people with disabilities.

To install the program, I suggest creating a directory called FAXIT and then copying
all files into it.  The batch file called INSTALL.BAT can do this for you.  For example,
if Faxit is on a floppy disk in drive A, then you can install it with the following two
commands from the DOS prompt:

a:
install

To load Faxit, you would then use the following three commands:

c:
cd \faxit
faxit

This procedure is automated with the batch file FAXIT.BAT.  For convenient operation,
the batch file should be copied into a directory on your DOS search path, e.g., into
C:\BATCH where other batch files are stored.  This would allow you to run Faxit from
any DOS prompt.

Faxit relies on a shareware utility by Simple Simon Software called SSFAXER.EXE. 
For your consideration, I've included the distribution archive, SSFAXER5.ZIP.  (Be
aware that a registration reminder will appear at the top of your faxes until you obtain
the registered version.)  Essentially, Faxit provides a friendly user interface to this
utility, prompting for input, checking for errors, and remembering previous values.  

After loading the program, answer the four questions to send a fax.

The file to fax must be an ASCII text file with formatting achieved through standard
characters and spaces (except as explained in the addendum).  For example, the left
margin would contain about 10 spaces for a one inch margin.  The file name entered
must exist on disk and may include a path.  A fax cover sheet could be its first page.

The number is the sequence of digits to dial for the destination fax machine.  Besides
digits, the space and dash character may be used, as well as the comma to cause a
pause in dialing (such as to connect to an outside line).

The port is where the fax or faxmodem is connected.  It should have a value between
1 and 4.

The type refers to whether your line uses touch tone or pulse dialing.  Its value should
be T or P.

Input may be edited in typical fashion using the arrow keys, backspace, delete, and
insert.  Also, F6 blanks a field and Escape aborts the program.  F10 saves all values
regardless of the current question--thus allowing you to skip the last two questions
once initially answered.

After trying to send the fax, the program announces whether the operation completed
or an error occurred.  If the number is busy, Faxit will keep redialing unless you press
Escape to abort.

You can create the file to fax with a text editor or word processor that allows you to
save a document as ASCII or DOS text.  Another approach is to use its printing
capability, but selecting a disk file as the target rather than a printer port.  I've
included files to automate this process with WordPerfect 5.1.  Take the following
steps:

1.  Copy the three files FAXIT.PRs, SETFAXIT.WPM, and FAXIT.WPM into the
appropriate WordPerfect directories for printer and macro definitions.  By default, the
appropriate directory is C:\WP51.

2.  Load WordPerfect and execute the macro SETFAXIT.  To execute a macro, press
Alt-F10, type its name and then Enter.  The SETFAXIT macro will install the
FAXIT.PRS printer definition.

3.  To fax a WordPerfect document, you first retrieve it into WordPerfect and then
execute the FAXIT macro.  This will cause WordPerfect to print the current document
to a file on disk called C:\FAXIT\FAXIT.TXT.  If you installed Faxit in a directory other
than C:\FAXIT, you would have to edit the SETFAXIT macro, replacing the reference
to C:\FAXIT with the appropriate directory name.  To edit a macro in WordPerfect,
press Control-F10, enter its name, and then E to edit.  The macro editing screen
supports basic cursor movement, insertion, and deletion.  When done editing, press
F7 to save.

4.  When the FAXIT macro is done printing to disk, it will exit WordPerfect.  From the
DOS prompt, load Faxit.  Tell it to fax the file FAXIT.TXT.  The page formatting of the
Fax received will approximate that of your WordPerfect document.

Faxit saves your responses in a configuration file called FAXIT.CNF, which is stored
in the same directory as the program.  The next time you run Faxit, your last
responses will be the default values.  Just press Enter to accept a value, or edit it first
if appropriate.  If you start typing a value without first pressing an editing key such
as Delete, Right Arrow, or End, Faxit will assume it is a whole new value and clear the
previous one.

The default values for the file name, fax number, serial port, and dial type can also be
supplied as command line parameters to Faxit.  For example, you might fax an order
form to a company as follows:

faxit order.frm 1-800-123-4567

I wish to thank Charlie Crawford for his contribution to the idea, design, and testing
of Faxit.  The program I developed is provided "as is," with no guarantees.  I have
tried to make it as friendly as possible, but cannot provide technical support.  If you
wish to contact me with feedback, I may be reached at the following electronic mail
address:

74444.1076@compuserve.com


ADDENDUM

I have now added the ability of Faxit to detect a WordPerfect 5.1 document as the file
to fax.  In this case, it will automatically load WordPerfect, run the Faxit macro, and
return to Faxit.  It will then fax a text file assumed to be created by the macro--a file
called FAXIT.TXT in the directory where the FAXIT.EXE program is located.  For this
to work, it should be possible to execute WordPerfect with the following command
from the DOS prompt:

wp <document> <macro>

where <document> stands for a document to be loaded and <macro> stands for
a macro to be run.  The WP command can refer either to the program WP.EXE or to
a batch file WP.BAT which accepts two or more parameters.

You can still run the Faxit macro manually from within WordPerfect as described
earlier.