Changes between BGFAX 1.36 and BGFAX 1.30 SUN 25 SEP 94 ========================================= ============= IMPORTANT: Copy BGFAX.EXE, MAKEFAX.EXE, VIEW.EXE, FNTEDIT.EXE, and the BGFAX.FNT file into your BGFAX directory if you are upgrading from a previous version of BGFAX. An OS/2 version of BGFAX is in beta testing, but it is not released at this time due to the number of unresolved TRAP-D errors reported. This version does not fix the EXAR/DLE problem many European users have reported. I just received an EXAR modem two days ago, but it was too close to the release date to work on the problem. I hope to address this problem in the very near future. New Features ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. VIEW.EXE has been greatly modified. Typing "VIEW" by itself, in a directory that contains fax files will bring up a list of all the faxes in the directory, with the remote fax ID's if a FAXIN.LOG is also located in that directory. VIEW can now also print faxes on 24-pin dot matrix printers as well as Canon Bubble Jets. (Lasers, Deskjets, and 9-pin dot matrix printers are not currently supported.) 2. A new BGFAX.FNT file is included. Two fonts, rather than just a single font are now supported in MAKEFAX.EXE. /F0 16x16 /F0 /HR 16x32 [ 100 characters per line ] ( This /F0 font is actually a 8x16 font, the original BGFAX font ) /F1 16x16 /F1 /HR 16x32 [ 100 characters per line ] Font 0 (/F0) is the font BGFAX uses for generating the top of page headers on outgoing faxes. Font 1 (/F1) is the font BGFAX will use when converting ASCII text files to FAX files. The new font is a modified version of the ZyXEL's ZFAX font. These fonts were added because many users claimed the original font (/F0) was too ugly. A font editing program (FNTEDIT.EXE) is included for users who wish to customize the two BGFAX fonts. The included font file is a standard American/English/ASCII 256 character set. Notes ~~~~~ 1. This version of BGFAX no longer includes the drop-dead expiration date that previous versions of BGFAX used. However, to give people a little incentive to register BGFAX, the fax "music" can no longer be disabled, except on registered versions. (The /NS switch). 2. BGFAX will now show you bad command line parametered entered, or bad BGFAX.CNF lines. It will require you to press any key if it encounters such a thing. (READ THIS AGAIN!) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 3. US ROBOTICS users: If you are using a NON-V.34 Courier, be sure to add the /OU switch (old USR) on the command line when SENDING FAXES. (Do NOT do it on RECEIVING faxes, UNLESS you are using 09/20/93 firmware on the V.32-TERBO Courier). In review: Modem (US Robotics) Sending Receiving --------------------------------------------- USR v.32terbo (09/20/93) /OU /OU USR v.32terbo (non 09/20) /OU n/a *USR v.FC /OU n/a USR v.34 (latest FLASH) n/a n/a *If you are using the USR v.FC Courier, you should really get the FLASH upgrade to turn your modem into the v.34 Courier. 4. If you were storing faxes in QFX format, and you receive a 2D-MR style comes in, BGFAX would save it, but it would be unusable because Quick Link II does not support 2D-MR style faxes. Now, BGFAX will automatically shift to ZFAX file format in the event this occurs so that you will get a usuable fax file out of the connection. 5. BGFAX /SEND mode now has the "makefax" utility built into it. What?? Well, before, in the release version of BGFAX 1.30, it would shell to MAKEFAX.EXE to construct the top of page header files. Now, a shell is no longer required, so it will build the header internally. New Command Line Switches ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. For people have timing problems in /rear end mode (i.e., they can receive some faxes when using /FCOS and others using /FCO, but each switch only works in certain circumstances), you can now optionally control the timing aspects of BGFAX: /FCO and /FAST can now optionally be used as... /FCO:nn or /FAST:nn /FCO:4 will assume after 4 seconds that the "OK" already received /FAST:7 will assume after 7 seconds that the "OK" already received /FCO:0 is functionally equivilant to /FCOS /FAST:0 is functionally equivilant to /FCON /FCO will default to /FCO:20 /FAST will default to /FAST:20 2. Added /ED switch on BGFAX command line. /ED will make BGFAX use the European date format (dd-mm-yy instead of USA format, mm-dd-yy) when writing to log files. 3. New command line parameter for /HOST and /RING modes. /DTE:nnnnn which force BGFAX to use the DTE specified, overring the SP= entry in the BGFAX.CNF file. Ex: BGFAX /RING /DTE:57600 4. If you were using a version of the Supra fax modem and were trying to use in to answer calls in Class 1 mode instead of Class 2 mode, and if you were getting +FCERROR messages, you might want to try the new /DW switch on the BGFAX /HOST command line. 5. New operation mode: /RING Example: BGFAX /RING This is basically a modified version of /HOST mode. In /HOST mode, BGFAX waits for a "RING", then answers the phone. In /RING mode, BGFAX will go into a /HOST-like mode, but will initialize the modem, and then immediately send the answer string to the modem. What's the reason for this? Some people have written their own programs which wait for a "RING" (or ring-status-indicator) that take up much less CPU resources than CPU-hog BGFAX /HOST. A DTE speed is o 6. New command line parameter: /HB ( for developers only ) /HB means that an ASCII banner file (BGFAX.H$$) already exists. BGFAX will then turn that into another temporary file BGFAX.HH$ (fax image file). You should not really need to mess with this. If you don't use this switch, BGFAX will construct its own ASCII banner file (using the template information out of the config file), and then make the temp fax image file. Confused? Top of page banner options: /NB -> no top of page banners /XB -> assume fax image banner file already exists (BGFAX.HH$) (to use the /XB switch you must use MAKEFAX.EXE in /HDR mode) /HB -> assume ASCII banner file already exists (BGFAX.H$$) Again, the /XB and /HB switches are really for developers who want to have complete control over what goes onto the top of the page. Bugs Fixed ~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Believe I have fixed a major bug with BGFAX when in /SEND mode, when using a Class 1 modem. BGFAX 1.30 would never get an acknowledgement from the remote machine. This was because BGFAX was "filling" the EOL's in the RTC sequence. Don't worry if you don't know what that means, but it was a major problem that's now fixed. BGFAX users using /SEND mode with a Class 2 or Class 2.0 modem should notice no change. 2. I documented something in BGFAX 1.30, that actually was not added. :-) Well, now it will work. If you are using BGFAX in /HOST mode, BGFAX.DOC said that you could specify a filename on the LO= or DO= line. Actually, it was only working on one of the lines. There was also a typo in the BGFAX.CNF file included with BGFAX 1.30. There was mention of a ";lo=" when it should have been ";do=". 3. Fixed problem with "crashmail". (If you aren't running the GT Power BBS netmail software, you don't have to worry about this.) BGFAX was not exiting with the correct errorlevel when a CQCQCQ crash string was detected (as specified in the BGFAX.CNF file). 4. Rockwell modems that are configured to report DCE rates on the CARRIER line (i.e, CARRIER 28800, CONNECT 57600/ARQ) will now get properly reported by BGFAX. 5. Had a user call me with a problem they were having with their USR Sportster 2400 data/9600 fax modem. BGFAX kept thinking they were using a Class 2 modem since it reported "(0,1)" instead of "0,1" on an +FCLASS=? request. 6. GVC recently came out with a new firmware revision to fix a problem with their modem adaptive answering incorrectly reported 2400 data callers as fax. However, they broke something new in this release. At the end of the page, when BGFAX sends its AT+FDR command, for some reason, the modem would echo "AT+FDR+FHNG:0" as its response instead of "AT+FDR" on one line, and then "+FHNG:0" on another. Fixed BGFAX so that it can handle the GVC's strange new behavior. 7. In /HOST mode, if BGFAX encounters a "NO CARRIER" when trying to answer a data call, it will now promptly abort instead of having to timeout. 8. That silly BGFAX.DAT file that always pops up... Well, you can now delete it and it will stay away. BGFAX.DAT is now used ONLY in /HOST mode, the way it was really meant to be used for. (The BGFAX.DAT file was never intended to exist in /Fxxx, /SEND, /INIT or /RING mode.) ##############################################################################