The API - Getting Started
Introduction to the API
Without the API
The normal method of submitting messages using Zetafax is to use the client program to manually specify the recipients and message settings. When sending a fax, when a file is printed to the Zetafax printer, or a file is selected for sending from within the client program, the addressing screens are automatically displayed and filled in by the user.
Using the API
Using the Zetafax API, there are five additional ways of submitting message to the Zetafax server. These additional methods have been designed to the automatic sending of messages from other applications not only feasible, but extremely easy to implement.
SMS meassages as well as fax messages can be submitted to the Zetafax server with the Zetafax API. The ZSUBMIT program makes it simple to send SMS messages directly from other applications to mobile phones.
Submit files
The simplest method of sending messages is to create an ASCII file in a directory on a fileserver - a "SUBMIT" file. This file can contain both the contents of the message and the addressing information, or these may be broken into two files. Zetafax scans the directory for new files and automatically handles any files it finds, sending messages to either a fax addressee or mobile phone via SMS. A machine with the Zetafax client software installed can be used to monitor the process and resubmit any faxes that fail repeatedly.
Details on how to create SUBMIT files are given in Creating SUBMIT files.
Embedded addressing
Addressing instructions can be embedded into documents created by word processors and other applications to indicate where a fax should be sent, together with a wide range of settings such as the time of sending, priority, resolution, coversheet, and letterhead to use. The commands are embedded in the document using a special syntax; for example:
%%[Fax:123 456 7890]
When the document is printed using the Zetafax printer driver, the embedded addressing commands are used by the Zetafax client program in place of the addressing dialogs. Provided adequate details are given using embedded commands, no dialogs will be displayed and the fax or faxes will be submitted to the Zetafax server automatically.
When sending faxes automatically from other Windows applications, it may be simplest to embed the addressing information in the message itself using embedded commands, prior to printing it using the Zetafax Windows printer driver. This is supported as one of the API toolkit alternatives.
DDE commands
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) may be used to pass addressing information across from a Windows application to the Zetafax client, prior to printing a message using the Zetafax Windows printer driver.
COM and C Language libraries
The most powerful way of passing faxes across to the Zetafax server for sending is using the COM or C language API. This allows for the monitoring of the status of a queued message, including the retrieval of a full history log once a message has completed.