readme

linux pritner GUI

Copyright (C) 2001 to 2004 Chris Vine

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
    (at your option) any later version.

    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
    GNU General Public License for more details.

    A copy of the GNU General Public License version 2 is set out
    in the file COPYING accompanying this distribution.  You can
    also obtain a written copy from the Free Software  Foundation,
    Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA

    Note that the copyright of the efax program, to which this is a
    front end, belongs to Ed Casas.

                            OVERVIEW

This program is a Gtk+/Gtkmm front end for the efax program.  It can
be used to send and receive faxes with a fax modem, and to view, print
and manage faxes received.  It also has a socket interface to provide
a "virtual printer" for sending faxes from word processors and similar
programs, and can automatically e-mail a received fax to a designated
user, and automatically print a received fax.

Any files to be faxed must be in postscript format, which is the
generic printer format for Unix/Linux systems.  The program will use
ghostscript to convert these into the Group 3 fax format which the fax
modem will understand.

                              EFAX

The efax-gtk distribution compiles and installs a patched version of
efax-0.9a-001114, so you do not need to separately build and install
efax.  In particular, a number of users reported problems sending or
printing faxes when in locales which express their floating point
numbers with a comma as the decimal designator instead of the
full-stop (which applies to most of Europe outside the UK and
Ireland): efax and efix incorrectly use C formatted text functions
after calling setlocale().  Amongst the patches is one which omits the
call to setlocale(), so the C locale is used in all cases.

To avoid name conflicts the patched versions of efax and efix are
installed as efax-0.9a and efix-0.9a.  If you want to use the standard
distributions of efax, delete efax-0.9a and efix-0.9a, and then make a
symbolic link from efax to efax-0.9a and from efix to efix-0.9a so
that efax-gtk can find them.  efax-0.9 or higher is recommended,
although the program will work with older versions of efax - with
older versions, some automatic configuration options will not be
available and the different lock file semantics means that a binary
and not UUCP lock file will be created, which may confuse some other
programs trying to access the same serial port.

                    INSTALLATION: FROM SOURCE FILES

Compiling from source
---------------------

To compile from source, place the distribution file in a local source
directory (eg ~/src).  Untarring/unzipping it will create a
sub-directory 'efax-gtk' where the source code can be found.  You can
now edit the file efax-gtkrc (which by default will be placed by "make
install" in /usr/local/etc) to provide global settings which match
your serial port, name, telephone number and other particulars.
efax-gtkrc specifies run-time not compile-time options, but you can
edit it now so that the version installed by "make install" is
correct.  Alternatively, you can start up the program and enter any
settings by bringing up the `Settings' dialog from the `File/Settings'
pull-down menu once the program has started.  (See below).

Then enter the command `./configure'.  This will set up the Makefile
so that it matches your system.  This can be done as user (you do not
need to be root).  Then type "make", and then "make install".  "make
install" must be run as root, but "make" can be run as user.  The
program will by default be installed in /usr/local/bin.  The name of
the executable is "efax-gtk".

You can change the install directory by running `./configure' with the
--prefix=[dir] option.  Thus -

  ./configure --prefix=/usr

will install the executables in /usr/bin, as will -

  ./configure --bindir=/usr/bin.

The configuration file efax-gtkrc (see above) is installed in $RCDIR,
which by default is /usr/local/etc. If the --prefix=[dir] option is
used, $RCDIR will be taken from that.  So -

  ./configure --prefix=/usr

will install efax-gtkrc in the /usr/etc directory.  Its install
directory RCDIR can also be changed by running ./configure with the
--sysconfdir=[dir] option.  Thus -

  ./configure --sysconfdir=/etc

will install efax-gtkrc in /etc.

The man file will by default be installed in $prefix/man.  If the
--prefix=[dir] option is used, the base directory will be taken from
that.  So -

  ./configure --prefix=/usr

will install the man file in the /usr/man/man1 directory, as will -

  ./configure --mandir=/usr/man

In addition, a fax filter file `efax-gtk-faxfilter' is by default
installed in /var/spool/fax, but a different directory can be chosen
by running `./configure' with the --with-spooldir=[dir] option.  See
below for an explanation of what this does.

To compile and use the program, gtk+-2.*, libsigc++-1.2.3 or higher
and gtkmm-2.* must be installed.  To install gtkmm-2.*, you must also
have have the glib-2, pango, atk, gettext and pkgconfig packages
installed, which come with GNOME-2.  Note also that if you have
gtk+-2.0.*/gnome-2.0 installed, you must use gtkmm-2.0.* and
libsigc++-1.2.* (libsigc++-1.2.3 or higher).  If you have
gtk+-2.2.*/gnome-2.2/gnome-2.4 installed, you must use gtkmm-2.2.* and
libsigc++-1.2.* (libsigc++-1.2.3 or higher).  If you have
gtk+-2.4.*/gnome-2.6 installed, you can use either the combination of
gtkmm-2.2.* and libsigc++-1.2.*, or the combination of gtkmm-2.4.*,
glibmm-2.4.* and libsigc++-2.0.*.

Note that with gtkmm-2.4, glibmm is separately packaged (glibmm is
included in the gtkmm package with gtkmm-2.0 and gtkmm-2.2): if you
are using gtkmm-2.4 you must compile and install glibmm-2.4 before
compiling and installing gtkmm-2.4.  In summary, the requirements are
as follows:
____________________________________________________

GNOME-2.0        )   use gtkmm-2.0 and libsigc++-1.2.
GTK+-2.0         )
____________________________________________________

GNOME-2.2 or 2.4 )   use gtkmm-2.2 and libsigc++-1.2
GTK+-2.2         )
____________________________________________________

GNOME-2.6 or 2.8 )   use either gtkmm-2.2 with libsigc++-1.2 or
GTK+-2.4         )   gtkmm-2.4 with glibmm-2.4 and libsigc++-2.0
____________________________________________________

The compile and install order is first libsigc++, then glibmm (if
using gtkmm-2.4) and then gtkmm.

If you are using GNOME-2.6 or 2.8 and GTK+-2.4 and your compiler is
gcc-2.95, then you must use gtkmm-2.2/libsigc++-1.2.  To compile
gtkmm-2.4 and libsigc++-2.0, gcc-3.2 or higher is required.

If you have installed libsigc++ and/or gtkmm-2.* in /usr/local (which
is the default if you have compiled them from source), and they are
not detected when you run ./configure to compile efax-gtk, make sure
that the environmental variable PKG_CONFIG_PATH includes
/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig in the pkgconfig path list.  If you are using
the bash shell, this can be achieved by entering the following in the
shell terminal before you run ./configure:

export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH

Do the same if you have libsigc++ installed, but when running
./configure with gtkmm-2.*, libsigc++ can't be found.  If either of
the libraries are installed in /usr/local, also make sure that
/usr/local/lib is specified in /etc/ld.so.conf.  (If you add it to
/etc/ld.so.conf, don't forget to run /sbin/ldconfig as root
afterwards.)

Recent releases of gtkmm can be configured with the --disable-examples
option before compiling.  Using this option can substantially reduce
the compile time of gtkmm, by not wasting time compiling the examples.

Making RPM binaries
-------------------

A RPM spec file is included in the distribution.  If rpm is installed,
entering `rpm -tb efax-gtk-[version].src.tgz' as root will create a
standard RPM binary file efax-gtk-[version]-1.[i386].rpm.  This will
be found in the RPM binary directory that your RPM-build configuration
specifies (normally /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i386 for Redhat i86 systems,
and /usr/src/packages/RPMS/i386 for SuSE i86 systems).

To install the rpm binary once made, use the normal command
`rpm -i [rpm filename]'.

To make the binary RPM file you must have the packages referred to in
"Compiling from source" above.  Once the rpm file is made, to install
it you must also have the ghostscript package installed.

As the efax-gtk.spec file causes rpm to check for dependencies both
when efax-gtk is being compiled and when being installed, this can
give rise to problems of portability, because different distributions
package things under different names.  If the rpm binary won't compile
or install on your system because of these dependencies, but you are
sure that you have gtk+, libsigc++, gtkmm and ghostscript installed,
there are two choices -- to compile the package using `rpm -tb
--nodeps efax-gtk-[version].src.tgz' and install the binary file using
`rpm -i --nodeps [rpm filename]', or to:

- unzip efax-gtk-[version].src.tgz,

- amend the `BuildRequires:' and/or `Requires:' lines in the
  efax-gtk.spec file to provide the correct dependency package
  names for your distribution

- copy efax-gtk-[version].src.tgz to /usr/src/[packages]/SOURCES

- enter `rpm -bb efax-gtk.spec'.

If you install via binary RPMs, then you will either have to use the
File/Settings dialog to configure the program when you first use it,
or before using it have to amend /etc/efax-gtkrc by hand after
installation (see further below).

                             USE

The first time you use the program, you will be asked if you accept
the terms of the General Public Licence, version 2.

Files to be sent should be saved as postscript files.  If the program
is started with a filename as the last argument, then it will begin
with that file already inserted in the program's "file to be sent"
box.  Otherwise once the program has started you can use the standard
file open dialog, or enter it directly into the box via the keyboard.

Ordinary ascii text files can be converted into postscript if required
using a number of programs, of which probably the easiest to use are
nenscript or GNU enscript (`man enscript').

For further suggestions about sending faxes from a wordprocessor using
CUPS, see "Using with a word processor" below.

For efax to operate correctly, the user must have write permission to
the /var/lock directory, and to the serial port to which the fax modem
is connected.  In most distributions, the uucp group has write
permission for these: if this applies to your distribution, the
easiest approach is to make users members of the uucp group.

The program may be started with a -r option and a -s option:

  efax-gtk -r    This will start the program in receive standby mode
  efax-gtk -s    This will start the program hidden in the system tray

Sending faxes
-------------

Before sending a fax, it must be specified in the "Fax to send" box.
It must be in postscript format (a format produced by all Unix/Linux
word and document processors), and will be converted by the program
into the correct tiffg3 fax format.

There are two fax entry methods.  First, the fax to be sent can be a
file saved on the filesystem.  It can be entered manually in the "Fax
to send" box, or entered by means of the file selection dialog.  If
the file comprises a single postscript file, then you can find it by
pressing the "Single File" button.  It can be more easily found with
this dialog if it is placed in the $HOME/faxout directory.

Where more than one file is specified in the "Fax to send" box, they
will be sent as a single fax appended in the order in which they are
entered in the box.  Such multiple files can be more easily selected
using the file list brought up by pressing the "Multiple Files"
button.  Pressing the "Multiple Files" button enables files to be
found and added to the file list, and they can be reordered by using
the Up or Down arrow buttons, or by dragging and dropping with the
mouse.  (If entering multiple files manually rather than by means of
the "Multiple Files" dialog, use a ',' or a ';' as the file name
separator.)

As an alternative, faxes can be received directly from the print
system by means of a socket server provided by the program.  Efax-gtk
maintains a list of queued faxes received from the socket which can be
accessed by choosing "Socket" as the fax entry method, and then
bringing up the queued faxes list by pressing the "Socket list"
button.  This is a more convenient way of sending faxes from a word
processor, and enables a fax to be sent for faxing to efax-gtk by
printing from the word processor program.  Where a fax is queued for
sending in the socket list, a small red circle will appear in the main
program window on the right hand side of the "Fax to send" box.  More
particulars are given under "Using with a word processor" below.

The telephone number to which the fax is to be sent is entered into
the "Tel number" box.  This can be entered directly into the box, or
by using the built-in addressbook.  The addressbook can be invoked by
pressing the "Tel number" button, or from the `File/Address book'
pull-down menu item.  See "Using the address book" further below.
However, if a telephone connection has already been established with
the remote fax receiver, then the fax can be sent without dialing by
leaving the "Tel number" box blank (a dialog will come up asking if
you would like to send the fax without dialing - this does the same
thing as 'fax send -m ...' using the efax 'fax' script from the
command line).

When a fax is received from the print system via the socket server,
the program settings can also be configured to bring up a dialog
automatically.  If the program is inactive (for example, it is not
standing by to receive faxes) the fax can be sent directly from this
dialog without the need to invoke the list of queued faxes received
from the socket.

Successfully sent faxes are copied to a directory in the $HOME/faxsent
directory, which has a name derived from the year, month, day, hour
and seconds when the sending of the fax was completed, and will appear
in the faxes sent list.  They are only included in that list if they
have been sent without error.  The efax message display box will