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qfv

qfv Overview

qfv is a Pointer Environment (PE) viewer for QFAX format G3 files. qfv supports both 1-D and 2-D format files.

Running qfv

qfv may be invoked with or without command options. The simplest invocation is:

ex qfv
or
ex qfv;'test_fax'

There are two (disguised) buttons below the title bar. The first one is called `MENU', the command key is `F3'.

The second one is the number after the `MAG' text. Key selection is `M'.

Menu

Here you can load a G3 format QFAX file (from text2g3 or qfax). When the fax is loaded the first screen-full is displayed in magnification '0' (i.e. 1/4 the actual pixel size), unless you have instructed qfv to use a different magnification. If you use MENU_REXT (C) Jochen Merz, then the FILE_SELECT file requester is used. The default file extension for FILE_SELECT is taken from the `QFAX_DAT' SUFFIX value.

It is possible to load a fax at a specific page from within qfv, just add @page to the file name (either from the File Select 'F3' line or the qfv file requester prompt). For example, to load win1_faxin_multipage_fax at page 5, enter the name into the file requester as:

win1_faxin_multipage_fax@5

If your fax file is a part of a QFAX multi-page fax then, depending on where you are in the file qfv may offer options of `Next Page' and `Prev Page'.

The `Info' option displays information about the fax. The final number is the time in seconds the fax decoder took.

The `Last Fax' option causes qfv to load the last received fax (as defined by the `QFAX-LastFax' file).

The `Invert' option will flip a fax image if the fax has been transmitted upside down.

qfv has a "Goto page" menu option.

The Files menu also offers `Print', you must (obviously) have loaded a fax to be able to do this. You are prompted for output device and printer type. qfv supports HP PCL 3/4/5 (LaserJet II /III/IV, DeskJet), Epson 24 pin (and good emulations), Epson 9 pin and Postscript. On a slow system, be prepared for a long wait, particularly if you are using a serial printer and 24 pin or HP PCL; the output to the printer will typically be 300 - 400 Kb per A4 page, unless you have a modern HP printer that supports compression, in which case it will be around 35Kb.

The print options allow you to define specific `printfax' options (for example, to defined special printer options such as HP compression or sizing (-s 3)). and print either the current page, the whole fax or the rest of the fax.

qfv honours the printfax PFAXINI (see section PFAXINI) options as well as its own qfvINI options.

qfv print supports the same print page range format (via its "Print" menu option) as described for printfax.

When printing, a box appears with the legend `Abort', `Remove' `Cancel'. If you hit abort or cancel, the printout is aborted. Remove merely removes the dialogue box, printing will continue. This box disappears (miraculously) when printing has finished.

The Review item will display a list of the recently received fax, assuming you have the QFAX Thing loaded. See section QFAX Thing.

The other icon is `Magnify'. You can enter (single key, like Sysdef) the values 0,1 or 2.

Magnification 2     1 fax pixel  = 1 screen pixel
Magnification 1     2 fax pixels = 1 screen pixel
Magnification 0     4 fax pixels = 1 screen pixel

You can navigate around using the scroll/pan bars or ALT and arrow key.

qfv also supports PE move, size and wake. Wake just redraws from the top left corner. You can size up to the maximum your hardware permits or full size (mag = 2), (2432x(a lot) pixels), which ever is smaller.

You can invoke some qfv actions from the keyboard.

F3
Files Menu
M
Magnification
ALT down
Page Down
ALT up
Page Up
ALT left
Page left
ALT right
Page right
TAB
Move pointer to/from scroll bar
SHIFT-TAB
Move pointer to/from pan bar

Error trapping is minimal, if it cannot load a G3 file (i.e. not enough memory), it gives a message and then refuses.

Details of the way that qfv supports different page sizes are given in section How qfax handles page size.

If you have insufficient free memory to decode a complete fax page (or use the -X option), a requester will be displayed on reporting that the fax is being "banded" and the amount of extra memory required to decode a full page.

qfv command options

qfv supports the following command line options

ex qfv;'[-X n][-m n] [-w xs] [-h ys] [-o dev] [-t name] [-p]
        [-q] [-b] [-g page] [-J|j jump] [-P eol]  [-l | file_name]'
-x
Limit the memory allocation to a size defined by 'n' Normally, QFAX will try to allocate memory based on the fax page requirements.
-m n
Startup magnification level
-w xs
Window x-size
-h ys
Window y-size
-i dir
Set input directory (if no file given)
-q
Queries ESC exits (but not HIT/DO on exit button)
-o dev
defines print device
-t name
defines printer name
-b
suppress bad line substitution.
-l
Causes qfv to print the last received file.
-j skip
-J skip
These options cause printfax to skip a number of scan lines at the top of either the first page (-j) or all pages (-J). This may be used to remove a "From" line inserted by the remote fax machine when producing an image format. A value of "-J 100" is a good starting value for typical "From line" removal.
-P eol
The -P eol parameter defines the number of consecutive EOL (end of line) codes to be considered an end of pager (EOP) marker. A standards compliant fax will use 5 EOL markers to signify EOP, and 'qfax' has always inserted sufficient EOLs when the remote machine did not supply them. Some fax machines may not supply the correct EOLs, and early versions of LFAX did not supply the extra markers.
-g page
Causes qfv to display page 'page'. Other pages may subsequently be displayed by the menu options.

qfv honours the following printfax options from a `PFAXINI' option in `qfax_dat'.

-c n
HP compression mode (0/2/3)
-s n
Specific actions (only used by HP mode)
-t name
printer name
-o dev
printer device
-p
Causes the window to appear at (or near) the current pointer position rather than centred.

HIT'ing resize works as a normal resize. DO'ing resize will toggle between making the display full screen, and reverting to the last none full-screen size.

Bad lines

The QFAX decoder has previously included "bad lines" in fax documents (a bad line being one where the decoded number of pixels does not equal the G3 page width). In this release of QFAX, the decoder will replace bad lines with the previous line. This gives (in my opinion) a better print or display. This behaviour may be revoked (i.e. the bad old way) with a -b command option to printfax or qfv.


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