Merge to Fax Macro by Peter Jamieson

I

IronJackKidd

Hi There
I've used the Merge to fax macro previously posted in this group to accomplish the fax merge I was working on, and many thanks to you Mr Jamieson for that. What I'm wondering at the moment is how to get the fax console to use a dialing rule I've set up. Is it possible to set this option on the send line of this macro
Thanks
 
P

Peter Jamieson

What kind of dialling rule are you talking about. and where exactly are you
setting it up? Is this on Windows XP?

--
Peter Jamieson - Word MVP
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org/

IronJackKidd said:
Hi There,
I've used the Merge to fax macro previously posted in this group to
accomplish the fax merge I was working on, and many thanks to you Mr
Jamieson for that. What I'm wondering at the moment is how to get the fax
console to use a dialing rule I've set up. Is it possible to set this option
on the send line of this macro?
 
I

IronJackKidd

Hi Peter
Yes this is windows XP, the dialing rules are configured in the phone and modem options in the control panel allowing the appropriate long distance code to be prefixed to the phone number. The fax console allows an option to use these rules when sending a single fax, so I was wondering if this option could be specified at the moment of the fax send in the macro. Hope this is clearer
 
P

Peter Jamieson

OK, I suspected that was what you meant but wondered if I'd missed an option
somewhere.

As far as I can see (and in fact this is still unfamiliar territory for me)
a. the options you get when you use e.g. File|"Send a fax" in Fax console
to send a single fax are /probably/ just applied to that single fax. That
option simply seems to build a complete dialling string - in my case, e.g.
+44 (0161) xxx xxxx.
b. I couldn't find any option that allows you to apply the dialling rules
to all faxes sent via the fax service.
c. the fax service documentation suggests that if the faxnumber you provide
to the macro contains a canonical fax number, then any outbound /routing/
rules will be applied. However, my understanding is that those rules are
really about selecting which device to use, rather than about how to
construct a diallable phone number with, e.g. long distance prefix where
necessary.

So the only thing I can suggest is that if you are not starting with numbers
in canonical format, you try that to see if it makes any difference (FWIW
whenever I try to create rules here, the MS software appears to construct a
number that does not actually conform to UK dialling conventions, which
suggests that either I am doing something wrong or that the software is. But
it certainly makes it impossible to test anything in this area).

e.g. if the number is in the US, try using

+1 (aaa) 555-1234

where aaa is the area code, rather than just e.g. aaa5551234 or whatever you
actually have at the moment.

--
Peter Jamieson - Word MVP
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org/

IronJackKidd said:
Hi Peter,
Yes this is windows XP, the dialing rules are configured in the phone and
modem options in the control panel allowing the appropriate long distance
code to be prefixed to the phone number. The fax console allows an option to
use these rules when sending a single fax, so I was wondering if this option
could be specified at the moment of the fax send in the macro. Hope this is
clearer.
 
I

IronJackKidd

Hi Peter,
Thanks for that, I'll give the canonical number format a whirl and post the results.
Cheers
 
I

IronJackKidd

Apologies for the delay in posting, the phone number merge data I'm using is in an Excel spreadsheet in a field which wouldnt allow use of the + character so I still don't know if use of the canonical format solves the problem. I had the person using the merge change the numbers to include the necessary dial codes. It's a pity that the use of dialing rules is not specifiable in VBA it would be a useful addition
 
P

Peter Jamieson

I think you could probably build a canonical format number with some
additional VBA in the macro I posted but
a. you would obviously have to know the rules applicable to the phone
numbers you have (maybe they are quite simple, but I am not the person to
ask!)
b. it sin't something I was planning on doing.

--
Peter Jamieson - Word MVP
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org/

IronJackKidd said:
Apologies for the delay in posting, the phone number merge data I'm using
is in an Excel spreadsheet in a field which wouldnt allow use of the +
character so I still don't know if use of the canonical format solves the
problem. I had the person using the merge change the numbers to include the
necessary dial codes. It's a pity that the use of dialing rules is not
specifiable in VBA it would be a useful addition.
 

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