Overview

The FaxMaker Web Service API (WSAPI) enables a customer to develop their applications that can connect and send/receive faxes via FaxMaker. This article explains how the WSAPI and the web client faxes flow once received by the FaxMaker server and what the scope of customer support is in such cases.

Information

The web services API (WSAPI) enables 3rd party integrations to develop custom applications that can connect and send/receive faxes/SMS using the FaxMaker WSAPI interface. The FaxMaker Web Client is an example of an application that uses WSAPI.

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Faxmaker Support does not troubleshoot the application that the customer uses to transmit the information to FaxMaker as that is outside our scope, with the exception of the FaxMaker Web Client. However, once the fax reaches the fax server and we can track it in our logs, then we can begin troubleshooting the issue related to the WSAPI fax.

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The FaxMaker Web Service API uses port number 8555 for HTTP communication between the application and GFI FaxMaker. This port can be opened when running the FaxMaker Configuration Wizard or through the Windows Firewall.

The following folder structure is used by WSAPI:

• WSAPI: Main Web Services API folder, with subfolders for fax processing.
• WSAPI\failed: Contains failed faxes.
• WSAPI\in: Contains incoming faxes in XMLAPI format (*.wsxml) that were routed to a registered Web Service API user.
• WSAPI\out: Contains outgoing faxes in XMLAPI format (*.wsxml).
• WSAPI\retention: Contains received faxes that have not been retrieved via WSAPI for a certain period of time (by default up to 30 days). This folder can be configured to be located on a different volume.

Once the fax data reaches the fax server, the WSAPI request is converted to an XML file format and is stored in the FaxMaker\WSAPI\out folder. It is also logged as a fax job in the local wsapi.fdb database.

Once stored in the database, the fax is monitored, and its status is updated in the database. For monitoring these faxes, a .status file is created in the XMLAPI pickup folder (FaxMaker\XMLAPIby default) by default, and the status is monitored from this file.  

The FaxMaker Fax Server Service will take the XML files from the FaxMaker\WSAPI\out folder.  These files are in an XML format but stored as WSXML file.  This XML file when picked up will now be treated as an XMLAPI fax.  The XMLAPI sending method is covered in the XMLAPI feature article.