Mail to Fax gateway script for hylafax

mail2fax.sh

#!/bin/sh

# mail2fax reloaded
# modified version working 100% by stefb (for europe)
# This script allows you to send faxes through your HylaFAX box.
# It uses mpack to strip out email attachments and sendfax to do
# the fax delivery.

### Temporary dir stuff
RANDOMFAX=/tmp/faxtmp.$(dd if=/dev/urandom count=1 2> /dev/null | cksum | cut -f1 -d" ")

if [ ! -d "$RANDOMFAX" ] ; then 
	mkdir $RANDOMFAX
fi
rm -f $RANDOMFAX/*

### Some makeup (maybe not necessary anymore)
sed 's/multipart\/alternative/multipart\/mixed/' > $RANDOMFAX/_message_

JOBID=`grep -e "^subject:" -i $RANDOMFAX/_message_ | sed q | sed 's/^[^:]*: *//g'`
TOLINE=`grep -e "^to:" -i $RANDOMFAX/_message_ | sed q`
FROMLINE=`grep -e "^from:" -i $RANDOMFAX/_message_ | sed q`
if [ "`echo $TOLINE | grep '<.*>'`" != "" ]; then
        TONUMBER=`echo $TOLINE| sed -e 's/.*<\(.*[^@]*\)@.*>.*/\1/'`
else
        TONUMBER=`echo $TOLINE| sed -e 's/^[Tt]o://g' -e 's/[ ]*\(.*[^@]*\)@.*/\1/'`
fi
if [ "`echo $FROMLINE | grep '<.*>'`" != "" ]; then
        FROMPATH=`echo $FROMLINE| sed -e 's/.*<\(.*\).*>.*/\1/'`
else
        FROMPATH=`echo $FROMLINE| sed -e 's/^[Ff]rom://g' -e 's/[ ]*\([^ ]*\).*/\1/'`
fi


### Split message
munpack -q -C $RANDOMFAX _message_ > /dev/null 2>&1

### Delete all but the attachments
rm -f $RANDOMFAX/_message_
rm -f $RANDOMFAX/*.desc

### Delivery time!
echo sendfax -R -f "$FROMPATH" -s a4 -n -d "$TONUMBER" $RANDOMFAX/* >> /tmp/faxlog
sendfax -R -f "$FROMPATH" -s a4 -n -d "$TONUMBER" $RANDOMFAX/*

### Remove temporary dir
rm -rf $RANDOMFAX

I recently needed a way to send faxes quickly without dealing with outdated machines or complicated setups, and experimenting with a Mail to Fax gateway script made a huge difference. What struck me was how seamless the integration can be—once you set up the script, sending a fax directly from an email feels just like sending a regular message, but with all the formatting intact. I combined this with a service like https://mfax.to/, which simplifies sending from any device—phone, tablet, or computer—while keeping everything secure and HIPAA-compliant. It handles multiple file types, lets you scan or sign documents on the fly, and the delivery is almost instant. For anyone who needs reliable, paperless faxing, this combination made the process fast, predictable, and surprisingly stress-free.