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Does anything like number exist?

html
tel-uris
fax-handling
javascript
Anton ShumikhinbyAnton Shumikhin·Oct 25, 2024
TLDR

HTML doesn’t support a fax link like the mailto: for emails or tel: for phone calls. To create a "fax" link, you'll need to use an online fax service API. While the exact URL will depend on the service, a general example might look like:

<a href="https://faxservice.com/sendfax?to=123456789">Fax 123456789</a>

Remember, replace https://faxservice.com/sendfax?to= with the URL from your fax service and 123456789 with your fax number. With this method, the fax service's web interface handles the fax operation.

So Long, RFC 2806, and Thanks for All the Faxes

Fax may come off as being a bit last-century, but today's digital implementations used in businesses still have their users dialling in. Although the fax: URL outlined in RFC 2806 may be a thing of the past, the tel: URI scheme specified in RFC 3966, and later updated by RFC 5341, handles both telephone and fax communications.

To hyperlink fax numbers in HTML, use the tel: URI and specify any parameters needed by your fax machine:

<a href="tel:+123456789;ext=000">Fax to 123-456-789 on ext 000</a> // Now, that's what I call a 'blast fax'

tel: URIs: the Jack of All Trades

Registering new parameters with IANA

RFC 5341 mandates that any new URI parameters comply with IANA registration. It's like getting a license plate for your fancy new parameters! This ensures global standards are adhered to and prevents conflicts.

tel: for faxes

Use the tel: scheme to encode fax numbers, defining specific subaddress types for fax transmission. It's like using a Swiss Army Knife instead of a single blade!

No specific attribute for fax in HTML

There's no distinctive fax: attribute in HTML. However, you can treat a fax number as a tel: URI. For more advanced fax handling beyond HTML, consider using JavaScript or server-side solutions.

Bringing fax services API onboard

Incorporate APIs from online fax services directly in your web applications! With these services, you're creating a digital-to-analog bridge, transforming web-based requests to faxable documents!

// 'cause you can't get a pigeon to deliver your fax 🐦🚫📠

Dialling in with JavaScript

JavaScript could dynamically intercept click actions on fax links and process them! For instance, this approach may allow automatically filling a form and sending it to a fax service API in the background.

// It's almost like training your mouse to deliver faxes 🐭➡️📠

Server-side processing

Feel like dabbling in backend support? Frameworks like Python, Ruby, or Node.js could handle fax requests for you. For instance, by triggering a POST request to a fax service API that prepares and sends the fax on your behalf!

# Just a Python in the backend, swallowing post requests and spitting out faxes 🐍➡️📠