ADDRESS VOX Commands › Voice Commands › ANSWER Command

ANSWER Command

The ANSWER command waits for a period specified by the TIMEOUT parameter for an incoming telephone call on any one of a designated set of voice channels available at the time the command was invoked. The ANSWER command will not wait for incoming calls on voice channels that are marked as in-use at the time the command is invoked.

Furthermore, when the ANSWER command is invoked with the GROUP operand, any one channel satisfies the command and returns control to the caller with the handle to the answered channel. This answered channel must be released when you are done with the call (see the description of the RELEASECHANNEL command). This channel cannot reenter the set of channels on which any outstanding ANSWER command is waiting.

The ANSWER command can answer a call on:

• Any available voice channel
• Any available voice channel within a specified channel group
• A single, specific voice channel

When answering an incoming call, the ANSWER command:

• Sets the hook state of the receiving voice channel to off-hook
• Resets the play volume
• Clears the following channel attributes:
  • The digit buffer
  • The call progress analysis (CPA) parameters
  • The history of loop drop, silence-on, and silence-off events

This command has the following format:

ADDRESS VOX "ANSWER {CHANNEL(channelhandle)|GROUP(groupname|ALL)}
                     [SYSTEM(sysname)]
                     [ANSRING(ringnumber)]
                     [TIMEOUT(waittime|0|-1)]
                     [HOOKSTATE(hookstate)]
                     [PREFIX(varname)]
                     [CMDRESP(destination)]"

CHANNEL

Specifies the channel handle (channelhandle)-identifies a physical channel-that the GETCHANNEL command returns.

GROUP

A group name defining a group of specific, physical channel numbers that the ANSWER command monitors for an incoming call. (For more information about assigning channels to a group, see the description of the SETGROUP command.)

ALL enables the ANSWER command to monitor all groups (and, therefore, all channels) for a call.

SYSTEM

(Optional) Specifies the name of the system running the notification server to which you want to direct the command.

The sysname value can contain up to eight alphanumeric characters.

Default: The local system name

ANSRING

(Optional) Specifies the ring number on which to answer an incoming call.

Default: 1

TIMEOUT

(Optional) Specifies the maximum amount of time to wait for rings (in 1/10-second units). Or, you can specify 0 (zero) to return immediately if no ring exists or -1 to wait indefinitely.

Default: -1

HOOKSTATE

(Optional) Specifies the desired hook state after CA Automation Point detects a ring. Valid values are OFFHOOK and ONHOOK.

Default: OFFHOOK

PREFIX

(Optional) Specifies the name of a REXX stem variable (other than the default name) that contains the return information for the command.

For information about changing the default variable name, see ADDRESS VOX Return Information in this chapter.

Default: VOX.ANSWER

CMDRESP

(Optional) Directs return information to a specific destination (destination). For a list of valid destination values, see ADDRESS VOX Return Information in this chapter.

Return Information:

After the ANSWER command executes, it sets the special REXX return code variable RC.

• If the command executes successfully, the RC variable contains a value of zero. If the GROUP operand was specified, the REXX variable VOX.ANSWER contains the returned channel handle.
• If the command does not execute successfully, the RC variable contains one of the following values: 5105, 5112, 5117, 5155, 5199, 5203, 5204, 5206. (See the Message Reference Guide for further information.) Additionally, the VOX.ERROR variable contains the complete VOX error message, which includes the four-digit return code and complete error message text.

Examples:

• The following REXX code illustrates how to use the ANSWER command in a program that pages a user, and then answers when the user calls the CA Automation Point system in response to the page:

  numpagerservice = '9,555-1900'
  numtocall = '9,555-1234'
  
  /* Acquire exclusive access to a voice channel. */
  
  address vox 'getchannel channelnum(1) prefix(handle)'
  
  /* Dial the digital pager service and leave number to call. */
  
  address vox 'call channel('handle') tonestring('numpagerservice')'
  address vox 'sendtones tonestring('numtocall')'
  

  /* Wait up to 10 minutes for an incoming call. */
  
  address vox 'answer channel('handle') timeout(6000)'
  
  /* Get the callers User Identification number. */
  
  address vox 'playgetdigits channel('handle') file(entruid.vox) count(8) singlestring(yes) prefix(userid)'
  
  /* Get the caller's Personal Identification Number (PIN). */
  
  address vox 'playgetdigits channel('handle') file(entrpin.vox) count(8) singlestring(yes) prefix(pin)'
  ...
  

  /* Verify the remote user has entered a valid user-ID/pin combination.*/
  
  address vox 'verifyuser userid('userid') pin('pin')'
  
  if RC == 0 then do
     /* Explain the problem and list the options */
     /* available for resolving the problem.     */
  
     address vox 'playgetdigits channel('handle') file(problem.vox options.vox) prefix(response)'
     ...
  end
     
  /* Release the voice channel. */
  address vox 'releasechannelchannel('handle')'
  

• The following REXX code illustrates how you can use the ANSWER command in a program that processes incoming calls destined for a help desk. When CA Automation Point receives a call, the HDCTRL.CMD program starts a program named HELPDESK.CMD to service the call automatically.

  /* HDCTRL.CMD */
  
  signal on halt Name DoExit
  
  do forever
     /* Wait forever for an incoming call and */
     /* any channel within the HELPDESK group.*/
     
  address vox 'answer group(helpdesk) hookstate(onhook) prefix(handle) timeout(600)'
  
     if RC == 0 then 
     do
        /* Call answered. Start the HELPDESK.CMD */
        /* program to service the call.          */
  
        address vox 'startrexx program(helpdesk.cmd 'handle')'
     end
  end
  
  DoExit:
  
  /* Exit from the command shell so that CA Automation Point can "clean up." */
  
  '@exit'