asterisk users - Sep 2008 - SHELL function strangeness

Greetings!
   I have got a "systematic" problem with the SHELL function. Consider
this
dialplan snippet:
*** CUT ***
exten => NUM,1,Set(myreturn=${SHELL(ast_picker sound_file)})
exten => NUM,2,Answer()
exten => NUM,3,GotoIf($[${myreturn} = 0]?4:6)
[...]
*** CUT ***
   ast_picker does simultaneously play a sound_file and wait for input from a 
socket. If input comes or timeout expires, it sends a kill -15 signal to the 
player.
   If I start ast_picker from the linux shell prompt the player stops 
immediately if one of the conditions arrive. If I start it from the dialplan, 
like seen above, the player continues to the end of the file.
   Why does this happen? Is there anything to guard myself against it?
   If it would be helpful, I'd gladly upload the code for ast_picker,
it's
still very small.
   Please help me try figuring out what's wrong here or which extra
condition I
missed in dialplan application execution.
   Kindest regards
         Julien

--------
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======== FIND MY WEB-PROJECT AT: =======http://ltsb.sourceforge.net
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On Thursday 11 September 2008 03:09:19 Julien Claassen
wrote:
> Greetings!
>    I have got a "systematic" problem with the SHELL function.
Consider this
> dialplan snippet:
> *** CUT ***
> exten => NUM,1,Set(myreturn=${SHELL(ast_picker sound_file)})
> exten => NUM,2,Answer()
> exten => NUM,3,GotoIf($[${myreturn} = 0]?4:6)
> [...]
> *** CUT ***
>    ast_picker does simultaneously play a sound_file and wait for input from
> a socket. If input comes or timeout expires, it sends a kill -15 signal to
> the player.
>    If I start ast_picker from the linux shell prompt the player stops
> immediately if one of the conditions arrive. If I start it from the
> dialplan, like seen above, the player continues to the end of the file.
>    Why does this happen? Is there anything to guard myself against it?
>    If it would be helpful, I'd gladly upload the code for ast_picker,
it's
> still very small.
>    Please help me try figuring out what's wrong here or which extra
> condition I missed in dialplan application execution.
Without seeing the source, it's difficult to say, but it might be as simple
as you running the Asterisk program as a non-privileged user, which has
insufficient permission to listen to certain port numbers.

-- 
Tilghman