asterisk users - Dec 2009 - Feature Request: GotoIfTimeWithOffset

Hi,

When I was testing an IVR, I realized I miss a function I would call
GotoIfTimeWithOffset.

Today, this IVR is using function AEL GotoIfTime in several places.
The problem is if it's 11pm at the moment I'm testing this IVR, I
can't
nicely test the 9am or 2pm branch.

GotoIfTimeWithOffset would get 2 incoming arguments :
- the first is a time range (just like GotoIfTime),
- the second is a duration offset which you could delay or "rewind"
time.

After testing, you would just have to set this offset to 0, to get a
production-ready dialplan, without changing a line.


Suggestions ?

Cheers
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-users/attachments/20091218/d3428e4b/attachment.htm

On Thursday 17 December 2009 17:23:22 Olivier wrote:
> When I was testing an IVR, I realized I miss a function I would call
> GotoIfTimeWithOffset.
>
> Today, this IVR is using function AEL GotoIfTime in several places.
> The problem is if it's 11pm at the moment I'm testing this IVR, I
can't
> nicely test the 9am or 2pm branch.
>
> GotoIfTimeWithOffset would get 2 incoming arguments :
> - the first is a time range (just like GotoIfTime),
> - the second is a duration offset which you could delay or
"rewind" time.
>
> After testing, you would just have to set this offset to 0, to get a
> production-ready dialplan, without changing a line.
https://issues.asterisk.org/view.php?id=16464

I've made some important changes to your idea.  The method for invoking
this is setting a function to a particular date and time.  The reason for this
is to permit testing of a live system, without changing the actual dialplan.
You could set up a test with a particular extension that sets this function
before jumping to the incoming context, or you could use conditional
evaluation, such as checking callerid for the administrator's cellphone
number, in the incoming context to evaluate whether to set this function
or not.

-- 
Tilghman Lesher
Digium, Inc. | Senior Software Developer
twitter: Corydon76 | IRC: Corydon76-dig (Freenode)
Check us out at: www.digium.com & www.asterisk.org

On Fri, 18 Dec 2009, Olivier wrote:
> Today, this IVR is using function AEL GotoIfTime in several places. The 
> problem is if it's 11pm at the moment I'm testing this IVR, I
can't
> nicely test the 9am or 2pm branch.
Wouldn't a "set time" function be more usefull?

You could set the time in a single place in your dialplan and you wouldn't 
have to worry about an extended debugging session exceeding your offset 
and executing the wrong section of code.

You could even make its execution conditional on your ANI (for example) so 
you could test your dialplan without interferring with production callers.

-- 
Thanks in advance,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Edwards       sedwards at sedwards.com      Voice: +1-760-468-3867 PST
Newline                                              Fax: +1-760-731-3000

At 12:23 AM on 18 Dec 2009, Olivier wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> When I was testing an IVR, I realized I miss a function I would call
> GotoIfTimeWithOffset.
> 
> Today, this IVR is using function AEL GotoIfTime in several places.
> The problem is if it's 11pm at the moment I'm testing this IVR, I
> can't nicely test the 9am or 2pm branch.
> 
> GotoIfTimeWithOffset would get 2 incoming arguments :
> - the first is a time range (just like GotoIfTime),
> - the second is a duration offset which you could delay or
"rewind"
> time.
> 
> After testing, you would just have to set this offset to 0, to get a
> production-ready dialplan, without changing a line.
It ain't pretty, but this should work (untested):

globals {
	TIME_OFFSET=-5;
};

context test-iftime {
	s => {
		GotoIfTime($[6+${TIME_OFFSET}]:00-$[7+${TIME_OFFSET}]:00|*|*|*?goodmorning);
		Playback(hello);
		Hangup();

	goodmorning:
		Playback(goodmorning);
	};
};

Basically, just change each of the hours in your time specs to this:

$[<hour>+${TIME_OFFSET}]


-- 

C. Chad Wallace, B.Sc.
The Lodging Company
http://www.lodgingcompany.com/
OpenPGP Public Key ID: 0x262208A0

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 197 bytes
Desc: not available
Url :
http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-users/attachments/20091217/d496fa3d/attachment.pgp

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 6:23 PM, Olivier <oza-4h07 at myamail.com>
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> When I was testing an IVR, I realized I miss a function I would call
> GotoIfTimeWithOffset.
>
> Today, this IVR is using function AEL GotoIfTime in several places.
> The problem is if it's 11pm at the moment I'm testing this IVR, I
can't
> nicely test the 9am or 2pm branch.
>
> GotoIfTimeWithOffset would get 2 incoming arguments :
> - the first is a time range (just like GotoIfTime),
> - the second is a duration offset which you could delay or
"rewind" time.
>
> After testing, you would just have to set this offset to 0, to get a
> production-ready dialplan, without changing a line.
>
>
> Suggestions ?
It's a novel idea.

Previously, I've always had a parallel, weaker test system. (these
day, systems are so good you could just use a virt).

When I want to test out time conditions, I build them there and change
the hardware clock, then restart asterisk as playing with the hardware
clock seems to screw up playing messages. In this manner I'm really
testing the time conditions, with copy and paste-able dialplan.

On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 12:23:22AM +0100, Olivier wrote:
> 
> Today, this IVR is using function AEL GotoIfTime in several places.
> The problem is if it's 11pm at the moment I'm testing this IVR, I
can't
> nicely test the 9am or 2pm branch.
> 
> Suggestions ?
How about setting, say, LUNCHTIME to "23:00-23:59" and using
GotoIfTime(${LUNCHTIME},...) until you're ready to go live?

I try to do this when there are multiple GotoIfTime's referencing
the same interval in a dialplan.  Companies change their minds about
things like lunch times, working hours, shift changes all the time,
and this makes it easier to change down the road.

--Barry

On Friday 18 December 2009 11:17:24 Steve Edwards wrote:
> On Fri, 18 Dec 2009, Tilghman Lesher wrote:
> > The syntax is actually:
> >
> > Set(TESTTIME()=2009-12-25 10:35:00 CST)
>
> 1) Does this set the "time" to a fixed value or does it set the
time at
> the point of execution and then the "clock" increments from
there?
It sets a fixed value.
> 2) Does this only affect gotoiftime() or does it affect every time value
> associated with the executing channel?
Right now, it only affects GotoIfTime.  Making it affect all places without
making it global (which kind of defeats the purpose) might be rather
difficult, as the channel reference is not handed down to every utility
function involving time.

-- 
Tilghman Lesher
Digium, Inc. | Senior Software Developer
twitter: Corydon76 | IRC: Corydon76-dig (Freenode)
Check us out at: www.digium.com & www.asterisk.org