[Asterisk-Dev] Re: External Call Control/ CTI

[TC]

Tom
That is what I have been calling 'Plugable" manager interfaces

> Regarding call control, the issue is not really buying an external
> application. It is really the fact that I already have an external
> application that is fully mature. Rewriting it to FIT into asterisk does
> not make sense. It would be a better use of resources to make an external
> call control interface to asterisk to allow the existing code to work. The
> benefit is that other CTC Client (CT Connect) applications can then use
> asterisk as a backend. THis would be useful even as a demonstration
> platform. You could being asterisk on a laptop with a 323 phone and route
> calls around rather than hauling a circuit switched platform around.

I had the same type of request
what I found to be quite nice approach is
1) copy manager.c down to the apps directory rename the API's
    & turn it into a app   that has permenent thread that listens on a
socket.
    Now just modify
    the cmd syntax that manager.c understands to your own CT control app
    and take all those internal manager_events & reformat them to your
control app
    and if ya like cascade the events back upto the manager interface to
maintain std
    manager functionality...

2) over ride the Manager.c manager_event with a function ptr so you can
install
    you own event handler, default is the existing manager_event


see this post
http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-dev/2003-December/002481.html

nice this about CT as an app is that asterisk is designed for load able apps
and a interesting side feature your CT API can be called from the dial plan
as well as connecting to the socket listener interface