[Asterisk-Dev] Is ast_channel_setwhentohangup() good for Prepaid Service?

[Umar Sear]

>Hi,

>I've been looking through the calling card sources and stripped it
>down to
>a basic functionality (read rates from config file, read initial
>credit
>from config file) - I'm working on a MySQL version on this - just for
my
>own use...

>So when someone calls a given extension, it calculates the number of
>minutes they can talk for and sets the channel timeout using
>ast_channel_setwhentohangup() (as was in the original sources).

>My question is that this timeout we set starts counting down from >when
we
>make that ast_channel_setwhentohangup() "system call" and not from
>when
>the actual callee picks up.  In addition, I'm interested in finding
>out
>the time the user spent on the call so I can update their credit >(this
>will not be in the config file tho ;-)).

>Does anyone have a pointer or function I should look at that will >tell
me
>when a user picks up so I can start counting (maybe one that takes
>pointers to functions in my code which are called when they pick up /
>hangup?)

>I've searched the Asterisk-Dev archives from 1st Jan 1970 ;-) till >now
>according to http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-dev/ and
>haven't
>found much that's similar. I'd really appreciate any help.

App dial has it's own timeout, which disconnects the call after the
specified time, starting from when the call was bridged (ie: answered)

I use that instead. 

>Thanks!
>Gerald.