[asterisk-dev] Customizable Voicemail Menu

[Sean Bright]

Giuseppe Sucameli wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm Giuseppe Sucameli and I'm taking part to GSoC 2009 for the Asterisk
> Project.

Hi Giuseppe!

> The alternative application minivm adds some degree of configurability,
> but this has to go in the dialplan configuration file, which may not be
> available to unprivileged users. In any case, mixing the voicemail and
> dialplan
> configuration is undesirable in terms of managing configuration files.

I'm not really sure why you would necessarily want the voicemail menu
configuration to be available to non-privileged users.  Also, I don't
see why "mixing the voicemail and dialplan configuration" is any more
complex from a management standpoint than throwing:

    #include "voicemail-menus.conf"

at the bottom of my extensions.conf.

> We can keep the voicemail configuration separate  from the dialplan,
> so the dialplan writer will only have to dispatch the call, and the
> voicemail
> config will do the rest.
> Then one can import/write/modify the voicemail config without having to
> bother (or needing to have permission) to touch the dialplan itself.

So the idea is that users (of the voicemail system) can modify the menu
layouts for themselves?  Or just that a non-privileged user on the
server could be made able to change voicemail menu layout?

>> voicemail_menu.conf.txt
>                is an example of config file to customize the voicemail menu

One of my main concerns with this sample configuration is that we are
talking about adding another domain specific language to asterisk
(extensions.conf and AEL2 being the two biggies that spring to mind).  I
am sure that when this project is all said and done, the
voicemail.conf.sample file will have a functionally equivalent menu
layout to what the VoicemailMain() application provides today, but in
order to get in and modify it you are going to need to know another
specialized set of statements, commands, and conventions.  This also
means that we are going to need year another DSL parser in the codebase.
 I really am curious to know how much of the current VoiceMailMain
application could be duplicated in dialplan with MiniVM rather than with
a new DSL and overhaul of app_voicemail.so (although it is in dire need
of that... but for different reasons :)). I have a feeling it could be
done with fairly little effort, even if a few new MiniVM applications or
functions needed to be cooked up.  I clearly am not someone you need to
convince, but I'm just not really seeing how this is that big of a win
over what we have today.

> Thanks for your attention.

I hope you don't take my comments too negatively.  It's great to have
you aboard! :-)

Thanks,
-- 
Sean Bright
sean.bright at gmail.com