[Asterisk-Users] PHP Gui for Asterisk (AGI questions)

Tue Mar 18 01:00:47 MST 2003

Chris you seem to like the things I hate the most! LOL
About the only thing I hate worse then XML for config
files is using M4 for any-e-thing at all!!! <grin> Your
a sick man, you just seem to love needless steps in editing
a config file!  I'll stick to Macros, myself.

Chris Albertson wrote:

>Parcers running even on older PC hardware can parce XML faster
>than the characters can pass under the read/write head of the
>disk.  The speed difference between XML and non-XML is due only
>t the extra character count.  Modern parcers are very good.
>CPU cycles are not a good argument.  
>
>Where XML is usfull is where you have several programs that need
>to read the same data files and do different things with the same
>data.  And the data is non-triveal complexity And the programs
>that read the data are maintained by different organizations.
>
>XML has pretty much taken over B2B e-commerce.  XML formatted
>invoices and so on...  One program might apply a style to the
>invoice so it can be printed an other might log it to a database
>
>
>Ok, I admit .conf files that descibe telephony hardware connected
>to a PC don't need to be XML.  What else but Asterisk would read these
>files?
>
>The dail plan is different.  IMO data about users, their phone
>extension(s) physical location, name, authenication info (passwords)
>and other personal data needs to go in an on-line data storage system.
>Call it a RDBMS, LDAP server or even an NIS map.
>
>Sepporate from the above is the flow of control that a call takes.
>(ring phone(s), answer or go to voice mail or secritary)  You 
>should only have to define how a "type-D' phone flows once then
>in the above on-line database simple note that the extension
>is of "type-D"
>
>extensions.conf combines the above two types of information.
>A typical medium sized company would have many repeted blocks
>difering only by extension number in extensions.conf 
>
>The best thing might be to seporate the two types of data.
>The simple thing to do is use a preprocessor like M4.
>Defin a macro for a "type-D" phone and then have lines like
>
>   extn-type_D(6578)
>   extn-type_D(6579)
>
>Then to change the flw of control for all 100 extension you
>only have to change the macro definition.  Still you are keeping
>two diferent kinds of data in the same file but at least you've
>"factored out" the redundent information
>
>
>--- Peter Brown <peterabrown at froggy.com.au> wrote:
>  
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>XML may be the latest but it also adds latency to the whole process -
>>for
>>what benefit?
>>
>>It looks better, we are using the latest technology? If a wheel
>>barrow will
>>do the job why get a D9 Tractor?
>>
>>No flame wars pls, just my 2cents worth.
>>
>>Peter
>>
>>At 19:00 17/03/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>I hate to say do it Microsoft's way; but they FINALLY came around
>>>      
>>>
>>with
>>    
>>
>>>Win2003 to storing the web server config in XML; and after revisions
>>>      
>>>
>>of
>>    
>>
>>>registry storage (basically param=value format), then metabase with
>>>inheritance issues (custom format, no tools to edit) and now they
>>>      
>>>
>>went XML.
>>    
>>
>>>I've always liked the apache layout (although I make a living on
>>>      
>>>
>>IIS) - This
>>    
>>
>>>new XML one, although I haven't played with it much yet, looks like
>>>      
>>>
>>the way
>>    
>>
>>>*ALL* configs should be.  Not that IIS config is the way - but XML.
>>>
>>>As was said, other editors can do it, there's components (windows
>>>      
>>>
>>and *nix
>>    
>>
>>>based) to parse xml readily available, etc.
>>>
>>>I've said for a long time xml is NOT the be all and end all like
>>>      
>>>
>>people
>>    
>>
>>>profess, and it's ended up doing things that there's no reason to do
>>>      
>>>
>>-
>>    
>>
>>>however for config files it looks like a great answer.
>>>
>>>Steve Radich - Colocation / Virtual Dedicated / Dedicated Servers 
>>>BitShop, Inc. - http://www.bitshop.com - $149/month colo special
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Chris Albertson [mailto:chrisalbertson90278 at yahoo.com] 
>>>Sent: Monday, March 17, 2003 5:23 PM
>>>To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
>>>Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] PHP Gui for Asterisk (AGI questions)
>>>
>>>
>>>I think the way to go with conf. file for Asterisk is XML.
>>>
>>>When I first saw the Asterisk conf files I wondered if Eric 
>>>Allman had found a new job working on Asterisk. (That's
>>>a joke for those of you who have had to maintain a sendmail
>>>installation.  sendmail.cf is the definition of cryptic)  
>>>
>>>Some advantages of XML:
>>>
>>>1) Parsers and file editors already exist for XML.  Users could
>>>  edit files with ready made GUI tools, programmers can use
>>>  XML with XML libraries.  There are even web-based tools for
>>>  maintaining XML data.  
>>>
>>>2) Parsers and file editors can perform file validation.  Making
>>>  it not-possible to save an invalid file.
>>>
>>>3) (some) Database systems can gobble up XML and spit it back
>>>  out.  Yes, I think the DBMS idea was resonable for a large
>>>  installation.  Overkill if less then say a few hundred
>>>  extensions.  Large sites like to manage phone extension and,
>>>  extension to physical location maping and other stuff in a DBMS.
>>>
>>>4) XML (with addition of a style sheet) can be directly displayed
>>>  in a web browser
>>>
>>>5) Without a GUI and/or wrb front end the system will remain 
>>>  only "geek usable".  (Your average "phone guy" doesn't know
>>>  how to use vi.)
>>>
>>>6) XML readers can ignor parts of the XML file they don't
>>>      
>>>
>>understand.
>>    
>>
>>>  This allows one file to carry information for multiple readers
>>>  ad for new additions too the file not to break older readers.
>>>
>>>--- Steven Critchfield <critch at basesys.com> wrote:
>>>      
>>>
>>>>On Mon, 2003-03-17 at 11:36, Stefano Finetti wrote:
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>I was wondering about a little php-based GUI to manage Asterisk
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>Extensions.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>Many way to obtain this, but i think that implementing in a php
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>script the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>AGI Commands should obtain the best results (more, the best
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>result
>>    
>>
>>>>would
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>come with AGI+Mysql instead of a text file like extensions.conf
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>but...).
>>>>
>>>>Text files would be better than a database since you could comment
>>>>        
>>>>
>>on
>>    
>>
>>>>what you are trying to do with a text file. Also a text file can
>>>>        
>>>>
>>be
>>    
>>
>>>>munged easier than a database when a change in argument format
>>>>        
>>>>
>>comes
>>    
>>
>>>>out
>>>>such as the function style of calling apps in asterisk. Maybe if
>>>>        
>>>>
>>you
>>    
>>
>>>>need webbased configuration you could make a script that held your
>>>>working copy either in a flat file or text file , then generated a
>>>>new
>>>>extensions.conf file as you commit changes. Once commited, you
>>>>        
>>>>
>>make a
>>    
>>
>>>>call to asterisk to reload via the manager port. 
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>The problem is that I've tried to understand *where* and *how*
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>apply AGI
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>commands, without, of course, any good result.
>>>>>
>>>>>In which way AGI commands are passed to asterisk?
>>>>>Into the console?
>>>>>Executing applications via extensions.conf?
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>AGI commands come from a script invoked by asterisk itself, and
>>>>communicate via STDIN/STDOUT with asterisk.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>-- 
>>>>Steven Critchfield  <critch at basesys.com>
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>Asterisk-Users mailing list
>>>>Asterisk-Users at lists.digium.com
>>>>http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>=====
>>>Chris Albertson
>>> Home:   310-376-1029  chrisalbertson90278 at yahoo.com
>>> Cell:   310-990-7550
>>> Office: 310-336-5189  Christopher.J.Albertson at aero.org
>>> KG6OMK
>>>
>>>__________________________________________________
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>>>      
>>>
>>desktop!
>>    
>>
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>>>
>>>      
>>>
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>>    
>>
>
>
>=====
>Chris Albertson
>  Home:   310-376-1029  chrisalbertson90278 at yahoo.com
>  Cell:   310-990-7550
>  Office: 310-336-5189  Christopher.J.Albertson at aero.org
>  KG6OMK
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do you Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
>http://platinum.yahoo.com
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>  
>