[asterisk-users] Find me macro - calling multiple people to get a hold of one

[Wiebe Cazemier]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wiebe Cazemier" <wiebe at halfgaar.net>
> To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> Sent: Wednesday, 4 November, 2015 5:24:38 PM
> Subject: [asterisk-users] Find me macro - calling multiple people to get a	hold of one
> 
> Hi list,
> 
> We're trying to set up a phone number that customers can call to get a hold
> of anyone of a group of sysadmins (and not their voice mails!). We found the
> findme example ([1]) that makes the callees press 1 to accept the call. It
> almost works, but it doesn't work correctly when one of the callees, the
> sysadmins, hangs up after accepting the call.
> 
> We're using this 'screen' macro:
> 
> ==============================
> [default]
> exten => _9999XXXXXXXXXX,1,Dial(SIP/bla/${EXTEN:4},40,M(screen))
> exten => _9999XXXXXXXXXX,2,Hangup
> 
> [macro-screen]
> exten => s,1,Wait(1)
> exten => s,n,Background(press-1)
> exten => s,n,WaitExten(10) ; the value is the Wait time before we assume the
> call is not accepted
> exten => 1,1,NoOp(Caller accepted) ; Do not set MACRO_RESULT to anything to
> connect the caller
> exten => t,1,Playback(weasels-eaten-phonesys) ; if you're too late with
> pressing 1
> exten => t,n,Set(MACRO_RESULT=CONTINUE)
> 
> [findme]
> exten =>  s,1,Set(CALLERID(all)="Alarm" <911>)
> same  =>   n,Playback(please-wait-connect-oncall-eng)
> same  =>   n,Dial(LOCAL/9999${WIEBE_MOBILE})
> same  =>   n,Playback(vm-nobodyavail)
> exten  =>  t,1,Playback(vm-nobodyavail)
> =============================
> 
> First of all, what is MACRO_RESULT? I can't seem to find anything about that.
> Googling for it yields basically nothing.
> 
> But the biggest problem is when the callee answers, then hangs up. The person
> calling is connected to the phone that hangs up, instead of hearing
> 'vm-nobodyavail'. This seems to be because there is nothing that sets
> MACRO_RESULT in that event (it's only set on 't', timeout).
> 
> I tried adding:
> 
> exten => h,1,Verbose(0,"The callee hung up")
> exten => h,n,Set(MACRO_RESULT=CONTINUE)
> 
> to handle the hangup (h), but it's not doing that.
> 
> WaitExten() pushes the result back on the stack and restarts the context,
> right? So what is the result when the person hangs up?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Wiebe
> 
> 
> 
> [1] http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Asterisk+tips+findme
> 

It appears that [1] lucked out in that it may sometimes work. WaitExten() doesn't work in a macro and has no option to supply the context it runs in. The '1' extension defined there is never called.

You can use Background() instead, but you have to play something that is long enough so people have time to press a button; then you don't need WaitExten(). Background() has documented behavior with regards to macros. It calls extensions in the calling context, except if you give the context as option:

  exten => s,n,Background(emergency&lines-complaining-customers&press-1&press-1&press-1&press-1&press-1&press-1&press-1,,,macro-screen)

But then still, more problems. The 1 and 4 extensions work, but 2 doesn't; it hangs up. I really don't get that.

=====================================
  exten => 1,1,Verbose(0,"1 pressed")
  exten => 1,n,NoOp(Caller accepted) ; Do not set MACRO_RESULT to anything to connect the caller
                                                                                              
  exten => 4,1,Verbose(0,"4 pressed")
  exten => 4,n,NoOp(Caller accepted) ; Do not set MACRO_RESULT to anything to connect the caller

  ; This doesn't seem to work. It goes to hangup, in the default context                        
  exten => 2,1,Verbose(0,"2")                                                                   
  exten => 2,n,Set(MACRO_RESULT=CONTINUE)
=====================================

And I still have the problem that if I hang up instead of pressing 1, the caller gets connected to that disconnected line. There doesn't seem to be any extension I can put in my macro that responds to the hangup. Not e (exception), i (invalid), h (hangup), etc.

Normally, Background() restarts the current context with the result on the stack. But when you hang up, it just SEEMS to return with a non-zero exit code, yet not continue with the 's' extension. Is it possible to make it continue with the dial plan?