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<TT>Hi!<BR>
<BR>
<FONT COLOR="#fb5409">> Does * have the capability to screen calls? IOW, if someone calls in from <BR>
> outside (ie. not a local extension), can * ask the calling party to state <BR>
> their name, record it, ring the recipient, play the caller's name for the <BR>
> recipient, then give the recipient the choice of answering or forcing the <BR>
> call to voice mail?</FONT><BR>
<BR>
Hm, just an idea:<BR>
<BR>
- enable recording (see application "monitor")<BR>
- answer the incoming call<BR>
- playback an annoncement and request the user to speak the name, <BR>
followed by some digit to end the recording<BR>
- on key press issue a StopMonitor (you'll need an AGI script for this)<BR>
- transfer the person to call parking (or into a conference room with <BR>
MOH)<BR>
- call the target and use playback the file recorded with monitor<BR>
- now announce the call park number (where would you get that from?), or <BR>
allow the target to administrate (how?) the conference room<BR>
- create an extension that triggers another AGI script that hangs up on <BR>
the caller if the target doesn't want to talk, or let the target use <BR>
astman/gastman<BR>
<BR>
Sounds a bit complicated, I admit.<BR>
<BR>
Cheers, Philipp</TT>
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<BR>
Or, you could apply my patch, that I've been upgrading on the asterisk bug site.<BR>
Check <A HREF="http://bugs.digium.com/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000752">http://bugs.digium.com/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000752</A><BR>
<BR>
See if the drawbacks outweigh the features. I'm working on it right now, have a few<BR>
things I need to conquer, but it does work if you play music on hold during the dial,<BR>
and everyone stays away from the # key.<BR>
<BR>
As to what the stock Asterisk supplies for call screening ("Privacy"):<BR>
<BR>
Already built into asterisk is the "privacy" app, which forces the caller to enter a 10 digit <BR>
phone number, if they are calling anonymously. Also available are some C routines to<BR>
check the privacy database, and the "privacy" family in the database. Entries in the database<BR>
are by CID, and the value can be ALLOW, DENY, KILL, and TORTURE. Allow means to <BR>
let a caller from a CID straight thru. DENY means to just connect them straight to email.<BR>
KILL means to play them a short "go away and don't come back" type message, and TORTURE<BR>
means to send them to a context that will make them suffer. I've invented on that hoped to<BR>
do something along that line.<BR>
<BR>
And finally, the Dial application allows you the P option, which just basically has code to collect<BR>
the optional database name (if you specify P(dbname)). Here is where I've been playing, and if<BR>
you check the bug number I mentioned above, you'll get all the gory details, but basically it does<BR>
as you hoped.<BR>
<BR>
As a side note, in the area of Caller/Callee anouncing:<BR>
<BR>
A side affect of collecting little "intros" via the privacy option, is that you can use them<BR>
to play the intros over a PA.<BR>
<BR>
I found that if I take the last couple month's logs, and compile a list of folks that have<BR>
called in, and generate (record into a .gsm file) "intros" for them, I can use these intros to <BR>
play their name over a speaker when calls first come in. I play the voicemail greeting wav file<BR>
when they select an extension. Around here, I have 6 kids on one phone, and they<BR>
can't stand the suspense of finding out who a call is for! Pre-recording such intros helps <BR>
reduce the frustration of people calling in, and supplies you with a high hit rate right from<BR>
the start. After that, new callers add their contributions to the list.<BR>
<BR>
murf<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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