UsersGuide

User's Guide

This guide provides an extremely high-level overview of OpenVXML, and how it fits into the context of a voice platform; it then introduces the OpenVXML Designer and describes the components used in voice application design. After that, it provides a detailed walk through of the steps involved in creating and deploying an application.

The Big Picture (Greatly Simplified)

This diagram illustrates the basic components of an IVR as it is configured when using the open source version of OpenVXML. The application is first created with the OpenVXML Designer; it is then exported and uploaded (as a Web ARchvie, or WAR file) to an Apache Tomcat installation (although it could be any valid Java servlet container). The voice browsers are typically configured to request VXML from the webserver when a caller dials into the system. The VXML instructs the voice browser to play the configured audio files and TTS prompts for the caller, what to expect from the caller as input, and subsequent actions to take based on the caller's response.

One of the ideas behind OpenVXML Designer is to keep the logic separate from the presentation. Given this, there are two main components, the Voice and the Workflow. The Workflow handles the logic and decisions to be made, any sort of database or webservice queries, transfers, the attachment of data, and more generally the basic layout of a callflow. The Voice contains all VUI (voice user interface) resources, such as the audio and grammar files. The Voice is also responsible for playing dynamic data (like an account balance or a date) back to the caller. A Voice is language-specific; a Workflow can be made multilingual by adding a second Voice for the new language.

What's Next?

• Installation
  • Installing the OpenVXML Designer
  • Running OpenVXML for the first time
• Voices
  • Creating a Voice Project
  • Adding Audio Files to a Voice
  • Listening to an Audio File
  • Creating a Grammar File
  • Presenting Dynamic Values
  • Creating Shared Content
• Workflows and Interactive Workflows
  • Workflows
  • Interactive Workflows
  • A Historical Note about Application Fragments
  • Creating a Workflow
  • Creating an Interactive Workflow
  • Opening a Project
• The Editor
  • Adding and Connecting a Module
  • Formatting the Diagram
• Canvases
  • Adding Additional Canvases
  • Deleting a Canvas
  • Renaming a Canvas
• Modules
  • Non-Interactive Modules (Workflows and Interactive Workflows)
    • Script Module
      • Using Java in a Script Module
      • Accessing and Manipulating Business Objects from the Script Module
      • Creating OpenVXML Variables in Script Blocks
      • Using Arrays in a Script Module
      • Using Maps in a Script Module
      • Setting the Brand from a Script Module
      • Setting the Language from a Script Module
      • Accessing URL Parameters from a Script Module
    • Subdialog Module
    • Variable Assignment Module
    • Decision Module
    • Branch Module
    • Portal Exit Module
    • Portal Entry Module
    • Return Module
    • Soap Webservice Module
      • Building the Input Document
      • Processing the Response
      • Processing an XML Response
    • Database Query Module
      • Creating a New Database Object
      • Defining a Database Table
      • Defining a Business Object
      • Adding a Database Query Module
  • Interactive Modules
    • PlayPrompt Module
    • Question Module
      • DTMF and Speech Properties
      • DTMF Only Properties
      • Speech Only Properties
    • Option Set Module
    • Record Module
    • Transfer Module
• Useful Things to Know
  • Deploying OpenVXML Web Applications
  • Variable Propagation
  • Dealing with Sensitive Data
  • Debugging Tips and Techniques
  • Setting Default Values
    • Workspace Defaults
    • Project Defaults
    • Defaults in the Workflow
    • Defaults and Brands
  • DataTypes