Extended Get Key

This Telephony tool step accepts telephone keypad presses from a caller and takes an exit path based on those keys. This step also listens for a fax tone. This tool is often used in IVR handlers and subroutines to gather a caller’s response to a prompt.

Use the Get Key tool if you just want to collect one key press and don’t want to detect tones.

Inputs

Call Identifier

The unique identifier for a call.

Valid Keys

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 are the keys a caller may enter. You can change these keys using the Expression Editor Assistant.

Escape Keys

"*" is the escape key. When a caller presses the escape key, this step stops accepting caller input and takes the Escape exit path. Change these keys using the Expression Editor Assistant.

Termination Keys

"#" is the termination key for this step. This step immediately stops waiting for key input when this key is pressed and exits through the Success exit path. If the caller presses the termination key before entering any other keys, this tool takes the Success exit path. The termination key appears in the Digits output key if it was included in the Valid Keys input. Otherwise, the  Digits output variable is empty.

Maximum number of Keys

The maximum number of keys this step accepts before taking the Successful exit path.

Maximum Inter-Digit Delay

The number of seconds to allow between key presses before this step takes the Success exit path. The default is 2.5 seconds. The Inter-Digit delay is not counted until the caller presses the first key. If the inter-digit delay expires, the tool will exit via the Success exit path with an output of whatever digits the caller pressed up to that point.

Note for the following Tone Detection parameters: The default values for the next 8 settings recognize a standard fax tone. In almost all cases, you do not need to change the default settings. If you want to detect a tone other than a fax device, refer to the documentation for the device generating the tone. Also see the topic on Tones.

Tone Detection Frequency 1 in Hertz

1100 To disable Fax tone detection, set this to 0.

Permissible deviation in Tone Detection Frequency 1

50

Tone Detection Frequency 2 in Hertz

0

Permissible deviation in Tone Detection Frequency 2

50

Timeout

The total number of seconds after audio is played for any keys to be entered before this tool takes the Timeout exit path. The default for this parameter is 20 seconds. If you are using this Extended Get Key step simply to flush any queued audio, set this value to 0 seconds. You should not set this value to zero unless you are flushing audio. The maximum value for this tool is 600 seconds. Any value specified greater than 600 will cause this tool to wait for 600 seconds.

This tool accepts a caller's key presses while the audio is being played.

Attribute to monitor as a termination event

This optional parameter specifies the name of an attribute to be monitored during the operation of this tool. If the value of this attribute changes during the Extended Get Key operation, the tool will exit taking the Attribute exit path.

Suppress logging of the input digits

Set this to True if you do not want the input digits to be recorded in the trace file. This should be done if the digits being entered are security-related digits, such as PINs or passwords.

Interaction ID for the attribute monitor

This optional parameter specified the interaction ID associated with the attribute to monitor.

Repeat queued plays if audio interruption is encountered?

If set to true, queued plays are repeated if audio is interrupted (a voice mail greeting is detected).

Outputs

Keys

This is the variable that holds the caller’s key input. This variable is empty if the caller pressed the termination key without entering any digits.

Exit Paths

Success

This step takes the Success exit path if the digits are received. If the caller pressed the termination key (#) without entering any digits, this tool takes the Success exit path and the Digits output variable is empty.

Escape

This step takes the Escape exit path if the caller presses the configured escape key.

Tone

This step takes the Tone exit path if it detects the tone specified by the Tone parameters on the Inputs pages.

Timeout

This step takes the Timeout exit path if no keys are pressed within the amount of time allotted in the Timeout parameter on the Inputs page. The GetQueueAnnouncement handler, which uses this tool step and calls the GetDigit function in Telephony Services, also takes this exit path if it encounters an error and terminates with an unknown reason.

Failure

This tool can take the Failure exit path for several reasons. Failure can occur if the call disconnects, if the call is picked up by a user (and is no longer under the control of the handler), the call ID is no longer valid (if the call is deallocated), or system resource limitation.

Attribute

This path is taken if an attribute that has been set to be monitored changes during the operation of this tool.