Table Of Contents
Installing and Using the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor
Installing the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Software
Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Window
Using Steps from the Palette Pane
Using Basic Built-in Variable Types
Exporting Variables using Parameters
Using Expression Input Formats
Using Operators with the Expression Editor
Installing and Using the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor allows you to create and validate scripts for handling calls that reach the auto attendant application. The chapters in this document provide the following information about the script creation process:
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This chapter and "Advanced Scripting Techniques" describe the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor software and scripting techniques.
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This chapter describes how to install and use the interface and features of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor and contains the following topics:
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Overview
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor is a visual programming environment for creating auto attendant application scripts. You can use the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor on any PC with Microsoft Windows software.
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor simplifies script development by providing blocks of contact-processing logic in easy-to-use Java-based steps. Each step has its own unique capabilities, such as simple incrementing, generating and playing out prompts, and obtaining user input.
Although the steps are written in Java, you do not need to understand Java programming to build a Cisco Unity Express script. You can assemble a script by dragging step icons from a palette on the left pane of the workspace to the design area on the right pane of the workspace.
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor supplies the code required to connect the steps; you provide the variable definitions and other parameters. You can validate the completed script directly in the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor.
Installing the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Software
Use a web browser to download the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor installation program from Cisco.com or install the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor from the Cisco Unity Express Application Software CD.
Prerequisites
To use the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor, install one of the following operating systems:
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Procedure
Follow these steps to install the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor software:
Step 1
The InstallShield Wizard appears and begins extracting files for the installation. (This process may take a few minutes.)
Step 2
The Software License Agreements dialog box appears.
Step 3
The Choose Destination Location dialog box appears.
Step 4
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The Select Program Folder dialog box appears.
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The Choose Folder dialog box appears.
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The Choose Folder dialog box closes, and the destination appears in the Choose Destination Location dialog box.
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The Select Program Folder dialog box appears.
Step 5
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Step 6
The Start Copying Files dialog box appears.
Step 7
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The InstallShield Wizard closes, and the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor is installed at the indicated destination.
Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Window
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor provides a means to develop a wide variety of interactive scripts.
To start the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor, use the following path:
Start > Programs > Cisco CUE Developer > Cisco CUE Editor
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window appears, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Window
Table 2 describes the four panes of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window:
Table 2 Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Window
Palette pane
Use the Palette pane to choose the steps you need to create your script. See "Palette Pane" for a description of this pane.
Design pane
Use the Design pane to create your script. See "Design Pane" for a description of this pane.
Debug pane
Use the Debug pane to view messages when you are validating a script. See "Debug Pane" for a description of this pane.
Variable pane
Use the Variable pane to create, modify, and view variables for your script. See "Variable Pane" for a description of this pane.
The following sections describe other features of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window:
Using the Menu Bar
The following sections describe the menu bar options in the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window.
File Menu Options
Use File menu options to perform a variety of tasks with files as shown in Table 3:
Edit Menu Options
Use Edit menu options to perform various editing tasks as shown in Table 4:
Table 4 Edit Menu Options
Undo
Undoes last action
Redo
Redoes last action
Cut
Cuts selected items
Copy
Copies selected items
Paste
Pastes selected items
Tools Menu Options
The only Tools menu option is Validate.
Use the Validate menu option to check that your script sequence and your step properties usage conform to the general syntax that the Cisco Unity Express Script Engine requires.
Window Menu Options
Use Window menu options to control how multiple files appear in the Design pane as shown in Table 5:
Help Menu Options
Use Help menu options to obtain more information about Cisco Unity Express Script Editor screens, fields, and software as shown in Table 6:
Using the Toolbar
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor toolbar provides icons you click to choose some of the same options available from the Menu bar. (See Figure 2.)
Figure 2 Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Toolbar
Table 7 describes the function of each numbered tool on the toolbar shown in Figure 2.
Palette Pane
The Palette pane of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor contains all the steps available for developing scripts. (See Figure 3.)
Figure 3 .Cisco Unity Express Script Editor Palette Pane
For complete descriptions of the steps in every palette pane category, go to:
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Using Steps from the Palette Pane
To display the contents of a palette, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the palette icon in the Palette pane.
To create your script, click a step in the Palette pane and drag it on top of the step that it should follow in the Design pane. Each step performs a specific function and creates a portion of the underlying programming. You can customize most of the steps once you have placed them in the Design pane.
Your cursor will display the international prohibited sign until you move a step into a location that the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor allows.
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Design Pane
The Design pane of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor is the location where you perform the largest portion of your script development.
This section describes the following topics:
Creating a Script
To begin a new script in the Design pane of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window, choose File > New. The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor adds the Start step automatically and provides the starting point to which you add your steps.
To add a step to your script, drag the step icon from the Palette pane and drop it onto the step it will follow in the Design pane. Place the steps in logical order for the script you are building.
To change the order of a step in the script, drag the individual step icon from its old location to its new location. To delete a step, select the step icon and press the Delete key.
To end the script, click the General palette and drag End to your script. The End step appears.
Figure 4 shows an example of how a script displays in the Design pane.
Figure 4 Script Example in the Design Pane
Many steps have output branches under which you add steps to provide desired script logic based on the exit condition of the step.
In Figure 4 above, for example, the Menu step has five output branches:
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Output branches often contain steps and other output branches. In Figure 4, for example, the DialByExtn output branch contains five steps below it, one of which (the Get Digit String step) contains three output branches.
To expand the script under a step, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the step icon. To contract the script under a step, click the minus sign (-) to the left of the step icon.
At run time, each script follows a hierarchical sequence, as indicated by the vertical lines connecting steps. In Figure 4, for example, if the script reaches the Timeout output branch of the Get Digit String step, the script will move to the next step at the level of the Menu step, which, in this example, is the Play Prompt step.
Customizing a Step
You can customize most of the steps in the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor by opening windows called customizer windows. A customizer window contains text fields, called properties, that you can configure to meet the needs of your script. Depending on the step, the properties may be grouped under multiple tabs.
To display the customizer window for a step, perform the following procedure:
Step 1
The Properties popup menu appears. For example, Figure 5 shows the Menu step Properties popup menu.
Figure 5 Properties Popup Menu—Menu Step
Step 2
The customizer window of the step appears. For example, Figure 6 shows the Menu customizer window.
Figure 6 Menu Customizer Window
Step 3
Each customizer window contains four buttons:
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Customizer windows may also have additional buttons that you use to modify and display various properties within a step.
Step 4
Variable Pane
The Variable pane of the Cisco Unit Express Script Editor is the location where you add and modify the variables used by the script. (See Figure 7.)
Variables store data that a script uses when it executes the steps.
Any step in your script can use variables once you define them in the Variable pane of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window. (See Figure 1.)
You can also map variables you define for your script to variables you define in a subflow, which is a set of steps that function as part of another script, called the primary script. A subflow can use and manipulate a variable, then return the data that is stored in the variable to the primary script. Scripts cannot share variables with other scripts, except in the case of default scripts, in which the primary script automatically transfers the values of its variables to a default script.
The value of a variable can change during execution.
This section includes the following topics:
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Defining Variables
To define a new variable, click the New Variable icon at the top left corner of the Variable pane of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor window. The Edit Variable window appears. (See Figure 7.)
Figure 7 Variable Pane and Edit Variable Window
Table 8 describes the function of each tool in the Variable pane.
Table 8 Variable Pane Toolbar Functions
New Variable icon
Delete Variable icon
Modify Variable icon
After you use the Edit Variable window to define your variables, the variables appear in the Variable pane. You can select a variable and use the Modify or Delete icons to make any necessary changes.
Table 9 describes the fields in the Edit Variable window.
Table 9 Edit Variable Properties
Name
Name of the variable you want to declare.
Type
Type of variable you want to declare. See "Using Basic Built-in Variable Types" section for the available variable types.
Java Type
Fully qualified class name located using the CLASSPATH environment variable on your computer.
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Value
Data you initially assign to a variable. The type of data you enter must match the data type you declared in the Type field.
Parameter
If checked, sets the value for this parameter in the auto attendant web interface when you provision applications that use this script.
Using Basic Built-in Variable Types
The following sections describe these basic built-in variable types:
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Boolean
A Boolean variable is either true or false, and is used primarily by the If step in the General palette of the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor.
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Character
A Character variable consists of characters, such as the letters in the alphabet.
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Float
A Float variable consists of decimal numbers.
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Integer
An Integer variable consists of whole numbers, from -2147483648 to 2147483647, inclusive.
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String
A String variable consists of a set of Unicode characters, from "\u0000" to "\uffff" inclusive.
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Date
The Date variable contains date information.
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The parameter specified in between D[] is parsed based on any combination of the following two formats:
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The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor supports four <date> specification formats:
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Time
The Time variable contains time information.
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The parameter specified inside brackets of T[] is parsed based on the format "<time>".
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor supports three <time> specification formats:
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BigDecimal
The BigDecimal variable consists of an arbitrary-precision integer along with a scale, where the scale is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
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BigInteger
The BigInteger variable represents arbitrary-precision integers.
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Double
The Double variable represents an expanded Float variable.
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Long
The Long variable is an expanded Integer variable.
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Exporting Variables using Parameters
You can declare variables as parameters by checking the Parameter check box in the Edit Variables dialog box.
This feature allows you to set the value for a parameter in the auto attendant web interface. Because the value is initialized at configuration time for the script that uses it, you can change the value without having to edit the script in the Cisco Unity Express Script Editor. Such a variable is called an exported variable.
For example, when you add a new automated attendant using the AA Wizard, then Page 2 of the AA wizard (Script Parameters page) provides a list of the parameters with their default or current values. You can modify the values in this list.
The variable types that Cisco Unity Express supports for parameters include Number, Character, String, Boolean, and Prompt.
Expressions
Expressions are useful if you do not know the exact value at design time and instead enter a formula that can be evaluated at run time. The resulting type of the expression must match the expected input type or types (which you check at design time).
Many steps include an Expression Editor (...) button in the customizer window, which you can use to enter an expression. (See Figure 8.)
Figure 8 Expression Editor Button in a Customizer Window Example
You can type an expression directly in the input text field, or click the Expression Editor (...) button to open the Expression Editor. (See Figure 9.)
Figure 9 Expression Editor
You can enter the expression in the text field, or you can use the Variable drop-down menu to get quick access to variables you have previously defined in the script. When you choose a variable from the Variable drop-down menu, the variable name appears in the input text field.
After you enter the expression, click OK.
The Expression Editor closes.
This section includes the following topics:
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Using Expression Input Formats
This section describes the expression input formats for the following variable types:
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Boolean
The expression input format for the Boolean variable is true, false.
Character
The expression input format for the Character variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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Float
The expression input format for the Float variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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The script keeps all Float values in Double representation and typecasts down only when it assigns the value to a Float variable. This feature prevents any loss in precision by how Java stores Float values.
If the script cannot hold the value by a Float, the script automatically stores the value as a BigDecimal and typecasts it to a Float when it assigns the value to a variable, with some loss in precision.
Integer
The expression input format for the Integer variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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The script first parses the value as an Integer. If this attempt is unsuccessful, the script parses the value as a Long. If this attempt fails, the script parses the value as a BigInteger. The script may typecast the value to an Integer when the value is assigned to a variable. If the script cannot represent the value as an Integer, the result may be unknown.
String
The expression input format for the String variable is the same as the variable input format:
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Date
The expression input format for the Date variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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The script parses the parameter specified in between D[] based on any combination of the following two formats:
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The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor supports four <date> specification formats:
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The <time> specification supports the following three formats:
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Time
The expression input format for the Time variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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The script parses the parameter specified inside brackets of T[] on the following three format specifications:
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BigDecimal
The expression input format for the BigDecimal variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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BigInteger
The expression input format for the BigInteger variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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Double
The expression input format for the Double variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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If the script cannot hold the value by a Double, the script automatically stores it as a BigDecimal and typecasts it down to a Double when the script assigns a value to a variable, with some loss in precision.
Long
The expression input format for the Long variable is the same as for its variable input format:
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The script first parses the value as a Long and if it fails, the script parses the value as a BigInteger. The script may typecast the value to a Long when the script assigns the value to a variable. If the script cannot represent the value as a Long, the result may be unknown.
Using Operators with the Expression Editor
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor accepts the following operators, which are listed in order of execution priority:
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Number operands are properly promoted to a valid type before testing.
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Number operands are properly promoted to a valid type before testing.
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Comparison operands work only on String, Character, and Number operands.
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Testing for the <null> constant is supported by the two equality operators.
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If at least one of the operands is a String, and the other one is not a prompt, then the other one is converted to a String using the String.value( ) method and the result is a new String corresponding to the concatenation of the String representation of both operands. Typically the String.valueOf() method simply calls the toString() method of the object being concatenated or returns the string "null" if the object is null.
If the operands are Characters, then they are concatenated together, resulting in a new String.
Debug Pane
Use the Debug pane to validate your script.
The Validation Error messages appear in this pane when a script is validated. Double-clicking the error message takes you to the script step for which the validation failed.
Basic Error Handling
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor allows you to create scripts with a variety of ways to handle errors.
This section describes the two basic ways that scripts can handle errors.
Continue on Prompt Errors
The Continue on Prompt Errors option allows the script to continue to execute when the script receives invalid input (for example, Invalid Audio Format or File Not Found).
The Cisco Unity Express Script Editor provides the Continue on Prompt Errors option in the customizer windows of steps in the Media palette. (See "Media Step Descriptions".) For example, Figure 10 shows the Prompt tab of the Get Digit String customizer window.
Figure 10 Continue on Prompt Errors Option—Prompt Tab of the Get Digit String Customizer Window
When enabled, the step continues with the next prompt in the list of prompts to be played back, or, if it is the last step in the list, it waits for caller input.
When you enable Continue on Prompt Errors, you instruct the script to ignore prompt errors and continue as if the playback of a particular prompt was successful. For example, in a sequence of prompts "1 + 2 + 3", if prompt #1 fails, the step will continue with prompt #2. If prompt #3 fails, the step will continue, waiting for caller input as if prompt #3 had been properly played back.
When you disable Continue on Prompt Errors, the media steps generate an exception, which can then be handled in the script.
Available prompt exceptions are:
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Error Output Branches
Error output branches contain logic that provides instructions on what to do when typical errors occur.
Figure 11 shows error output branches under a Call Redirect step in a script.
Figure 11 Error Output Branches—Call Redirect Step
In this figure, the Call Redirect step includes logic for both an invalid extension and an out-of-service extension.
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