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Message Center |
General
The Message Center tool is the main user interface to the Integrated
Notification System. Here you can
All settings, messages and logs are kept in a set of databases found in the installation directory.
The main pane displays all Message Server log entries. Those logs are updated whenever you receive voice mail or faxes through the voice mail cell, or if a caller executes a script. To delete an entry, simply press <DEL> or use the pop-up menu.
To get more information about a list item just double click on it.
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Dbl click to view details or use the right mouse button
for the popup menu
<=Play voice mail |
This screen allows you to create messages and send them.
Under Send via you can select if the message will be sent according
to the user defaults (Entered in contacts) or through
a pre-selected communication link.
The advantage of specifying multiple communication links in contacts is that a message
may be sent using the most appropriate communication link for the time.
It also acts as backup, so that if one link is not available the message will be
send through another.
Pressing SEND will add the message to the outgoing message queue and Message
Server will send it using the appropriate communication device.
Depending on the selected device the message will be
adapted.
You can also modify the sending time so that the message is only send at a later
moment. If you change any of the parameters associated with a contact those parameters
will become the new parameters of this contact.
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<=Message type <=Recipient details
<=Text |
Message Scenarios
The option "Add to scenario" will add this message to a scenario.
Message Scenarios are messages that you can predefine, store in a folder (scenario)
and activate as a group at a later stage. To activate a scenario from MsgCenter
just right-click on the scenario and select "Launch scenario".
You can also activate a scenario through
Send Message or inside a
Send Message cell in a Designer
script.
This option allows you to import and export
the internal contacts database from/to an external CSV (Comma
Separated Value File) file.
All fields must be
separated with semicolon (;), therefore
your import/export text can not contain any other semicolon.
Some samples of an import file can be found under C:\INS\Database\*.csv
It is highly recommended to first export the database, to add the new entries and then to re/import the file. This will ensure that you place the right information into the right column.
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Specify here all users who need to receive your messages.
You can define whether the person receives a message by
SMS, Fax, E-mail or Voice file. Simply define under the Contact Times
when the contact can receive which communication type. If the message can not be sent through the device at 1st preference the 2nd will be used etc. The advantage of specifying multiple communication links for a contact is that a message may be sent using the most appropriate communication link for the time. It also acts as backup, so that if one link is not available the message will be sent through another. |
Note: Script File Before
When sending a voice file to a contact, the system does sometimes not wait until
the call is answered before playing the file.
This problem is due to most voice modems not being able to detect when the other
party has answered the phone.
Hence the voice file is played as soon as the number is dialled.
If you use a predefined contact you can define a "script file before", where you
loop through a WAV file asking the contact "Please press 1 to start listening to
this important message...". So as soon as the contact is ready, he may listen to
the message by pressing a key.
You find a sample script under C:\INS\SampleScripts\VoiceScripts\ScriptFileBefore
that can be modified and used as "script file before".
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Allows creating distribution lists of messages by configuring
contacts into contact lists.
You can add/delete users from a list by dragging the user name to the desired column. To change the name of the list, type the new name in the text box at the top. The name needs to be uppercase and is automatically converted otherwise. By using the
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For an Internet service |
For a dial-up service |
| Name: | Identifies your SMS center |
| For Internet SMSC: |
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| Access ID/Nbr: | If you use our gateway
(Internet) *MAW Software then
you do not need to change those values. Just order your additional credits
using the "Order new internet credits" button under
Tools->Preferences->SMS. For the other
gateways, please enter her the username and APP_ID as communicated to you by the
Internet SMSC |
| Access Password: | Password as communicated to you by the Internet SMSC |
| Supports: |
Features supported by this gateway.
Please do not change those values unless advised by our support. |
| For dial-up SMSC: | |
| Access ID/Nbr: | Access phone number of the SMS center |
| Access Password: | Password of the SMS center |
| COM Parameter: | Serial parameters Baud, Parity, DB, SB. IE 1200,e,7,1 |
| Protocol: | Protocol to use, either XIO/TAP
or UCP Most of the paging services use XIO/TAP while most of the SMS services use UCP. Please contact your local paging company for more information. |
| #Msg: | Maximum number of messages
to be transmitted during one session (As imposed by the SMSC). (0 for no limitation) |
| Connect via modem: | Use a modem to connect to SMS service. (Versus using a local server). |
| Supports: |
Features supported by this gateway.
Please do not change those values unless advised by our support. |
Note: Please contact your local SMS service for more information about the settings for their service.
The Integrated Notification System is designed
to function with any dial-up service provider supporting either the XIO/TAP or the
UCP protocol.
Due to the large number of service providers we do not have the capability to test
them all regularly. We can therefore not guarantee that all providers implement
their services 100% according to the protocol's specification.
If you find one of the providers that is outdated or yours which is not on the list please let us know!
Delivery
Report (SMS)
The MAW Software Internet
gateway (and only this one) allows you to set the option "Delivery Report". With
this option MsgCenter will access every time you open the Sent
folder our server to check the status of the sent SMS messages. If the SMS message has
been confirmed (received by the handset), the corresponding status in MsgCenter
will be updated to reflect this change.
With this you can check if your message has been actually transmitted to the
destination number and if the handset is switched on.
Fax Viewer (Fax->Viewer)
Utility to display faxes.
Fax converter (Fax->Fax converter)
Fax conversion utility. To create off-line faxes you may also use the
fax printer driver and
create them off-line.
If the input file is a ASCII text, BMP, PCX, DCX or TIFF file, the internal
conversion routine is used. With this you may specify additional conversion
features like "Double width", etc. For any other file the registered Windows
application for the file extension is called and instructed to print the file to
the
fax printer driver.
(EG for PDF files Acrobat will be called to print the file). This process is
transparent for the user. If no application is registered for the selected file
extension no conversion is made.
Voice Recorder (Voice->Voice Recorder)
Voice File:
Selects the file for playback or recording.
Record through
Choose to either record though the microphone or to create a file using
Text-to-speech
Playback Device:
Selects the device to be used for playing voice files.
Recording Device:
Selects the device to be used for recording voice files.
Recording Format:
Selects the format to be used for recording voice files.
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Starts the recorder and records to the file selected as
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Starts playback of the file selected as |
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Stops recording or playback |
Modems using the Unimodem/V Telephony Service Provider (TSP) can only work with PCM 8000 Hz, 16 bit Mono wave files. (PCM 8000 Hz, 16 bit Mono). This format is supported by most of the sound recorders available for the Windows operating system. For the Windows SndRec32 just go to File->Properties to change the format.
If you select a different format Message Server will
try to convert it internally to the required format, using the installed CODEC.
For better sound quality you should however record it in the right format at the
beginning.
INS can convert any format for which an associated Windows ACM (Audio
Compression Manager) codec is installed on the PC, including PCM, RIFF-MP3, ADPCM,
GSM, CCIT A Law and µ Law, True Speech(TM), etc. as long as the appropriate codec
is installed.
If you use a voice board and a third party TSP you may use other formats as well.
The Quick Setup Wizard leads you through a set of screens, which help you to set up Message Server for the first time. Once set up you can change the settings under the menu item Tools->Preferences.
The Tools->Preferences tab configures all settings for
INS.
The following tabs are available for configuration:
General Communication Fax(Sending) SMS Voice E-Mail Advanced
Idle time between send attempts (s)
Sets the time interval Message Server waits before trying to re-send failed messages. When a new message is submitted to the queue, it is send immediately.
NOTE: Do not set below 60s to allow the destination to become free (IE if busy).Number of attempts
Number of attempts to send a message. Message Server will reschedule the message Number of attemptstimes if it is unable to confirm that the message has been sent.Outside line dial prefix
Prefix to be added in front of every phone number to get an outside line.Delete Error Log entries after xxx days
Number of days to wait until deleting the old error log entries
If you set this value to 0 no error logs are kept.Delete Script Log entries after xxx days
Number of days to wait until deleting the old script log entries
If you set this value to 0 no script logs are kept.Delete Messages after xxx days
Number of days to wait until deleting the old messages (incoming and sent/failed)
If you set this value to 0 no incoming messages and no failed messages are kept. Messages that are not yet sent will still be visible. If a message is used to send a file and the message is deleted, then the file is also deleted unless you unselect the Also delete attachments checkbox.Show readme.txt when opening designer script
This option makes Designer to display the file readme.txt when opening a script.Security
Here you can protect the access to the critical system functions. If you enter a password under Access password, this password must be entered the next time the functions(s) checked are called. This password is case sensitive. If you use this function then make sure to always also set the password for Preferences, as otherwise a user can change the password.
As the password is stored on the server, this setting will apply for all clients.
Communication
(See also communication devices)
Here you can allocate the communication devices (modems, voice boards) connected to your computer to the different channels.
Each device can only be used once as they may be needed anytime.There are eleven channel types you can configure:
General
Test
Starts a test sequence to confirm the selected device type and its fitness for the selected channel.Detect Lines
Searches for a suitable device, which can be used by INS.Init String
Initialization string to send to the modem every time the modem needs to be reset. This string will be sent after the internal init string ATZ. (Ignored if empty)Scan interval
Time interval to scan the inbox (SMS or E-mail) for new messages or to trigger the Timer.Script
Pressing thebutton will open Designer and allows you to modify the script allocated to the channel.
Type: SMS Incoming/outgoing SMS through handset
Select here the port your mobile phone is attached to, either through a cable or an IR connection. This setting is used when synchronizing the handset SMS inbox with the INS inbox and when sending SMS through a direct link. Choose here the virtual modem driver installed for your mobile phone. This driver should be installed by Windows as soon as you connect the mobile to the computer. Otherwise choose the option "detect new hardware" in the Windows control panel. If you set this value to (None) you will be unable to import anything from the mobile or to send a SMS through the mobile phone.
The default speed for most mobile phones is 9600 Bds, but there are some that require 19200 Bds or lower. If your mobile phone does not seem to work with 9600 Bds you may need to change this value.
If your GSM modem does not come with a driver, you may configure a Windows standard driver "Standard 9600 Bds modem" and point it to the COM port your GSM is attached to.
If you make sure that the auto-baud feature of your GSM modem is turned on, the modem will adapt its speed to the required value.
E-Mail: Incoming/Outgoing E-Mail
Select here the profile to use for sending/receiving e-mails. If you use MS Outlook select your profile name from the list. If you use another MAPI compliant application (IE Netscape, Thunderbird, etc) select (MAPI enabled). (To use Netscape you need to enable its MAPI setting under Edit->Preferences->Mail&Newgroups).
To retrieve the messages of your POP3 mailbox select (POP / SMTP Mail) and enter the appropriate settings.
This setting is then used when synchronizing your E-mail box inbox with the INS inbox and for sending E-mails.For outgoing e-mail messages you may also send HTML encoded text.
VOICE: Incoming Voice/Fax calls
Answer phone after xxx rings
Selects the number of rings before answering the phone. For Caller ID display you should leave this value at least at two as the caller information is transmitted between the first and second ring.Wait xxx (s) for FAX signal
Sets the number seconds to wait for the detection of a fax signal. The fax signal is defined by 700ms of a high pitch and 3000ms of silence. For INS to be able to detect at least one full period before starting the script you need to set this value to around 4-8s.
If this value is greater than 0, then INS will also listen to FAX later in the script. After the initial detection period, INS will listen every time it waits for the caller to enter a key or while recording a voice file. Therefore you may also direct your callers to start sending a fax during the execution of the script.
FAX: Incoming Fax calls
If you specify a valid FAX script (*.fsc), the script is called after the FAX reception finished. If you do not select a script, the FAX is received and stored, but no further action is taken.
Use internal fax engine for faxing (Preferred method)
Station ID: You station identification to be transmitted to the remote station
Header Line: Header line to be used when sending a fax. The following replacement characters may be used:
Tag Description
$D today's date in MM/DD/YY format, always 8 characters
$I station ID, variable length
$N total number of pages, variable length
$P current page number, variable length
$T current time in HH:MMpm format, always 7 charactersUse E-mail for faxing
Uses MsMail for sending faxes (The MsMail Fax service needs to be installed on the post office).Use Fax application
Defines an external fax application to be started when sending a fax. This application will be called with a command string in the formAppName FaxNbr CoverSheet Message
FaxNbris the fax number for the desired contact as specified in Contacts.CoverSheetis the filename of the specified coversheet andMessageis a string containing the actual message.
Sender ID
Your own mobile phone number that will be sent as Sender ID (if supported by the SMSC, not used for XIO SMSC)Mobile phone character set
Character set to use when communication with the mobile phone
Allow Key Ahead
Enable/Disable keying ahead of DTMF signals (Keys pressed on the phone pad)Confirm Message Key
When sending a message as voice file or script, the user presses this key to confirm the message. Allowed keys are 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,* or #.
If this field is empty, no confirmation is necessary, all messages are then automatically confirmed."Get Number" cell
Defines which key leads to the SUCCESS path and which to the FAIL path for the Get Number cell.Silence detection
Specifies here after which time (in 100ms steps) of silence on the line is closed.
EG with a value of 90 here, INS will wait for 9 seconds of no activity (silence) before closing the line.
To disable silence detection, set this value to 0.Voice File Directory
Directory where all assorted voice files are kept
If you do not specify a drive, the path is taken starting from the application directory.
IEAssorted\WAVbecomesC:\INS\Assorted\WAVPlay Beep after messages
Play a beep after sending a message as voice fileSpeak only CAP characters
If the voice file message consist of a chain of characters speak only the uppercase charactersVoice recording format
Allows you to change the recording format of the voice files. Do not change this value unless advised my MAW Software Ltd.
(See also Voice file formats)
Export Voice Mail/ Fax
When this option is selected Message Server will copy all incoming messages (Voice mails and faxes) to your MS Outlook profile. This allows you to listen to your voice mail from within your e-mail application. The voice mails are stored as attachment in the Inbox.External Mail Reader
External mail reader to use to display e-mail messages. (IE MS Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird)Default Mail sending subject
The subject to use when sending e-mails that do not already have a subject.
MsgServer starts with MsgCenter
If selected, this option will start
Message Server automatically
every time Message Center starts.
MsgService runs inside of MsgServer
If selected, MsgService will run as part of the
MsgServer application and not as Windows service.
MsgService runs as separate service and starts with
MsgServer
If selected, MsgServer.exe will try to start the
associated Service (MsgService) on its start-up. It will also stop the service
again on its shutdown.
MsgService runs as separate service and starts with
Windows
If selected, the associated Service (MsgService)
will start during the Windows start-up and stop during a Windows shutdown.
IPC
Those settings are used for the inter process communication between the INS
processes (MsgService, MsgServer and MsgCenter). By changing the IP addresses
you may for instance run one of those processes on another computer.
Please note that by changing those settings to a wrong value, the
application may not work anymore!
Record system log file
If selected Message Server will keep a log file of all its activities.
This option is very helpful for trouble shooting or for confirmation of actions
taken by the system. The log is saved to a file called SYSTEM.LOG in the main
program directory.
Max log file size xxx kB
Restricts the size of the SYSTEM.LOG. After exceeding this size the current
system log is backed up and a new log is created.
The Call Simulator gives you the option to simulate an incoming
call. This is very useful if you want to test your voice scripts. When
Message Service is running
you can click on Dial which will simulate a ring sequence. Once the communication
device has answered the call you can listen to the voice prompts and simulate the
keys pressed by a caller. When you select Hangup the connection is interrupted,
similar as if a caller hangs up.
You can select the line to test by changing the "Testing Line" combo box; here you
find all enabled incoming lines listed.
The simulator can only be used to test voice scripts. Text scripts should be tested
“on-line”
