Outbound application questions

[martinf]

Hello,
I have some questions regarding the outbound application I hope you can help me with.

1. What response do I return if the start_url callback post parameters I receive from Plum are invalid? Will Plum retry the start_url callback in this case? If so how many retry attempts will be made by Plum?
2. What response do I return if the result_url callback post params I receive from Plum are invalid? Will Plum retry the result_url callback in this case? If so how many retry attempts will be made by Plum?
3. Can the status attribute of the queuecall XML tag ever indicate a temporary failure as opposed to a permanent failure?
For example, maybe temporarily the call cannot be queued and I must retry the queuecall request from my side.
4. If the start_url callback fails for any reason, does Plum still perform the result_url callback?
5. Does the queuecall xml tag always exist and does said tag always contain a status attribute or do you ever provide a different xml format as a response?
eg: <queuecall status="queued" call_id="XXXXXXXXXXXX">


Best regards,
Martin

[support]

Hi Martin,

Regarding your questions:

1. What response do I return if the start_url callback post parameters I receive from Plum are invalid? Will Plum retry the start_url callback in this case? If so how many retry attempts will be made by Plum?

When a call is queued, a GET request is made to confirm that the start_url exists. This is done to confirm that the platform will be able to correctly begin the call once it is connected. The start_url is the VoiceXML start of the call. When the call is connected, the POST values will be sent to your script, which must return a valid VoiceXML script so that the call can begin. There should never be a situation where "invalid post parameters" are sent to your script.


2. What response do I return if the result_url callback post parameters I receive from Plum are invalid? Will Plum retry the result_url callback in this case? If so how many retry attempts will be made by Plum?

There should never be a situation where "invalid post parameters" are sent to your script. The system ignores the result/response from your server and will never reattempt this request if it fails.


3. Can the status attribute of the queuecall XML tag ever indicate a temporary failure as opposed to a permanent failure?
For example, maybe temporarily the call cannot be queued and I must retry the queuecall request from my side.

There's no difference of a temporary failure versus a permanent failure as a failed queued call would return a status of "failed". If you receive a failed response, you should reattempt your request.


4. If the start_url callback fails for any reason, does Plum still perform the result_url callback?

A failed start_url request will result in the caller hearing an error message and then the call will be disconnected. However, after the call is disconnected, your result_url will still be called.


5. Does the queuecall xml tag always exist and does said tag always contain a status attribute or do you ever provide a different xml format as a response?
eg: <queuecall status="queued" call_id="XXXXXXXXXXXX">

The queuecall.php script will always return an XML-formatted document and a status attribute of "queued" or "failed".

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. You can also refer to our documentation on outbound here:

http://www.plumvoice.com/docs/dev/plumd ... nddevguide
http://www.plumvoice.com/docs/dev/plumd ... boundguide

Regards,
Plum Support