Re: [Astlinux-users] Astlinux Weather Extension Capabilities

[Cody A. <ald...@gm...>]

Lonnie,

You said, "Starting with working examples (like weather.agi) makes
customizing much easier than starting from scratch." That is how I am
learning. I first learn of the potential to do something with Asterisk,
then I see working examples and work to figure out how the code strings
function. I search to find a teaching example of the strings that show all
the options with their various separators such as commas, parenthesis and
brackets. Then I experiment until I get something to work. I sometimes have
problems trying to use something that has been deprecated, but that does
not happen much. For example, it took another Asterisk user to inform me
the pipe was replaced with the comma, and I just read on here how the
semicolon apparently cannot be used to remark in the users.conf and one
needs to use a # instead. I pick little things up here and there, and hope
the info is accurate.

Anyway, I am programming extensions for my CNET (Collector's Network at
https://www.ckts.info/) as a fun hobby, but I have been learning things to
implement in Asterisk for useful things as well. I was able to program a
prayer request line with a local number that connects to a three option
voice menu system. A few people I met through TCI (Telephone Collectors
International) have also been helping me learn.

The power potential of Asterisk is incredible, especially considering it is
free to use. And to have Astlinux with a GUI made it possible for me to get
started with a legacy Thin Client and very minimal expense or knowledge of
how to make it work. Seeing various examples helps me figure out how to do
what I want to do. Compared to many, my dialplan is probably quite
rudimentary. However, it is evolving as I learn. My biggest concern is
security as the attacks are relentless.

I can edit the weather agi as far as actually accessing it and changing the
strings, but I am not sure yet what to do to add in the other weather
parameter options. I can find the sounds to play back, but I have to figure
out the rest. It will give me something to work on to keep my mind from
growing numb from my paying job. :)

-Cody

On Sat, Jul 29, 2017 at 10:07 AM, Lonnie Abelbeck <li...@lo...
> wrote:

> Hi Cody,
>
> Funny, I wrote that AGI script almost 10 years ago, and still use it
> almost every day :-)
>
> The XML output of that source has additional fields you could key off of,
> for example:
> --
> < relative_humidity > 78 < /relative_humidity>
> < pressure_in > 30.12 < /pressure_in>
> < dewpoint_string > 64.8 F (18.2 C) < /dewpoint_string>
> < dewpoint_f > 64.8 < /dewpoint_f>
> < dewpoint_c > 18.2 < /dewpoint_c>
> < visibility_mi > 10.00 < /visibility_mi>
> --
>
> and standard sound files:
> --
> wx/humidity
> wx/barometer
> wx/dew-point
> visibility
> --
>
> You could easily tweak the weather.agi AGI script to create a new
> weather-full.agi AGI script off a different extension.
>
> Personally, I think the key to this being useful is to only provide the
> basics so the voice output is minimal and to the point.  But options are
> good.
>
> As you are learning, AstLinux is a foundation that you can tweak and
> customize to your needs.  Indeed you need to understand Linux and shell
> scripting to some degree, definitely Asterisk text configuration.  Starting
> with working examples (like weather.agi) makes customizing much easier than
> starting from scratch.
>
> Lonnie
>