Appendix A. A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax

Transcription

1 Appendix A A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Information in the following tables is excerpted from the VoiceXML 1.0 specification (http: I /www. voicexml. org/ specs/voicexml pdf). Page numbers in Table A-1 refer to page numbers in the VoiceXML 1.0 specification (PDF format). TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION <assign> Assign a variable a value. name The name of the variable being assigned to. expr The new value of the variable. <audio> Play an audio clip within src The URI of the audio prompt. a prompt. See Appendix E (of the VoiceXML specification) for suggested audio file formats. caching See Table A-8. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. fetch hint See Table A-8. <block> A container of (non- name The name of a form item variable interactive) executable used to track whether this block is code. eligible to execute; defaults to an inaccessible internal variable. expr The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. cond A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. PAGE

2 Appendix A TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <break> JSML element to insert msecs The number of milliseconds 44 a pause in output. to pause. size A relative pause duration. Possible values are: none, small, medium, or large. <catch> Catch an event. event The event or events to catch. 38 count The occurrence of the event (default is 1). The count allows you to handle different occurrences of the same event differently. Each form item and <menu> maintains a counter for each event that occurs while it is being visited; these counters are reset each time the <menu> or form item's <form> is re-entered. cond An optional condition to test to see if the event is caught by this element (as in <catch>). Defaults to true. <choice> Define a menu item. dtmf The DTMF sequence for this choice. 28 next The URI of next dialog or document. event Specify an event to be thrown instead of specifying a next. expr Specify an expression to evaluate instead of specifying a next. caching See Table A-8. fetchaudio See Table A-8. fetch hint See Table A-8. This defaults to the documentfetchhint property. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. <clear> Clear one or more form name list The names of the form items to 72 item variables. be reset. When not specified, all form items in the current form are cleared. <disconnect> Disconnect a session. 76 <div> JSML element to classify type Possible values are sentence 44 a region of text as a par- or paragraph. ticular type. 220

3 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <dtmf> Specify a touch-tone SIC The URI specifying the location 35 key grammar. of the grammar, if it is external. scope Either document, which makes the grammar active in all dialogs of the current document (and relevant application leaf documents).or dialog, to make the grammar active throughout the current form. If omitted, the grammar scoping is resolved by looking at the parent element. type The MIME type of the grammar. If this is omitted, the interpreter context will attempt to determine the type dynamically. caching See Table A-8. fetch hint See Table A-8. This defaults to the grammarfetchhint property. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. <else> Used in <if> elements. 72 <elseif> Used in <if> elements. 72 <emp> JSML element to change level Specifies the level of emphasis. 44 the emphasis of Possible values are: strong, speech output. moderate (default). none or reduced. <enumerate> Shorthand for enumerat- 28 ing the choices in a menu. <error> Catch an error event. count The event count (as in <catch>). 39 cond An optional condition to test to see if the event is caught by this element (as in <catch>). Defaults to true. <exit> Exit a session. expr A return expression (e.g. "0", 75 or "oops!"). name list Variable names to be returned to interpreter context. The default is to return no variables; this means the interpreter context will receive an empty ECMAScript object. 221

4 Appendix A TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG <field> PURPOSE Declares an input field in a form. ATTRIBUTES name expr cond type slot modal DESCRIPTION The field item variable in the dialog scope that will hold the result. The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. The type of field (i.e., the name of an internal grammar). This name must be from a standard set supported by all conformant platforms. If not present, <grammar> and/or <dtmf> elements can be specified instead. The name of the grammar slot used to populate the variable (if it is absent, it defaults to the variable name). This attribute is useful in the case where the grammar format being used has a mechanism for returning sets of slot/value pairs and the slot names differ from the field item variable names. If the grammar returns only one slot, as do the built-in type grammars like boolean, then no matter what the slot's name, the field item variable gets the value of that slot. If this is false (the default) all active grammars are turned on while collecting this field. If this is true, then only the field's grammars are enabled: all others are temporarily disabled. PAGE

5 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Table A-I. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <filled> An action executed when mode Either all (the default), or any. If 64 fields are filled. any, this action is executed when any of the specified fields is filled by the last user input. If all, this action is executed when all of the mentioned fields are filled, and at least one has been filled by the last user input. A <filled> element in a field item cannot specify a mode. name list The fields to trigger on. For a <filled> in a form, name list defaults to the names (explicit and implicit) of the form's field items. A <filled> element in a field item cannot specify a namelist; the namelist in this case is the field item name. <form> A dialog for presenting id The name of the form. 17 information and collecting data. scope The default scope of the form's grammars. If it is dialog then the form grammars are active only in the form. If the scope is document, then the form grammars are active during any dialog in the same document. If the scope is document and the document is an application root document, then the form grammars are active during any dialog in any document of this application. A form grammar that has dialog scope is active only in its form. <goto> Go to another dialog in next The URI to which to transition. 73 the same or different document. expr An ECMAScript expression that yields the URI. nextitem The name of the next form item to visit in the current form. 223

6 Appendix A TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <goto> expritem An ECMAScript expression that (continued) yields the name of the next formitem to visit. caching See Table A-8. fetchaudio See Table A-8. fetchhint See Table A-8. This defaults to the documentfetchhint property. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. Exactly one of next, expr, nexti tern, or expri tern must be specified. <grammar> Specify a speech recog- src The URI specifying the location 35 nition grammar. of the grammar, if it is external. scope Either document, which makes the grammar active in all dialogs of the current document (and relevant application leaf documents), or dialog, to make the grammar active throughout the current form. If omitted, the grammar scoping is resolved by looking at the parent element. type The MIME type of the grammar. If this is omitted, the interpreter context will attempt to determine the type dynamically. caching See Table A-8. fetchhint See Table A-8. This defaults to the grammarfetchhint property. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. <help> Catch a help event. count The event count (as in <catch>). 39 cond An optional condition to test to see if the event is caught by this element (as in <catch>). Defaults to true. <if> Simple conditional logic. cond Condition to test. 72 <initial> Declares initial logic upon name The name of a form item variable 55 entry into a (mixed- used to track whether the <initial> initiative) form. is eligible to execute; defaults to an inaccessible internal variable. 224

7 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG <initial> (continued) PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES expr cond DESCRIPTION The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. PAGE <link> Specify a transition common to all dialogs in the link's scope. next expr event caching fetchaudio fetchhint fetchtimeout The URI to go to. This URI is a document (perhaps with an anchor to specify the starting dialog), or a dialog in the current document (just a bare anchor). Like next, except that the URI is dynamically determined by evaluating the given ECMAScript expression. The event to throw when the user matches one of the link grammars. Note that only one of next, expr, or event may be specified. See Table A-8. See Table A-8. See Table A-8. This defaults to the documentfetchhint property. See Table A <menu> A dialog for choosing amongst alternative destinations. id scope The identifier of the menu. It allows the menu to be the target of a <goto> or a <submit>. The menu's grammar scope. If it is dialog-the default-the menu's grammars are only active when the user transitions into the menu. If the scope is document, its grammars are active over the whole document (or ifthe menu is in the application root document, any loaded document in the application)

8 Appendix A TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG <menu> (continued) <meta> <noinput> <nomatch> <object> PURPOSE Define a meta data item as a name/value pair. Catch a noinput event. Catch a nomatch event. Interact with a custom extension. ATTRIBUTES dtmf name content http-equiv count cond count cond name expr cond classid codebase DESCRIPTION PAGE When set to true, any choices that do not have explicit DTMF elements are given the implicit ones "1," "2," etc. The name of the meta-data property. 66 The name of the meta-data property. The name of an HTTP response header. Either name or http-equiv must be specified, not both. The event count (as in <catch>). An optional condition to test to see if the event is caught by this element (as in <catch>). Defaults to true. The event count (as in <catch>). An optional condition to test to see if the event is caught by this element (as in <catch>). Defaults to true. When the object is evaluated, it sets this variable to an ECMAScript value whose type is defined by the object. The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. The URI specifying the location of the object's implementation. The URI conventions are platformdependent. The base path used to resolve relative URis specified by classid, data, and archive. It defaults to the base URI of the current document

9 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Table A -1. VoiceXML 1. 0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <object> codetype The content type of data expected (continued) when downloading the object specified by classid. When absent it defaults to the value of the type attribute. data The URI specifying the location of the object's data. If it is a relative URI, it is interpreted relative to the codebase attribute. type The content type of the data specified by the data attribute. archive A space-separated list of URis for archives containing resources relevant to the object, which may include the resources specified by the classid and data attributes. URis which are relative are interpreted relative to the codebase attribute. caching See Table A-8. fetchaudio See Table A-8. fetchhint See Table A-8. This defaults to the obj ectfetchhint property. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. <option> Specify an option in dtmf The DTMF sequence for this 53 a<field>. option. value The string to assign to the field item variable when a user selects this option, whether by speech or DTME The default value for this attribute is the CDATA content of the <option> element with leading and trailing white space removed. <param> Parameter in <object> name The name to be associated with 69 or <subdialog>. this parameter when the object or sub-dialog is invoked. expr An expression that computes the value associated with name. value Associates a literal string value with name. 227

10 Appendix A Table A-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <param> valuetype One of data or ref, by default data; (continued) used to indicate to an object if the value associated with name is data or a URI (ref). This is not used for <subdialog>. type The MIME type of the result provided by a URI if the valuetype is ref; only relevant for uses of <param> in <object>. <prompt> Queue TIS and audio barge in Control whether a user can inter- 44 output to the user. rupt a prompt. Default is true. cond An expression telling if the prompt 66 should be spoken. Default is true. count A number that allows you to emit different prompts if the user is doing something repeatedly. If omitted, it defaults to "1." timeout The timeout that will be used for the following user input. The default noinput timeout is platform-specific. <property> Control implementation name The name of the property to set. platform settings. See Table A-7. value The value of the property. <pros> JSML element to change the rate Specifies the speaking rate. 44 prosody of speech output. val Specifies the output volume. pitch Specifies the pitch. range Specifies the pitch range. <record> Record an audio sample. name The field item variable that will 61 hold the recording. expr The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. cond A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. 228

11 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Table A -1. VoiceXML 1. 0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <record> modal If this is true (the default) all higher (continued) level speech and DTMF grammars are turned off while making the recording. If this is false, speech and DTMF grammars scoped to the form, document, application, and calling documents are listened for. Most implementations will not support simultaneous recognition and recording. beep If true, a tone is emitted just prior to recording. Defaults to false. maxtime The maximum duration to record. finalsilence The interval of silence that indicates end of speech. dtmfterm If true, a DTMF keypress terminates recording. Defaults to true. The DTMF tone is not part of the recording. type The MIME format of the resulting recording. Defaults to a platformspecific format. <reprompt> Play a field prompt when 73 a field is revisited after an event. <return> Return from a subdialog. event Return, then throw this event. 75 name list Variable names to be returned to calling dialog. The default is to return no variables; this means the caller will receive an empty ECMAScript object. <sayas> JSML element to modify phon The representation of the Unicode 44 how a word or phrase International Phonetic Alphabet is spoken. (IPA)characters that are to be spoken instead of the contained text. sub Defines substitute text to be spoken instead of the contained text. class Possible values are phone, date, digits,literal,currency,number and time. See Table A

12 Appendix A TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG <script> PURPOSE Specify a block of ECMAScript client-side scripting logic. ATTRIBUTES src charset caching fetch hint fetchtimeout DESCRIPTION PAGE The URI specifying the location of 77 the script, if it is external. The character encoding of the script designated by src. See Table A-8. See Table A-8. This defaults to the scriptfetchhint property. See Table A-8. <subdialog> Invoke another dialog as a sub dialog of the current one. name expr cond modal namelist src method enctype The result returned from the subdialog, an ECMAScript object whose properties are the ones defined in the namelist attribute of the <return> element. The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. Controls which grammars are active during the subdialog. If true (the default) all grammars active in the calling dialog are disabled. If false, they remain active. Same as name list in <submit>, except that the default is to submit nothing. Only valid when fetching another document. The URI of the <subdialog>. The request method: get (the default) or post. The MIME encoding type of the submitted document. The default is application/x-www-form-urlencoded. Interpreters may support additional encoding types

13 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Table A -1. VoiceXML 1. 0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG PURPOSE ATIRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <subdialog> caching See Table A-8. (continued) fetchaudio See Table A-8. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. fetchhint See Table A-8. <submit> Submit values to a docu- next The URI to which the query is 74 ment server. submitted. expr Like next, except that the URI is dynamically determined by evaluating the given ECMAScript expression. One of next or expr is required. name list The list of variables to submit. By default, all the named field item variables are submitted. If a namelist is supplied, it may contain individual variable references which are submitted with the same qualification used in the namelist. method The request method: get (the default) or post. enctype The MIME encoding type of the submitted document. The default is application/x-www-form-urlencoded. Interpreters may support additional encoding types. caching See Table A-8. fetchaudio See Table A-8. fetchhint See Table A-8. This defaults to the documentfetchhint property. fetchtimeout See Table A-8. If an ECMAScript object o is the target of a submit then all its (ECMAScript) fields fl, f2,... are submitted using the names o.fl, o.f2, etc. <throw> Throw an event. event The event being thrown

14 Appendix A TableA-1. VoiceXML 1.0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TACi PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES DESCRIPTION PAGE <transfer> Transfer the caller to name The outcome of the transfer 63 another destination. attempt. (One of: busy, noanswer, network_busy, near_end_disconnect, far_end_disconnect, network_ disconnect.) expr The initial value of the form item variable; default is ECMAScript undefined. If initialized to a value, then the form item will not be visited unless the form item variable is cleared. cond A boolean condition that must also evaluate to true in order for the form item to be visited. dest The URI of the destination (phone, IP telephony address). destexpr An ECMAScript expression yielding the URI of the destination. bridge This attribute determines what to do once the call is connected. If bridge is true, document interpretation suspends until the transferred call terminates. If it is false, as soon as the call connects, the platform throws a telephone. disconnect. transfer. connecttimeout The time to wait while trying to connect the call before returning the noanswer condition. Default is platform -specific. maxtime The time that the call is allowed to last, or 0 if it can last arbitrarily long. Only applies if bridge is true. Default is 0. <value> Insert the value of an expr The expression to render. 46 expression in a prompt. class The <sayas> class of the variable (e.g., phone, date, currency). The valid formats are the same as those supported in the <sayas> speech markup. SeeTableA

15 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Table A -1. VoiceXML 1. 0 Tags and Attributes (continued) TAG <value> (continued) PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES mode recsrc DESCRIPTION The type ofrendering: tts (the default), or recorded. The URI of the audio files to be concatenated when mode is recorded. PAGE <var> Declare a variable. name expr The name of the variable that will hold the result. The initial value of the variable (optional). If there is no expr attribute, the variable retains its current value, if any. Variables start out with the ECMAScript value undefined if they are not given initial values. 7l <vxml> Top-level element in each VoiceXML document. version base lang application The version ofvoicexml of this document (required). The initial version number is 1.0. The base URI. The language and locale type for this document. The URI ofthis document's application root document, if any. 14 Table A -2. VoiceXML Variable Scopes VARIABLE SCOPE session application document DESCRIPTION These are read-only variables that pertain to an entire user session. They are declared and set by the interpreter context. New session variables cannot be declared by VoiceXML documents. See Table A-3. These are declared with <var> elements that are children of the application root document's <vxml> element. They are initialized when the application root document is loaded. They exist while the application root document is loaded and are visible to the root document and any other loaded application leaf document. These variables are declared with <var> elements that are children of the document's <vxml> element. They are initialized when the document is loaded. They exist while the document is loaded, and are visible only within that document. 233

16 Appendix A TableA-2. VoiceXML Variable Scopes (continued) VARIABLE SCOPE dialog (anonymous) DESCRIPTION Each dialog (<form> or <menu>) has a dialog scope that exists while the user is visiting that dialog, and which is visible to the element of that dialog. Dialog variables are declared by <var> child elements of <form>, by <var> elements inside executable content (e.g., <block> content or catch element content), and by the various form item elements. The child <var> elements of <form> are initialized when the form is first visited. The <var> elements inside executable content are initialized when the executable content is executed. The form item variables are initialized when the form item is collected. Each <block>, <filled>, and catch element defines a new anonymous scope to contain variables declared in that element. Table A -3. VoiceXML 1. 0 Standard Session Variables VARIABLE session.telephone.ani session.telephone.dnis DESCRIPTION Automatic Number Identification. This variable provides the result from the Automatic Number Identification service that provides the receiver of a telephone call with the number of the calling phone. This information is provided only if the service is supported, and is undefined otherwise. Dialed Number Identification Service. This variable provides the result from the Dialed Number Identification Service that identifies for the receiver of a call the number that the caller dialed. This information is provided only if the service is supported, and is undefined otherwise. 234

17 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax TableA-3. VoiceXML 1.0 Standard Session Variables (continued) VARIABLE session.telephone.iidigits session.telephone.uui DESCRIPTION Information Indicator Digit. This variable provides information about the originating line (e.g., pay phone, cellular service, special operator handling, prison) of the caller. Telecordia publishes the complete list of II digits in Section l of each volume of the "Local Exchange Routing Guide". This information is provided only if the service is supported, and is undefined otherwise. User to User Information. This variable returns supplementary information provided as part of an ISDN call set-up from a calling party. This information is provided only if the service is supported, and is undefined otherwise. TableA-4. VoiceXML 1.0 Predefined Events EVENT cancel telephone.disconnect.hangup telephone.disconnect.transfer exit help no input nomatch DESCRIPTION The user has requested to cancel playing of the current prompt. The user has hung up. The user has been transferred unconditionally to another line and will not return. The user has asked to exit. The user has asked for help. The user has not responded within the timeout interval. The user input something, but it was not recognized. 235

18 Appendix A TableA-5. VoiceXML 1.0 Predefined Errors ERROR error.badfetch error.semantic error.noauthorization error.unsupported.format error.unsupported.element DESCRIPTION A failed fetch. This may be the result, for example, of a missing document, a malformed URI, a communications error during the process of fetching the document, a timeout, a security violation, or a malformed document. A run-time error was found in the VoiceXML document (e.g., a divide by 0, substring bounds error, or an undefined variable was referenced). The user is not authorized to perform the operation requested (such as dialing an invalid telephone number, or one for which the user is not allowed to call). The requested resource has a format that is not supported by the platform (e.g., an unsupported grammar format, audio file format, object type, or MIME type). The platform does not support the given element. For instance, if a platform does not implement <record>, it must throw error. unsupported. record. This allows an author to use event handling to adapt to different platform capabilities. Table A-6. VoiceXML 1.0 Built-in Types (Grammars) BUILT-IN TYPE boolean date DESCRIPTION Inputs include affirmative and negative phrases appropriate to the current locale. DTMF 1 is yes and 2 is no. The result is ECMAScript true for "yes" or false for "no". The value will be submitted as the string "true" or the string "false". If the field value is subsequently used in a prompt, it will be spoken as an affirmative or negative phrase appropriate to the current locale. Valid spoken inputs include phrases that specify a date, including a month, day, and year. DTMF inputs are: four digits for the year, followed by two digits for the month, and two digits for the day. The result is a fixed-length date string with format yyyymmdd (e.g., " "). If the year is not specified, yyyy is returned as "????";if the month is not specified mm is returned as"??"; and if the day is not specified dd is returned as "??". 236

19 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1. 0 Syntax TableA-6. VoiceXML 1.0 Built-in Types (Grammars)( continued) BUILT-IN TYPE digits currency number phone time DESCRIPTION Valid spoken or DTMF inputs include one or more digits, 0 through 9. The result is a string of digits. If the field value is subsequently used in a prompt, it will be spoken as a sequence of digits. A user can say for example "two one two seven", but not "twenty one hundred and twenty-seven". Valid spoken inputs include phrases that specify a currency amount. For DTMF input, the"*" key will act as the decimal point. The result is a string with the format UUUmm.nn, where UUU is the three-character currency indicator according to ISO standard 4217:1995 or null if not spoken by the user. If the field value is subsequently used in a prompt, it will be spoken as a currency amount appropriate to the current locale. Valid spoken inputs include phrases that specify numbers, such as "one hundred twenty-three", or "five point three". Valid DTMF input includes positive numbers entered using digits and"*" to represent a decimal point. The result is a string of digits from 0 to 9 and may optionally include a decimal point(".") and/or a plus or minus sign. Valid spoken inputs include phrases that specify a phone number. DTMF asterisk"*" represents "x". The result is a string containing a telephone number consisting of a string of digits and optionally containing the character "x" to indicate a phone number with an extension. For North America, a result could be " x789". Valid spoken inputs include phrases that specify a time, including hours and minutes. The result is a five-character string in the format hhmrnx, where xis one of "a" for AM, "p" for PM, "h" to indicate a time specified using 24 hour clock, or"?" to indicate an ambiguous time. Input can be via DTME Because there is no DTMF convention for specifying AM/PM, in the case of DTMF input, the result will always end with "h" or"?". If the field value is subsequently used in a prompt, the value will be spoken as a time appropriate to the current locale. 237

20 Appendix A Table A -7. VoiceXML 1. 0 Predefined Properties PROPERTY confidencelevel sensitivity speedvsaccuracy completetimeout incompletetimeout interdigittimeout termtimeout termchar barge in timeout caching audiofetchhint DESCRIPTION The speech recognition confidence level, a float value in the range of 0.0 to 1.0. Results are rejected (a nomatch event is thrown) when the engine's confidence in its interpretation is below this threshold. A value of 0.0 means minimum confidence is needed for a recognition, and a value of 1.0 requires maximum confidence. The default value is 0.5. Set the sensitivity level. A value of 1.0 means that it is highly sensitive to quiet input. A value of 0.0 means it is least sensitive to noise. The default value is 0.5. A hint specifying the desired balance between speed vs. accuracy. A value of 0.0 means fastest recognition. A value of 1.0 means best accuracy. The default is value 0.5. The speech timeout value to use when an active grammar is matched. The default is platform-dependent. The speech timeout to use when no active grammar has been matched. The default is platform-dependent. The inter-digit timeout value to use when recognizing DTMF input. The default is platform-dependent. The terminating timeout to use when recognizing DTMF input. The default value is "Os". The terminating DTMF character for DTMF input recognition. The default value is"#". The barge in attribute to use for prompts. Setting this to true allows barge-in by default. Setting it to false disallows barge-in. The default value is "true". The time after which a noinput event is thrown by the platform. The default value is platform -dependent. Either safe to never trust the cache when fetching, or fast to always trust the cache. The default value is fast. This tells the platform whether or not it can attempt to optimize dialog interpretation by pre-fetching audio. The value is either safe to say that audio is only fetched when it is needed, never before; prefetch to permit, but not require the platform to pre-fetch the audio; or stream to allow it to stream the audio fetches. The default value is prefetch. 238

21 A Quick Reference to VoiceXML 1.0 Syntax Table A -7. VoiceXML 1. 0 Predefined Properties (continued) PROPERTY documentfetchhint grammarfetchhint objectfetchhint scriptfetchhint fetchaudio fetchtimeout inputmodes DESCRIPTION Tells the platform whether or not documents may be prefetched. The value is either safe (the default), or prefetch. Tells the platform whether or not grammars may be prefetched. The value is either prefetch (the default), or safe. Tells the platform whether the URI contents for <object> may be pre-fetched or not. The values are prefetch (the default), or safe. Tells whether scripts may be pre-fetched or not. The values are prefetch (the default), or safe. The URI of the audio to play while waiting for a document to be fetched. The default is not to play any audio. There are no fetchaudio properties for audio, grammars, objects, and scripts. The timeout for fetches. The default value is platform -dependent. The input modes to enable: dtmf and voice. On platforms that support both modes, inputmodes defaults to "dtmf voice". To disable speech recognition, set inputmodes to "dtmf". To disable DTMF, set it to "voice". One use for this would be to turn off speech recognition in noisy environments. Another would be to conserve speech recognition resources by turning them off where the input is always expected to be DTME Table A -8. VoiceXML 1. 0 Resource Fetching Properties PROPERTY caching DESCRIPTION Either safe to force a query to fetch the most recent copy of the content, or fast to use the cached copy of the content if it has not expired. If not specified, a value derived from the innermost caching property is used. fetchtimeout The interval to wait for the content to be returned before throwing an error. badfetch event. If not specified, a value derived from the innermost fetchtimeout property is used. fetchhint Defines when the interpreter context should retrieve content from the server. prefetch indicates a file may be downloaded when the page is loaded, whereas safe indicates a file that should only be downloaded when actually needed. In the case of a very large file (implying long download times) or a streaming audio source, stream indicates to the interpreter context to begin processing the content as it arrives and should not wait for full retrieval of the content. If not specified, a value derived from the innermost relevant *fetch hint property is used. 239

22 Appendix A TableA-9. VoiceXML 1.0 Say-As Text Types TEXT TYPE currency date digits literal number phone time DESCRIPTION The contained text is a currency amount. Leading and trailing currency symbols are ignored. The contained text is a date. The contained text is a string of digits. The contained text is a string literal. The contained text is a number. The contained text is a phone number. The contained text is a time of day. 240

23 Index Symbols and Numbers # (pound sign) usage in URis, 52 <!--comment delimiter in "Hello, World!" program, 50 <![CDATA[ ]]>tag role in ECMAScript formatting, 79 in mixed-initiative forms, 64 -->comment delimiter in "Hello, World!" program, 50 {} (curly braces), questions interfaces, stabilizing dialogs with, /20 rule, applying to VUI design, 88 A ABNF (Augmented Backus Naur Form) syntax, 112, 210 ACID (Atomic, Consistent, Isolated, Durable) properties of database transactions, 165 AddressBook.xml file in SPIM prototype directory, 206 addresses in SPIM XML Schema, 191 Address.xsd file in SPIM subdirectory, 207 Allaire JRun 3.1, installing for SPIM sample application, Altova XML Spy, installing for SPIM sample application, 182 Apache Cocoon XML publishing technology, 152 Apache XML Project Web site, 154 application attribute, role in SPIM sample application, 53 - application defined - event in VXML 1.0, 117 application landscape, 163 application root document example of, role in VXML programs, 105 application servers, 18 application styles, role in Web application architectures, application-wide event handling example, 132 applications as clearinghouses, 157 in VXML programs, 105, 110 appointments role in SPIM sample application, 30 using directed forms with, "as if by copy" semantics of event handling, attributes inxml, 144 resource fetching, 124 <audio> element or tag resource fetching, 123 specifying input and output with, audit trails, auditory icons, 97 Authenticate use case, role in SPIM sample application, 27 authentication oversight by application root document, performance in SPIM sample application, 56 techniques, authoring tools, 46 B background noise, effect on VUI performance, 99 Balentine and Morgan on speech recognition, 89, 95 bargein feature enabling for directed forms, 61 sample dialog with, supporting orientation in conversations with, 97 Be Vocal Cafe VXML browser,

24 Index blind call transfers, 121 <block> control element in form items, 118 <break> speech synthesis markup tag, 113 bridge attribute in transfer tags, bridging call transfer, 121 browse. previous application-defined event, 81 browser paradigm, 16 browsers servers, and content: evolution of, VoiceXML, 46 browsing code, structure of, browsing query results, built-in grammars, distinguishing from built-in types and say-as grammars, 84 c caching attribute for fetching resources, 124 Calendar.xml file in SPIM prototype directory, 206 callers disconnecting and throwing events, 121 transferring to other phone numbers, 121 Cambridge Voice Studio VXML browser, 46 cancel event in VXML 1.0, 115 candidate nodes, generation byxsl, 147 canonical XML format, role in XML publishing architecture, 168 cascading errors, 96 <catch> elements role in advanced event handling, 131 role in event handling, CGI (Common Gateway Interface), role in generating content dynamically, challenge/response authentication, 160 <choice> element or tag navigating voice Web sites with, resource fetching, 123 clickstream, HTML Web site, 125 Cocoon-based prototype, architecture of, 177 Cocoon processing model, 153 cocoon. properties file, modifying, Cocoon XML publishing technology, 152 advisory about, tips, Web site, 183 cognition, role in speech processing, 8 collaborative versus transactional application processing, collect phase of FIA, combination pipeline approach to generating multiple markup languages, command-line systems and interface design, conditional logic, 120 connectors in XML publishing architecture, 168 contacts, role in SPIM sample application, 30 content dynamic generation of, versus presentation, 15 content markup producing for SPIM database, transforming to presentation markup for SPIM sample application, control items in forms, 118 control, transferring to other locations, 120 conversations containment in dialogs, 110 maintaining orientation in, cookies, role in startingvxml sessions, 159 CSV (Comma-Separated Value) format, role in SPIM prototype, 188 curly braces ( {}), CurrentAppointment.xml file, D data items, gathering for forms, data versus documents in applications, database key values, role in dynamic grammar generation, 162 database schema for SPIM prototype, design principles forvuis keeping it simple and doing it well, maintaining flexibility of, 89 managing turn-taking, dest attribute in transfer tags, "Developing XML Solutions with JavaServer Pages Technology" white paper, 172 development environment,

25 Index dialog components, reusability of, dialog grammar, scope of, 112 dialog hierarchy, building in SPIM sample application, dialogs, ll 0 with bargein, breaking into multiple documents in SPIM sample application, 53 invoking through <subdialog> versus <goto>, 56 with knowledgeable person example, role in VXML programs, stabilizing with safe points, 96 stabilizing with yes/no interrogation, 96,100 transitioning between, and VXML, 21, 38 dictation systems, 9-10 directed dialogs, treatment of fields in, 119 directed forms, <disconnect> element, 121 disfluency in speech design, minimizing effects of, disorientation, managing, distractions, taking time out for, <div> speech synthesis markup tag, 113 document versus transactional processing architectures, documents, llo associating with applications, 53 versus data in applications, role in VXML programs, 105 Dragon NaturallySpeaking dictation system, 10 DTDs (document type definitions) role inxml, 144 dtmf attribute in directed forms, 60 DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) recognition subsystem, 7, 108 <dtmf> element or tag resource fetching, 123 specifying input and output with, dynamic content and sessions, dynamic execution context ofvxml programs, dynamic grammar generation, E earcons, 97 earphones, ECMAScript data structures and expressions, 120 formatting example, 79 versus Java, 151 edit Contact Information use case, role in SPIM sample application, 28 editing tools for VoiceXML, 46 elements vs tags in XML, 144 <else> and <elseif> elements, 120 <emp> speech synthesis markup tag, ll3 enrolling with speaker-dependent voice systems, 9 enterprise technologies, integration of VXML with, <enumerate I> tag, using in SPIM sample application, 52 environments and experience levels, accommodating in interface design, error amplification, preventing, 96 error handling, improving, 71 error.* events in VXML 1.0, ll6-ll7 errors, accommodating in VUI design, ESQL and XSP Producer, role in SPIM database, event handlers in VXML, ll4-117 event handling, 66-74, 114 advanced techniques for, at document level, 83 invoking generated subdialog for, 135 nesting, event links, events in VXML, 40, events thrown by links, scope of, executable content, experience levels and environments, accommodating in interface design, expert mode versus novice mode, external grammars versus internal grammars, 161 specifying, 111 F fetch* attributes for fetching resources, 124 FIA (form interpretation algorithm), field grammar, 93, 111 <field> element and tag, 118 versus <initial> tag, 65 and "as if by copy" semantics, 133 role in directed forms, 60 fields in VXML, 39, controlling order of, 110 with verbose event handling, filled event handler,

26 Index <filled> element and tag in fields, using with subdialogs, using with transfer tags, 85 form handling, form items changing order of, 118 and form interpretation algorithm, form-level grammar for mixed-initiative forms, Format phase of transformational processing model, 158 formatters, role in XML publishing architecture, 168 formatting data in Web applications, formatting layout language, role in XSL, 146 forms in VXML, 39, 56-57, 106, G generated browsing code, structure of, generated VXML, viewing, 203 getcurrentappointment.xrnl file in SPIM prototype directory, 206 "goats" and "sheep" interacting with speech recognition technology, 89 <goto> element and tag, resource fetching, 123 transferring control to other locations with,120 grammar and speech synthesis specification, grammar formats advisory about, 77 in VXML 1.0, 112 in VXML 2.0, 112 grammar generation, <grammar src="uri"> element, loading for external grammar generation, 161 <grammar> element and tag resource fetching, 123 role in speech recognition, specifying input and output with, grammars in VXML, distinguishing from built-in and sayas types, 84 precedence during recognition, 93 role in maximizing speech recognition, 93 scope of, SPIM example for specifying time periods, GSL (Grammar Specification Language), 112 guard condition for form items, 118 GUis (graphical user interfaces), formatting Web application data for, 169 versus VXML interfaces, 21 H HAL computer, 9 headsets, hearing, role in speech processing, 8 "Hello, World!" program, help event in VXML 1.0, 116 help prompting, 67,71-73 Hey Anita FreeSpeech VXML browser, 46 hosted versus standalone development, 41-42,43 HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), 10-13, HTML Web browsing, 37 HTML, WML, and VXML: advisory about, 213 I IDE (Interactive Development Environments), role in VXML development environment, 43 ids in SPIM XML Schema, IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) RFC 1521 (MIME), 16 <if> element, 120 lnformio Developer Network VXML browser, 46 <initial> control element in form items, 118 <initial> tag in mixed-initiative dialogs, in mixed-initiative forms, role in formatting query strings, 78 inline grammar, specifying, 111 input, VXML elements for, interface design for voice, internal versus external grammars, 161 interpreters advisory about suspension of, 102 role in handling directed forms, "Introduction to the W3C Grammar Format" article, 211 items in VXML forms,

27 Index IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems, authenticating users of, 160 IVRU (Interactive Voice Response Unit), 125 J J2EE servlet/jsp processing model versus Cocoon model, Java Architecture for XML Binding, role in using JSPs and XML together, 172 Java Speech Markup Language specification, 112 Java versus ECMAScript, 151 JAXP (JavaAPifor XML Processing) 1.1, role in using JSPs and XML together, 172 JSGF (Java Speech Grammar Format), 112 JSP 1.2 specification, role in using JSPs and XML together, 172 JSP andxml, formatting Web applications with, JSP andxsl, formatting Web applications with, JSP processing model, jsp suffix on URis, 55 JSPs (JavaServer Pages) overview of, Web site, 151 L LateAppointment001 *flies in Samples directory, 207 Late.xml file in SPIM prototype directory, 206 letters and speech recognition, 93 lexical scoping of event handlers, 130 <link> element and tag for resource fetching, 123 navigating voice Web sites with, links in VXML, 39, 52 login forms, invoking with <subdialog> tag, looping, advisory about, 120 "lost in space", M macros, using style sheets as, main menu in SPIM sample application, markup languages, meaning, speech, and sound, 8-9 menu navigation in SPIM sample application, menu prompts, coding in SPIM sample application, 52 <menu> element navigating voice Web sites with, in SPIM sample application, 51 menus in VXML, 39, 106 metalanguages, SGML as, 11 microphones, MIME (Multipurpose Mail Extension) type, 16, 112 mixed-initiative dialogs, with help, permitting longer utterances with, mixed-initiative forms, modeling and dialog design, Motorola Mobile ADKVXML browser, 46 multimodal interfaces, 213 multiple pipeline approach to generating multiple markup languages, multi tiered Web architectures, N name and password authentication, 160 namelist attribute, using with <submit> tag, 55 names.xsl file in Samples directory, 207 navigation in VXML, 39 nested lexical scope, 129 next attribute in SPIM sample application, 52, 54 noinput events in mixed-initiative dialogs, in VXML 1.0, 116 nomatch events in mixed-initiative dialogs, in VXML 1.0, 116 notlmplemented.xml file in SPIM prototype directory, 206 novice mode versus expert mode, Nuance V-Builder VXML browser, 46 numbers and speech recognition, 93 0 object model for SPIM sample appli-cation, <object> tag, 118, 123, ODBC data source, configuring for SPIM sample application, <option> tags in fields,

28 Index orientation, maintaining in conversations, output, VXML elements for, p <param> tags, using with sub dialogs, password and name authentication, 160 pauses and suspended dialogs, designing VUis for, 102 PDAs (personal digital assistants), PhoneNumber.xsd file in SPIM subdirectory, 207 pictures, perception of, 5 PIM (personal information manager), 25 PINs (personal identification numbers), role in hosted application development, 41 pipeline approaches to generating multiple markup languages, platform properties, setting, 127 POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), role in VXML history, 33 pound sign (#) in SPIM sample application, 52 presentation versus content, 15 generating for SPIM sample application, presentation markup, 11, 143 process phase offla, Process phase oftransformational processing model, 158 Produce phase of transformational processing model, 158 producers, role in Cocoon processing model, 153 prompt counting, role in event handling, <prompt> element, specifying input and output with, prompts, optimizing, 83 properties, 127 <property> tags effect of setting properties with, 106 setting at different scopes, 127 <pros> speech synthesis markup tag, 113 PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), role in VXML history, 33 pure content markup, 143 Q queries and sets, query strings, formatting, R recognition events, 67 <record> element or tag, , 118 Render phase of transformational processing model, 158 resource fetching, RetrieveContactNames.xml flle in Samples directory, 207 <return> element or tag, 56, 121 reusable dialog components, <reusablefield> tag, example using style sheets, Review Appointments function, implementing, Review Schedule list use case, role in SPIM sample application, RFC 1521 (MIME), 16 root document example, Running Late function in VXML text, Running Late use case, role in SPIM sample application, 29, 193 RunningLate* files in SPIM prototype directory, s safe points, building into interfaces, 96 Samples directory, files in, 207 say-as types, distinguishing from built-in types and grammars, 84 <sayas> speech synthesis markup tag, 83, 113 scope hierarchy ofvxml programs, 106 scope of grammars, <script> tag for fetching resources, 123 security concerns, addressing, select phase offla, server extensions, 18 server pages and servlets Web architectures, 167 Servlet 2.2 specification, role in using JSPs and XML together, 172 servlet and server pages Web architectures, 167 servlets versus JSPs, 150 overview of, sessions and dynamic content, starting in VXML, 159 sets and queries, SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), "sheep" and "goats" interacting with speech recognition technology,