Astergazer

Contacts

Feel free to contact me via email: astergazer@ukr.net

Description

Astergazer is a combined dialplan server, FastAGI server and visual dialplan constructor for the Asterisk PBX. You can use it to build dialplan rules just by using graphical interface building all call-routing logic from small blocks graphically, in a drag&drop style. That logic is keeped inside of database and it can be translated to native Asterisk dialplan automatically or on demand. So, integration of Astergazer and Asterisk (see corresponding chapter) will let you ability to administer your PBX dialplan in a WYSIWYG way. Besides, you will have an additional logic tools like Checklist block which lets you perform to on-fly check for existence of some expression value inside of predefined value list, VoiceMenu block which is kinda complex template of IVR level menu and so on. The efficient using of that product (or at least primary configuration and integration with your Asterisk PBX) requires some basic knowledges about Asterisk configuration, dialplan functions and basisc of dialplan building. Despite this, when it's installed, integrated and configured, the barrier to entry to the dialplan configuration will be reduced so that any office manager is able to rule it. You can found Asterisk documentation here. Unfortunately, I haven't enough time to add complete and detailed help inside of it yet, but I hope to do it somedays. With a lot of features.

Interface supported languages: English, Russian.

Dialplan server

Implemented as a regular http service, so you need to enable support of external includes to your Asterisk dialplan (see the Integration chapter).

FastAGI server

Implemented by using Asterisk-Java framework. You have to be sure that Asterisk has access to AGI port (4573 by default).

Installation

1. Install the MySQL server.

2. Execute the astergazer_mysql.sql script

   cat astergazer_mysql.sql | mysql

3. Get the complete WAR package from this repository or build it manually using Maven.

4. Install the Tomcat server.

5. Put the mysql-connector-java-5.1.38.jar from the repository to your Tomcat lib folder.

6. Put the astergazer.war to the /webapps Tomcat folder.

7. Start Tomcat.

8. If you deployed MySQL and Tomcat at different servers you have to change DB server path accordingly in the <your Tomcat folder>/webapps/astergazer/META-INF/context.xml and restart Tomcat service.

Integration

The integration of Asterisk with Astergazer dialplan needs you to perform following steps:

1. Enable the parameter execincludes=yes in the asterisk.conf.
2. Add the exec directive to your extensions.conf to the end of file. Be sure that you have described context [globals] somewhere above that directive. If you haven't or you in doubt about how to do it in a proper way, you can use the following example (just replace the content of your extensions.conf with it):

  [globals]
  
  #exec wget -q -O - --proxy=off --dns-timeout=5 --connect-timeout=5 --read-timeout=5 127.0.0.1:8080/astergazer/translator

where 127.0.0.1 is the IP address of the server where Astergazer is deployed. Use 127.0.0.1 if Asterisk and Astergazer are deployed at the same server. 3. Restart your Asterisk service.

Now all contexts and extensions created in Astergazer will be automatically included to the dialplan. Notice, that any changes you made using Astergazer don't mean simultaneous changes in the Asterisk dialplan - you have to reload it manually by using CLI command

dialplan reload

Or just add that command to the crontab schedule to avoid this trouble:

* * * * * root /usr/sbin/asterisk -rx 'dialplan reload'

(may depends of your Asterisk installation)

Using

Now you can start to use Astergazer - just open the link http://<server IP>:8080/astergazer in the your browser, where <server IP> is the address where Tomcat is running at.

Dialplan mapping

Using that interface window you can create the dialplan contexts and extensions just by filling the graphical dialplan tree. Also you can create the logic scripts contained call routing logic which can be assigned to any extensions. Any logic script can be assigned to any number of different extensions. You can edit script logic by using the Constructor function. At this point of release you can't create [globals] context from that interface, so you need to have it in the native dialplan conf file (See the Integration chapter). To having that context is nessesary because of FastAGI logic which is used to some complex blocks like CheckList and VoiceMenu.

Script constructor

Here you can build some piece of call-routing logic by placing some command blocks and making connections between them. It's pretty easy - just intuitive. The script logic is always started from Start block. Each block you placed after it means some Asterisk dialplan application, except some special blocks which provide more complex logic. Each block parameter corresponds to Asterisk dialplan application parameter with a same name. You can learn more by reading official Asterisk documentation. The complex blocks are working in a little bit different way. There are:

• Switch block. You can specify the expression, which value will be calculated each time the call will go through. If that block has a case sub-block with the name equal to calculated value, the call logic will flow through that case subblock. Otherwise, False sub-block will be used.
• Checklist block. Look for the Checklist management chapter.
• VoiceMenu block. A typical IVR scenario when user is listening some menu prompt and able to press some digit (send DTMF signal). You can select the set of allowed digits by creating corresponding case sub-blocks. The incorrect input and timeout cases are handled too, by appropriate voice announces and False sub-block. Of course, you can specify the voice announce files, timeout value and attempts count as well.
• Custom block. You can specify up to 15 different commands using it, which will be transparently passed to Asterisk.

Some usefull features:

• You can create a new block by double click on such kind of it inside of blocks repository or just dragging it to the required place of the canvas.
• Copy-paste way is allowed too, by using context menu (the right mouse button)
• You can move across the canvas holding left mouse button and moving the cursor
• You can zoom in or out canvas working area only by holding Shift key and using the mouse wheel
• You can perform a frame multi selection by holding Shift key and the left mouse button
• Also, you can select multiple blocks by holding Ctrl key and consequentially clicking on them by the left mouse button
• According to the Asterisk particular qualities, when you use blocks like Playback, Background, Read, VoiceMenu or something where you have to set the sound file name, you have to specify it without an extension.

And another few notices.

• To apply any changes you made with some block, like name or any parameter changing you have to confirm it by pressing Apply changes button. It does't apply just by leaving that block and clicking at something else. Maybe that behaviuor will be changed in feature. At least I have few tickets about it already.
• Before you see how your script is looked in a translated mode, be sure that you saved it. Function Translate operates only with actual version of the current script contained in the DB.

Checklist management

That part of logic is used only for backround of the CheckList dialplan block. You can create any number of lists like black, white, etc and fill it with any values which will be used for comparison with some expression value due to CheckList block using. If that value is found inside of specific list, Astergazer means that script logic have to be passed through the True sub-block, otherwise it will be the False one. Besides, if the value is matched to the list entry, Astergazer will set the dialplan variable CHECKLIST_RETURN_VALUE with the value equals to Return value of that list record, so you can use it in some part of your logic, for instance as coverage path (call forwarding) for the certain internal number etc.

Settings

A pretty easy chapter. Just one parameter have to be set here. FastAGI address means the IP of the server where is Astergazer deployed at, and that address must be reachable from the Asterisk server. Use 127.0.0.1 for the same machine.

Compatibility

Actually, while developing that product I was guided to Asterisk version 11. However, the Astergazer architecture is builded especially as flexible as it possible, so it can easily be used with other Asterisk versions.

• Asterisk verison: 11
• Java version : 8
• MySQL version: 5.1

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Nice dialplan building!

Regards.

astergazer@ukr.net