Amanda Work Group 7xx Installation Manual

							Chapter 11: Programming Amanda 159
%I() has three parameters: field, msg_no and mailbox.
Because the %I and parentheses are bold, you know that you have to include 
them in the command. The commas are bold, but the one in front of mailbox 
is inside brackets […], which surround optional parts of the syntax. If you 
use the bracketed part of the syntax, you must use the comma. 
Because field is italicized, you know that it is a place holder for information 
that you must provide. Field can be any one of the following fields 
associated with messages:
D for the Date field
T for the Time field
F for the From field 
						

							160 Installing [email protected]
Because msg_no is also italicized, you know that it is a place holder for 
information that you must provide. For example, to find out the date for 
message number 8, you replace msg_no with the number 8. Because mailbox 
is inside brackets, you replace it only if you use that part of the syntax. For 
example, you may want to delete a message belonging to mailbox 151.
Whenever a parameter is optional, such as mailbox, it has a default. A default 
is the value that is used for the parameter whenever the parameter is missing. 
The default for mailbox is the current mailbox.
Using the syntax, you can create any number of %I() commands. For 
example, %I(D,8) provides the date for message 8 for the current mailbox, 
and %I(T,6,151) provides the time for message 6 for mailbox 151.
Both the Extension and Notify Method fields can contain up to 65 characters. 
If you need more than 65 characters for your program, you use:
 A command that reads additional tokens from a file
 The G() command to tell Amanda to go to the Extension field for an-
other mailbox and process the tokens she finds there
Files and Directories
This section points out what you need to know about files and file names 
when using the Token Programming Language. It assumes that you already 
know the following and other facts about files and directories:
 DOS files are stored in directories.
 The complete name for a file starts with the root directory (usually 
C:), lists the subdirectories leading to the file, and ends with the 
name of the file, each of which is separated by a backslash (\).  
						

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When you use a DOS file name as a parameter, you must replace each 
backslash (\) found in the name with either two backslashes (\\) or one 
forward slash (/). For example, C:\AMANDA\FOOBAR.TXT must become 
either C:\\AMANDA\\FOOBAR.TXT or C:/AMANDA/FOOBAR.TXT.
You can use variable names as parts of the file name. For example, if %S1 is 
C:, and %S2 is Amanda, you can use %S1\\%S2\\FOOBAR.TXT.
Amanda can read text files (also called ASCII files) as well as files in dBase 
format. The former have file names that usually end with .TXT, and the latter 
have file names that end with .DBF. Amanda can read from, write to, and 
search files that contain database records. A record is a way to group pieces 
of information. For example, your name and address is a record in a database 
for any company that sends you supplies. The individual parts of your name 
and address are fields of that record. In a database, another name for a record 
is a row, and another name for a field is a column.
Sample Address Record: 
First Name: MARY Last Name: HU
Street Address: 28291 HOOVER ST.
City: WINTER FALLS State: MI
Zip: 48444
Text files that contain database records should have commas separating each 
field of each record and a carriage return/linefeed separating one record from 
another. (A carriage return/linefeed is the pair of ASCII characters placed in 
a file when you press Enter on your keyboard.) 
Sample Address Record as a line in a text file:
MARY,HU,28291 HOOVER ST.,WINTER FALLS,MI,48444
When Amanda reads records from a text file, you tell her the number of the 
fields you want to read or change the data in. The fields are numbered 
starting with 1. In our example, First Name is 1, and Last Name is 2. 
						

							162 Installing [email protected]
dBase files are created using dBase, a database software product. For dBase 
files, you tell Amanda the name of the field instead of its number. When 
Amanda reads data from a dBase file, she deletes any spaces at the end of the 
data as she stores the data into a variable. For example, if the field contains 
MARY             , Amanda reads only MARY.
Flow of Control: Branching and Looping
When programming Amanda, you often type the tokens for a program in 
more than one field. This is not because you have exceeded the 65-character 
limit for the Extension or Notify Method field, but because you want to 
control the flow of token processing. For example, the only way to have 
Amanda perform different actions based on the value of a variable, is to put 
the tokens for one set of actions in another Extension field. 
The commands that control the flow of tokens are:
 The I() command which compares two values. (Notice that this is not 
the same as the %I() command/system variable discussed earlier in 
this chapter.) This command is similar to the If command or If state-
ment in other programming languages. It is used to branch in either 
of two directions, depending on whether the comparison is true or 
false. If the comparison is true, Amanda goes to another mailbox’s 
Extension field and processes the tokens there. If the comparison is 
false (for example, %S1 is not equal to the empty string), Amanda 
continues processing tokens where she is.
For example, I(%S1,=,,101) can be read as “If the variable %S1 equals 
the empty string, go to mailbox 101. If not, go to the next token in this 
mailbox.” I(%G0,>,5,2000) can be read as “If the variable %G0 is 
greater than 5, go to mailbox 2000. If not, go to the next token in this 
mailbox.”
 The G() command which tells Amanda to go to another mailbox’s 
Extension field right now. (Notice that this is not the same as the 
%G0 through %G9 global variables.) There is no comparison 
made—just an immediate branch to a new mailbox.
For example, G(2000) can be read as “Go immediately to mailbox 
2000.” 
						

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A loop is the name given to a set of tokens that are repeated. For example, if 
the last token in the Extension field for mailbox 151 is G(151), Amanda 
returns to the beginning of the Extension field for mailbox 151. This forms a 
loop. It forms an infinite loop unless Amanda can branch to another 
mailbox’s Extension field before performing the G() command. Sometimes 
you want an infinite loop, but usually an I() command appears within the 
loop (somewhere between the beginning of the loop and the G() command) 
and allows Amanda a way out of the loop. 
For example, if you want Amanda to process the tokens for 151 exactly three 
times, you use a variable as a counter. You add 1 to the variable every time 
through the loop and branch when the I() command determines that the 
variable is equal to 3. 
If you want Amanda to process the tokens for 151 until a certain value is 
entered by the caller, you store the caller’s input in a variable and use the I() 
command to branch when the variable finally contains the value you are 
waiting for. 
The examples in this section shows a loop in which Amanda repeats the 
tokens in one Extension field over and over—until stopped. You can make 
more complicated loops. For example, you can use the G() command to go 
from mailbox 151 to mailbox 152 to mailbox 153, before returning to 
mailbox 151. This is still a loop because eventually Amanda returns to 
mailbox 151. It is just a longer, more complicated loop than the earlier 
examples.
T1 Lines
If you are using a T1 line, the only tokens you can use are:
 Any DTMF digit (0–9, A, B, C, D, # , *)
 Any system, port, or global variable (any token that starts with %)
E
F
P
W 
						

							164 Installing [email protected]
Examples
This section provides practical examples using some of the available tokens.
Customizing the Employee Directory
The default operation of the employee directory minimizes the work you 
have to do as a system administrator. All you have to do is put values in the 
Dir Name 1 and Dir Name 2 fields for each employee’s mailbox. A little 
extra work on your part can make it easier for the caller to use the employee 
directory. 
Application
This example explains how to streamline the functionality of the employee 
directory (by default, mailbox 411) so that the caller does not have to dial the 
extension.
The default use of the employee directory:
1. A caller enters 411 for the employee directory.
2. The caller enters three digits representing the first three letters in either 
the first or last name of the person he wants to call. 
3. Amanda reads the extension for each person whose name matches the 
digits. 
4. The caller dials the correct extension.
The customized use of the employee directory:
1. A caller enters 411 for the employee directory.
2. The caller enters three digits representing the first three letters in either 
the first or last name of the person he wants to call.  
						

							Chapter 11: Programming Amanda 165
3. If more than one employee matches the digits, Amanda asks the caller to 
choose. 
For example, Amanda might say “For Steve Smith, press 1; for Stella 
Clark, press 2.”
4. Amanda dials the extension. 
Translating to Amanda’s Tokens
This example shows the use of the G() command, which stops Amanda from 
processing the current mailbox and goes directly to the specified mailbox. It 
also illustrates the M() command that causes Amanda to play a greeting and 
wait for a single-digit number from the menu as a response.
To customize the employee directory:
1. Make a list of everyone’s first and last names (as they will appear in the 
Dir Name 1 and Dir Name 2 fields in their mailboxes).
Example:
Steve Forest mailbox 105
JoAnn Johnson mailbox 106
Bob Knapp mailbox 107
2. Determine what three digits would match each name:
Example:
Steve Forest mailbox 105
783 367
JoAnn Johnson mailbox 106
562 564
Bob Knapp mailbox 107
262 562
3. Create mailboxes for each of the sets of three-digits. 
						

							166 Installing [email protected]
Example:
Create mailboxes 783, 367, 562, 564, and 262.
4. For each of these mailboxes, make sure that:
Do Not Disturb is locked OFF. (Do Not Disturb: OFF Lock: ON)
Call screening is locked OFF. (Screen Calls? OFF Lock: ON)
5. Fill in the Extension fields for mailboxes that only match one of the 
employees with @G(employee_mailbox) 
Example:
Because 783 and 367 match Steve Forest, the Extension fields for mail-
box 783 and mailbox 367 should be:
@G(105)
Because 564 matches JoAnn Johnson, the Extension field for mailbox 
564 should be:
@G(106)
Because 262 matches Bob Knapp, the Extension field for mailbox 262 
should be:
@G(107)
or
@P(G1)P(N,107)G(107)
6. For mailboxes that match more than one of the employees:
a. Record G1 (Greeting 1) as “For first matching name, press 1; for 
second matching name, press 2; …” substituting the real names 
of employees for the italicized words.
b. In the Menus fields, put the mailbox for the first matching name 
in 1; the mailbox for the second in 2, and so forth.
c. In the Extension field, puts:
@M(G1,1,30)
This command causes Amanda to play Greeting 1 and waits for the 
caller to enter a digit indicating a choice from the menu. If the caller 
does not enter a digit within 30 seconds, Greeting 1 repeats. 
						

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Example:
Because 562 matches both JoAnn Johnson and Bob Knapp, the Menus 
for mailbox 562 would be:
1106
2107
The greeting would be:
“For JoAnn Johnson, press 1; for Bob Knapp, press 2.”
T
IPS:To make this better yet, use:
@P(G1)P(N,employee_mailbox)G(employee_m
ailbox)
instead of:
@G(employee_mailbox) 
Record a Greeting 1 for each of the new mailboxes that 
says “You are being transferred to” after which Amanda 
plays the Name and Extension recording for the employ-
ee’s mailbox. For mailbox 564 in the example, this would 
look like:
@P(G1)P(N,106)G(106) 
The P() command plays greetings and so forth. In this case, 
the first P() command plays Greeting 1; the second plays 
the Name and Extension recording.
If the matching digits conflict with existing mailboxes (for 
example, 564 matches JoAnn Johnson, but it is already the 
mailbox for another employee), use 99564 or some other 
variation that does not conflict with employee mailboxes.
When more than one employee matches the digits that the 
caller enters, you can add 9 to the menu (with mailbox 411) 
and append the greeting to end with: “…press 9 to return to 
the employee directory.” Then, if the caller doesn’t want 
any of the people mentioned in the greeting, he can try an-
other name. 
						

							168 Installing [email protected]
Token Reference
This section contains two tables, each of which lists all of the tokens in the 
Token Programming Language: 
A quick token reference table, which lists each token by its func-
tion or purpose. The functions are in alphabetical order so that you 
can easily find all the tokens that perform similar functions. For ex-
ample, the J() and T() commands both deal with faxes so they are 
grouped under Fax. This table provides only the syntax for each to-
ken. For a full description of the token, you must look in the alpha-
betical reference.
An alphabetical token reference table, which lists the tokens in al-
phabetical order based on the first letter in the token’s name. For ex-
ample, %I and I are found under I. Tokens whose names do not 
contain a letter are listed in ASCII order before the letters. This table 
provides complete descriptions and examples of each token.
Quick Token Reference
Function/Purpose of TokenSyntax
absolute valueP
[repetition
](
number,N
[,hangup
])
Add+(
variable
[,
value
])
 
ANI (Automatic Number 
Identification)%H
Append, file|(
file)
 
Assignment=(
variable,
value
[,
start,
end
])
 
Boards, serial numbers%B1 %B2 %B3
%B4 %B5 %B6
Caller hang-upH(
mailbox)
Caller ID%H
Comment%F(
field
[,
mailbox
])
 
ConditionI(
value,
operator,
value,
mailbox)
 
Conference callext_noKM