Understand User Input Modes

Article
05/23/2014

This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release.

Unified Communications Managed API (UCMA) projects recognize input from users and create output in three modes:

Instant Messenger (IM)
Speech
DTMF (Dual-Tone Multiple-Frequency)

The mode supported at any time depends on the nature of the call, and which workflow activity is active. Design UCMA applications to support the expected call modes, which can be IM, speech or DTMF. To support IM calls, include activities that support IM, for example InstantMessagingQuestionAnswerActivity. To support speech and DTMF calls, include activities that support speech, for example SpeechQuestionAnswerActivity.

Another way of understanding application mode is to consider whether the application makes calls or receives calls. Communications workflow projects support both modes for speech and instant messaging.

Speech Mode

Communications workflow applications can recognize speech, and emit speech as prompts. To support speech mode, add one or more speech grammars and the appropriate speech activities.

Speech Recognition

To create new speech recognition grammars in UCMA applications, use the Grammar class to create SRGS grammars, as described in Authoring Grammars.

Speech Prompts

To emit verbal prompts in a communications workflow application, use either of these activities:

SpeechQuestionAnswerActivity
SpeechStatementActivity

Instant Messaging Mode

Communications workflow applications can recognize text input, and emit text as prompts.

Instant Message Text Recognition

Speech grammars perform input recognition in instant message (IM) mode. To support IM mode, add one or more speech grammars and the appropriate IM activities:

InstantMessagingQuestionAnswerActivity
InstantMessagingCommandActivity
InstantMessagingHelpCommandActivity

IM Prompts

To emit text prompts in a communications workflow application, use either of these activities:

InstantMessagingQuestionAnswerActivity
InstantMessagingStatementActivity

DTMF Mode

A workflow activity that recognizes speech input will also recognize DTMF input if a DTMF grammar is added to the grammar collection. To create new DTMF recognition grammars in UCMA applications, use the Grammar class to create SRGS grammars, as described in Authoring Grammars.