New challenge: telephone

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New challenge telephone

• Text To Speech audio
• Speech recognition
• VoiceXML
• Homework sign up on studio.tellme.com

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Telephone

• Caller to system speech recognition,
• using grammars (limited vocabulary, general
  audience, no training)
• optional use of touch tones (numbers)
• System to caller recorded audio (wav files) plus
  TTS (text to speech)
• Limited bandwidth, in comparison to other
  applications, but very familiar, ubiquitous
  medium
• 800 long distance, some airline information
  systems, others?

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Problems in context

• Speech recognition very difficult if
• no restrictions on speakers
• grammar for all of English with aim of 'natural
  language understanding'
• Text to speech much easier problem (but English
  is more difficult than more fully phonetic
  languages like Spanish. (I've been told.)
• (More next class)

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studio.tellme.com

• Company that provides engine for applications
• Provides developing environment
• We are doing the tellme version of VoiceXML, but
  it appears to be standard.
• Register as a developer
• Provide your own id assigned a PIN
• Scratchpad for quick testing
• Put VoiceXML in ScratchPad place (no audio files)
• 1-800-555-VXML (8965)
• SAY id and then PIN.
• Application URL for projects with multiple files
• To look at someone else's project, you change
  your Application URL
• called pointing your account to a new source.

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(No Transcript)
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VoiceXML

• XML document (VXML header)
• VoiceXML has tags for flow-of-control and
  calculations.
• Also can use for JavaScript
• Grammars come in different varieties. We will
  use the tellme way.
• Grammars are included in CDATA tags to prevent
  XML interpretation.
• Many grammars constructed for you.
• will
  listen for yes or no.
  type"currency" will listen for currency.
• for list

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VoiceXML basics, continued

• element can contain
• elements, which can contain ,
  , other
• which can contain
• (if not one of built-in grammars)
• tags can be at different levels (for
  example, document, block, or higher levels)
• tags
• elements for JavaScript (which can also
  appear in expressions

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VoiceXML basics typical case

• a form element
• , made up of , with reference to
  recorded wav file and backup text
• , if NOT using built-in grammars
  designated by type attribute of field. This is a
  CDATA section.
• with (follow-on) code using field
• for nomatch, noinput cases

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Caution

• A form contains various elements,
• including
• a field.
• If a field has a grammar and the grammar is
  satisfied, control goes to a
• filled tag

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obligatory

• Hello, world

recorded using tellme studio
backup using TTS, just in case src file missing
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Preparation objects

• JavaScript (and other languages) use classes and
  objects
• Objects (aka object instances) are declared
  (created, instantiated) as members of a class
• Objects have
• properties ('the data')
• methods (functions that you can use 'on' the
  objects)
• static methods
• Math.random

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Example tm_date

• var dt new tm_date creates a date/time
  object.
• Use methods to extract/manipulate information
  held 'in' dt.
• var day dt.get_day()
• Use static methods supplied to do common tasks
• var dntm_date.to_day_of_week_name(day)
• or directly
• var dntm_date.to_day_of_week_name(dt.get_day())

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outline

• Header stuff
• script with external reference
• script (code) encased in CDATA notation
• Form/Block, with text to speech using value
  produced by script
• Closing stuff

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• src"http//resources.tellme.com/lib/code/tm_date.
  js"/

Will make use of data functions
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• var dt new tm_date()
• var monis tm_date.to_month_name(dt.get_month
  ())
• var dateis dt.get_date()
• var dayis tm_date.to_day_of_week_name(dt.get
  _day())
• var yearis tm_date.to_year_name(dt.get_full_
  year())
• var houris dt.get_hours() - 4
• var minutesisdt.get_minutes()
• var whole 'The date is ' monis'
  'dateis'. It is ' dayis'. The time is '
  houris ' ' minutesis

brute force correction from GMT
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• Hello.
• Good bye.

Can use block for audio
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Example my family

• Directed responses to 3 family members
• Daniel,
• question/response on activities
• Aviva,
• question/response on number of cranes
• Esther
• response
• Calculations (arithmetic) done using variables
• if tags
• The cond attribute is a condition test.
• limited error handled exit on no-match event
• alternative is to repeat prompt, generally using
  count attribute

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• Hello. Who is
  calling?

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• dan daniel (daniel meyer) (dan meyer) "daniel"
• aviva (aviva meyer)
• esther (esther minkin)

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• src"sorry.wav"Sorry. I didn't get that.
  

never happens
Note inner, single quote marks. Note double 's
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• Congratulations on the new job. Did you work on
  your thesis, or do aikido or jo today?
• aikido (i key dough)
• thesis (work)
• jo (joe)
• both (all) (everything) ((i key dough)
  jo)
• none nothing (sort of)
• I didn't
  quite understand. Call or send e-mail.
  

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• Some aikido is fine.
• Good, but do other things
  also.
• don't get hit in the
  head.
• Doing some of everything is best.
  
• You deserve a break, but
  remember you want to be done by September.
  
• See you soon.
• Good bye
  

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• Hello,
  Aviva. How many cranes have you made?
• NATURAL_NUMBER_THRU_9999
• src"sorry.wav"Sorry. I didn't get that.
  

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• to go.
• You're in the
  home stretch
• More than
  half way
• Off to a good
  start
• Get a move on
• Good bye.
  

can't use
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• Hello, Mommy. This is all I can do
  now.

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Application logic

• VoiceXML elements (for example, and .
• Note more powerful than XSLT tag
• JavaScript code in attributes (for example, cond,
  expr)
• JavaScript code in
• Encase in CDATA to avoid problems with certain
  characters
• external JavaScript code, cited using srcfile address /

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Class work

• EVERYONE (who hasn't already) signup
  studio.tellme.com tonight
• Design simple application (you may work in
  groups)
• Ask one question
• Detect and respond to each of 2 or 3 answers
• Use examples here for models
• All text to speech
• Pick (at least) one and implement.
• (Do this a short time and then go on to next
  lecture. Resume after 9pm when minutes are free.)

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Homework

• (Majors requirement overdue there will be a
  deduction but better late than never.)
• Go to studio.tellme.com signup as developer.
• try examples (using scratch pad)
• record some voice samples
• do tellme tutorials
• ALSO try and report on
• 800 long distance or some other commercial
  application