Show Line in Notification Window Tweak...

[CallerDude]

On the "General" tab, there is a box which says "Show Line in Notification Window." If I issue a YAC test call, this says "YAC (10629)."

Would it be possible to offer a little box where you could rename the line to something more meaningful, such as "Dad's Work" or "Bedroom Phone?" I'd like to use two modems in one machine, two different phone lines, but I suspect they would both show up on the client side as "YAC (10629)" or something similarly cryptic, without a way to differentiate which line the call is coming in on.

Is this possible?

If it is not possible on the client side with YAC, since YAC probably does not transmit such data, perhaps it is possible to send the name of the line if using Ascendis as a server. If Ascendis was running on a machine with two modems, say, one external and one PCI, it would have two different serial ports to monitor. Then, perhaps you could click each line and rename them "Garage Phone" and "Bobby's Line." Now, when Ascendis acts as a server, it will send the re-named lines to the client.

Or, have I missed this, and can it do so already?



~Many thanks!

[Bill Root]

Hi CallerDude,

First of all, thank you for letting us know that someone is using the YAC functionality!

Ascendis Caller ID servers currently pass the line description to Ascendis Caller ID network clients. On the Ascendis Caller ID server, open the Options window, the Devices page, "Modems and TAPI" sub-page, select the modem, click the Properties button, and change the "Description" box as desired.

There is currently no way to do this with YAC servers. I don't think there are enough Ascendis Caller ID users using YAC with multiple phone lines to justify adding descriptions to YAC calls within Ascendis Caller ID right now. (If you'd like to enlist our custom development services to add this feature, please contact us at http://www.ascendis.com/contact_custom.php.)

If you have any problems getting Ascendis Caller ID running on the machine with the modems or passing line descriptions to the Ascendis Caller ID client, please let me know and we'll help with the configuration.


Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software LLC

[CallerDude]

Bill, thank you very much! I happen to love YAC, and will continue to use it. Is it possible to use the Ascendis software to serve both YAC-compatible data and its own format? I see the options are there, but I did not know if there would be an incompatibility or conflict.

As per the original thread title, would it be possible to add a little checkbox so that you could specify a different font/font color/background color for different lines in the notification window when appearing full screen? This function would work when using Ascendis alone, and, would optimally pass the font information with the line data to any Ascendis clients. It would be very easy to distinguish which line is ringing by color, for those of us with less than perfect vision.

[Bill Root]

CallerDude,

Is it possible to use the Ascendis software to serve both YAC-compatible data and its own format? I see the options are there, but I did not know if there would be an incompatibility or conflict.

Yes, Ascendis Caller ID can serve both Ascendis Caller ID clients and YAC clients simultaneously. Since we don't use YAC here, it's possible an incompatibility exists that wasn't found during our testing, but basic operations seem to work fine. If you find a problem, let us know so we can fix it.

As per the original thread title, would it be possible to add a little checkbox so that you could specify a different font/font color/background color for different lines in the notification window when appearing full screen? This function would work when using Ascendis alone, and, would optimally pass the font information with the line data to any Ascendis clients. It would be very easy to distinguish which line is ringing by color, for those of us with less than perfect vision.

This is more involved than it might appear, and it's unlikely we could do this in the near future even if we were convinced it has broad enough appeal. I hope to have a reasonable workaround soon, in the form of an HTML notification window that can be customized, including changing font color or other characteristics based on the line on which the call was received. I'll post another response when it's ready.


Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software LLC

[CallerDude]

Sounds good! Please keep us posted.

[CallerDude]

I forgot to put this in my previous post:

Please keep YAC compatibility in future iterations of Ascendis Caller ID. There are those of us out there who use and love it.

No matter what sort of [very much appreciated] HTML update wizardry you perform on the line notification, keep YAC.

Gratefully,

CallerDude

[Bill Root]

Ok, the beta (2.3.0.9) with the HTML call notification window option is now available from
http://ascendis.com/callerid/CallerID_Beta_Setup.exe

The beta page is available here:
http://ascendis.com/callerid/beta.php

To use the new notification window, select "HTML window" in the Options window, Notification page. Click the Preview button to see what it will look like. Right-click on the displayed notification window for configuration options.

In your case, I suggest right-clicking on the notification window and selecting the "Special YAC Line Handling (requires customization)" standard layout. Then right-click again and select "Edit Layout". The layout should open in Notepad or your text editor. Scroll down to the "line, if so configured" section. You will need to customize the script with your own YAC machine IP addresses. You can change the specified colors or make different changes. If you don't know how to make these changes, tell me the IP addresses of the YAC servers and how you want the line displayed.

After making the changes, you may have to pick the modified layout from the "Custom Layouts" section on the right-click menu.

This is a new feature and there may be rough edges -- if so, report them here and I'll have a look.

Please keep YAC compatibility in future iterations of Ascendis Caller ID. There are those of us out there who use and love it.

Noted; thanks!


Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software LLC