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This has now been implemented in #1695 Now the work is to add the functionality to other modules...
List of modules which can use time groups:
- Outbound routing would be a good candidate.
- Feature codes could also benefit, if you could limit the times when a feature code is available.
Proposed by p_lindheimer:
We should re-architect time conditions such that it becomes an 'abstract' set of timeconditions with no actions associated with it. Then modules that want to include time conditinions can poplulate a menu obtained by a method supplied by the timecondtions module.
The first step would be to separate the 'goto' from the current 'timeconditions' and make a new page/module to create the goto conditions that pulls from this class. Then other modules can use the same time conditions for other purposes.
This is analogous to how some SOHO routers I've looked at work. You setup time conditions that can be used in menus like internet availability, when port forwarding should be restricted, etc. It provides for one place to setup the fairly 'complex' time condition menu.
An example of where this could be immediately applied is outbound-allroutes. Today the routes get generated as such:
[outbound-allroutes] include => outbound-allroutes-custom include => outrt-001-Emergency include => outrt-002-Local include => outrt-003-LongInternational
as an example. With a very minor tweak, using the proposed timeconditons class, you might create a timeconditions that looks like the following, (say you had free PSTN calls on weekends...)
[outbound-allroutes] include => outbound-allroutes-custom include => outrt-001-Emergency include => outrt-002-Local include => outrt-003-LongInternational|*|mon-fri|*|* include => outrt-004-PSTNLongInternational|*|sat-sun|*|*
This is an example of an 'easy win' since the format of oubound routing already lends itself to a structure that could quickly adopt this. Plenty of other modules could adopt time conditions in various creative ways if they could simply include a class method which gives them the pulldown menu of existing timeconditons to choose from, and the associated methods in functions to retrieve and include the info in the generated dialplans.
I created a feature request ticket for this: #774 and am adding a link back to here for further discussions, ideas.
Discussion
(wozto1s) This for me is a 'must have' due to the silly way that UK providers struture their call charges, e.g. i have one provider where local/national calls are free between 6 p.m. ~ 6 a.m. but charge 3p a minute otherwise, whereas another provider is 1p per minute at all times, therefore I want calls over the free provider where possible but fall back to 1p a minute, if you see what I mean.
Q: What happens outside these times? do they just not match at all?
A: I think so, the context is only included if the times/dates match.
(naftali5) At least the outbound routing of it can be done with #1447 and it allows MULTIPLE time conditions to match. This will reduce the number of outbound routes to create. I posted technical info in #774.
