Features Introduced in Composer 8.1.x Releases

This section describes the new Composer 8.1 features.

Composer 8.1.3

This section describes the new features in Composer 8.1.3.

• Support for Eclipse 3.7 (Indigo) and 4.2 (Juno).
• Composer is installed as a set of plug-ins.
• Localization support. Language Packs that provide translations for Composer can now be produced and then installed on top of Composer, allowing Composer to run in languages other than English. Localization of generated VXML and SCXML applications is also supported.
• Support for Mac OS (see Composer 8.1 Deployment Guide for features supported).
• Database passwords in connection profile can be encrypted.
• Common bundled Composer Project files can be updated at any time.
• Command line code generation.
• Composer Projects can track change revisions, and revision history can be viewed by the user.
• Customizable global system event handlers in interaction process diagrams.
• New properties in Target block to support updating the DN of the reserved resource to include the access code returned by URS.
• The ECMAScript block is now also available in callflow diagrams, similar to its workflow/interaction process diagram counterpart.

New blocks for workflow diagrams:

• The TLib block adds support for TSendRequest-based requests to Genesys T-Server through the TLIB protocol.
• The SingleStepTransfer block adds support for the <ixn:singlesteptransfer> ORS action. This transfers a voice call directly, without creating another call leg.
• The Raise Event and Cancel Event blocks are provided to raise events in the current SCXML session or to cancel a delayed event.

Voice and Route:

• All toolbar button can be used to generate code for all diagrams in a project.
• Expression Builder now lists custom Javascript functions from a Project's included JS scripts.
• Block tooltips allow the user to see a summary of a block's properties at a glance, without pulling up the Properties View (experimental feature).

Composer 8.1.2

This section describes the new features in Composer 8.1.2.

Common Features Across Applications:

• The Business Rules block works directly with Genesys Rules Engine and does not require going through GRAT server at runtime. This simplifies the usage of Genesys Business rules in VXML and SCXML applications.
• Enhancements made to Database blocks support Database clusters and secure connections; this enables users to connect to Oracle RAC and SQL clusters.
• Database Connections can use service names in addition to SIDs. Connection strings can be dynamically generated and support variables. This helps developers to simplify the usage of database connections.
• Blocks in either Orchestration workflows (SCXML) or Voice call-flows (VXML) can be disabled. For example, you may wish to temporarily remove a block during debugging or during development. Disabled blocks do not participate in the application at runtime.
• New properties for Logging are available for all blocks. Additional support for Alarms is added to workflows. This feature allows developers to minimize insertion of Log blocks and improves readability.

GVP application (VXML) Enhancements:

• Support for Outbound Campaigns in callflows. New Outbound blocks enable callflow applications to update, add or delete records in Campaign Calling Lists and work as a solution in tandem with Genesys Outbound Solutions. Users can also update Do Not Call lists in an Outbound Solution through callflow diagrams.
• Callflow applications (VXML) can use the Operation Parameter Module (OPM) and Audio Resource Management (ARM) features of Genesys Administrator Extension. OPM enables simplification of the overall solution by allowing business users to easily control and manage callflows.
• This release adds a new utility function to access SIP header values in callflows.
• A new VXML code block allows the embedding of VXML code directly into callflows through <subdialog>. This feature provides developers the flexibility to modularize callflow diagrams.
• Users can specify custom formats for Voice prompts in a VXML applications. Custom formats can be created via ECMAScript functions in callflows.
• Input and ICM variables defined in callflow Entry blocks are initialized to default variables if no value is supplied at runtime. This behavior is controlled by a flag. Older version of callflows will continue to have this flag reset to maintain backward compatibility.

Orchestration Application (SCXML) Enhancements:

• Enhanced debugger support provides the ability to debug SCXML applications. The Composer interface provides full debugging functionality for Composer-generated and hand-coded applications.
• New Outbound Campaign blocks support integration with Genesys Outbound Contact features, such as adding, deleting, and updating Calling List records; updating Do Not Call lists; and other Calling List manipulation features. This functionality provides more robust integration between Routing logic and Genesys Outbound Contact functionality.
• New blocks support the SCXML <parallel> functionality allowing developers to define applications that can simultaneously perform multiple operations. Entry, Subroutine and Begin parallel blocks in workflows and sub-workflows support target-less transitions, which could be based on some condition.
• Support for Genesys Administrator Extension Operation Parameters (OPM) and Audio Resource Management (ARM) functionality in SCXML applications. This feature simpifies the solution and provides control to the end user, addressing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
• Voice Treatment blocks provide direct access to Extension data returned after treatment completion. Composer now supports Orchestration Server-based treatments instead of Universal Routing Server-based treatments.
• Support for multiple views for Workbins and existing queues within interaction process diagrams (IPDs).

Composer 8.1.1

This section describes the new features in Composer 8.1.1.

New Routing Application Features

New features for creating SCXML-based routing applications include:

• An Orchestration Server (ORS) Debugger, which gives ability to debug SCXML applications including routing applications. The applications can be Composer-generated, hand-coded or a mix of both.
• When specifying ORS preferences, you can enable secure communications (SSL/TLS) between the Composer client and ORS, for SCXML debugging sessions. The connection between Composer and ORS is mutually-authenticated TLS if implemented on the ORS side.
• Routing blocks, as well as those involved in interaction processing, support multi-site routing: Target, Route Interaction, Queue Interaction, Force Route, Routing Rule, Default Route, Create E-mail, E-mail Response, E-mail Forward, Chat Transcript, and Create SMS. See new properties Detach and Detach Timeout.
• Support for development of "interaction-less" processing has been added, which allows the creation of SCXML applications that may be started/interacted with via ORS Web Services, rather than an interaction. The following features support "interaction-less" processing:
  • Blocks that influence interactions now support selecting the interaction they should use. The default behavior is to use the current interaction which is backwards compatible.
  • Wait for Event in the interaction process diagram, which can be set to not wait for a startup or triggering event thereby enabling interaction less workflows.
• To support "interaction-less processing," the following blocks add a new property, Interaction ID:
  • Routing blocks: Default Route, Force Route, Route Interaction, Queue Interaction, Routing Rule, Stop Interaction, and Target.
  • Flow Control blocks: Disconnect, and Exit
  • eServices blocks: Chat Transcript, Create Email, Create SMS, Email Forward, Email Response, Identify Contact, Update Contact, Create Interaction, and Render Message.
  • Voice Treatment: Create User Announcement, Delete User Announcement, IVR, Play Application, Play Message, and Play Sound.
• Interaction process diagrams add a Namespaces property, which gives the ability to refer to custom namespaces in generated code.
• Interaction Queue blocks in interaction process diagrams support segmentation based on views. Multiple views can be defined and each can redirect flow to a different workflow diagram.
• The following Flow Control blocks are available when creating an interaction process diagram: Branching, ECMAScript, and Log.
• When segmenting interactions to take different paths in a workflow, you now have the ability to define a default limit for each segment.
• When using the Media Server block to specify interactions of a particular media type for an interaction process diagram, the following servers are now available for selection: Chat Servers and Third Party Servers (such as one used for Capture Point application). The Publish operation creates endpoints for these server types.
• When using the Route Interaction block, a new Hints property allows you to specify extension data. The following blocks also add the Hints property: Cancel Call, Create User Annoucement, Delete User Annoucement, Default Route, Queue Interaction, Play Application, Play Sound, Play Message, Routing Rule, Target, User Input.
• When using the Route Interaction block, a new Hints property allows you to specify extension data. The following blocks also add the Hints property: Cancel Call, Create User Annoucement, Delete User Annoucement, Default Route, Queue Interaction, Play Application, Play Sound, Play Message, Routing Rule, Target, User Input.
• The Play Application block adds a new property, Use User Data. When set to true, Composer will automatically update the interaction's user data with the input/inout parameters specified in the Parameters property.
• The Target and Force Route blocks add a Type property, which you can use to define the type of redirection processing.
• The Route Interaction block and Target blocks add a new property, Include Requests From Previous Blocks, which can be used for cascaded target lookups.
• A new Wait block can be used to have Orchesration Server transition out when one of a defined list of events is received and the associated condition is true.
• When using Composer's Business Rule block to request the Genesys Rules Engine to execute a Rule Package in a routing workflow or voice callflow, the getUData() function is now available.

New Voice Application Features

• New features for creating voice applications for GVP include:
• VXML callflows now support a VXML application root document. This enables features like global variables that are available across all callflows and sub-callflows.
• The Prompts property in the following blocks allows VoiceXML to overlay text into an existing video image/stream: Prompt, Menu, Input, DB Prompt, DB Input, Grammar Menu, Record, and Menu.
• The Menu block supports specifying DTMF for repeating a menu.

New Voice & Route Application Features

• While exporting a .WAR file, each Project can specify a unique name which is included in the .WAR file.
• When using Context Services, you can specify a particular media type for a service, which can be a Configuration Server Business Attribute, such as for an Application Type. The following blocks add the Media Type property: Start Service, Associate Service, Complete Service, Enter State, Complete State, Start Task, and Complete Task.
• When defining parameters for the Backend, Web Request, Web Service, Subroutine, and Subdialog blocks, you can now use Expression Builder.

Composer 8.1

This section describes the new Composer 8.1 features.

IRD to Composer Migration Support

Starting with Composer 8.1, you can migrate routing strategies created with Interaction Routing Designer (IRD) 8.0+ into Composer Projects as SCXML-based workflow diagrams, which can run on the Orchestration Platform. The migration process uses an import wizard to handle the transformation from an IRD strategy into a Composer workflow diagram. The IRD to Composer Migration Guide Wiki details the migration process.

• Composer can now interface with the Genesys Rules Engine, which is part of the Genesys Rules System. A Composer-compatible plug-in is available for developing business Rule Templates. This plug-in is provided as part of the Genesys Rules System. For information on installing the plugin
• A new Business Rule block lets you request the Genesys Rules Engine to execute a particular set of business rules in a routing workflow or voice callflow and get the results back.

  Note:

  In the Genesys 8.1 release, the Genesys Rules System will only be packaged with the intelligent Workload Distribution product and the Conversation Manager product.

Composer moves closer to parity with Universal Routing's strategy creation tool, Interaction Routing Designer (IRD).

• An E-mail Response block combines the functionality of IRD's Acknowledgement, Autoresponse, and Create Notification objects.
• A Chat Transcript block allows you to generate a reply e-mail to a chat interaction and attaches a chat transcript.
• An E-mail Forward block combines the functionality of IRD's Forward E-mail, Redirect E-mail, and Reply E-mail from External Resource object.
• A Screen Interaction block allows you to screen a text-based interaction for specific content (specific words or patterns), and then (optionally) segment the interaction to different logical branches based on the result of the screening query.
• A Classify Interaction block allows you to classify a text-based interaction based on content, and attach one or more Classification categories to the interaction.
• For classification segmentation, an ECMAScript function determines if a particular category name or ID exists in the array of category objects represented by an application variable. This variable can be the output of the Classify Interaction block, enabling the Branching block to be used for segmentation based on category.
• For manually attaching categories to an interaction, the User Data block can be used and then a branching block can be (optionally) used to segment interactions to different logical branches based on the different categories.
• An Update Contact block allows you to update customer profile information in the UCS Database, based on data attached to an interaction.
• An Identify Contact block can identify a contact based on the interaction User Data; return a list of matching Contact IDs based on the User Data; create a contact record in the UCS Database with information in the User Data if a matching contact is not found; or update the UCS Database record of the matching contact with information from the current interaction's User Data.
• A Create Interaction block allows you to create an interaction record in the Universal Contact Server Database for a customer contact. This saves the current interaction being processed by the strategy, in the database.
• A Render Message block provides the ability to render field codes in arbitrary text.

Other New Routing Application Features

• Composer's existing Create E-mail block is enhanced to allow you to: pick up standard response text from User Data; specify that the "To" address be picked up from the Customer Profile in the Universal Contact Server Database; and use Field Codes in standard responses that will later be filled in with user-specific values.
• Composer's existing Route Interaction block now allows you to create applications where routing is based on schedules from Genesys Workforce Management.
• The Flow Control palette for routing applications contains a new SCXML State block. When used in a workflow diagram, it allows you to write custom SCXML code that Composer will include in the SCXML document that it generates based on the workflow diagram.
• The Flow Control palette for routing applications contains a new User Data block for updating an interaction's User Data and for attaching Business Attributes, Categories, and Skills.
• When an interaction process diagram (IPD) uses a Workflow block, if the referenced workflow diagram contains an eServices block that names a server performing an action or operation, Composer adds a visual indicator in the form of a node (similar to an IRD strategy-linked node).
• When developers work with Context Services, Composer accepts HTTP basic authentication credentials and uses them for authentication, including digest authentication for working with Web Services.
• You can now use variables in Skill Expression Builder. You can also disable Skill Expression validation from the Configuration Server preference page.
• You can now include your own custom JavaScript ( *.js) files in workflows by placing them in the /include/user folder. The JavaScript functions in the specified .js file can then be used in Assign or Branching block expressions.
• A new Composer Route Project template is available: Forward to External Resource.
• Composer's database Query Builder and Stored Procedure Helper now support table synonyms.
• New Integrated Voice and Route Project templates are available: Load Balancing and Working Hour Routing, External File-Based Routing, and Play Application and Busy Treatment.

GVP-Specific Enhancements

• The Transfer block provides a property for setting an authorization code (authcode). It can be populated either from free-form text or from an application variable.
• The Call Trace view used for debugging a callflow displays the line number for each incoming metric.
• A "barge-in" option is available for prompts. The Interruptible property for the following blocks add a new option for DTMF-only barge-in mode: Prompt block, DB Prompt block, Input block, Menu block, Grammar Menu block, and DB Input block.
• Automatic selection of language-specific pre-recorded prompts, grammars, and TTS prompts is now available during application execution. The following blocks add a new Language property: Prompt block, DB Prompt block, Input block, Menu block, Grammar Menu block, DB Input block, and Record block.
• The language set by this property overrides any language set by the Set Language block, the Project preferences, or the incoming call parameters. The property takes effect only for the duration of the block. The language setting reverts back to its previous state after the block is done.
• The Language property affects the language of grammars used for ASR input for the following blocks: Input block, Transfer block, and Route Request block.
• The Record block's Capture Filename Prefix and Capture Location properties now allow selection from application variables in addition to accepting literal strings.
• You can now use the GVP ICM Adapter in VoiceXML applications, including invoking services, responding to requests, and sharing data.
• A new ICM Interaction Data block, available on the CTI Blocks palette, supports sending of variables to Intelligent Contact Management (ICM).
• A new ICM Route Request block, also available on the CTI Blocks palette, supports routing the call to CTI.
• The Exit block's Return Values property dialog allows you to select the ICM variables to be returned.
• Voice Projects now have a Project-level flag, which controls whether ICM variables are available for selection and assignment to variables within Composer's Entry block.
• SSML tags can be used in prompts.

Security Enhancements

• The Web Service block now supports certificate-based authentication. You can develop both voice (VXML) and routing (SCXML) applications that support secure mutual authentication and communication with a Web Service. Composer supports the use of both a digital client certificate and server certificate contained in a keystore file.
• When creating a routing application and connecting to Configuration Server, Composer displays informational text associated with both successful and unsuccessful authentication.
• You can configure an inactivity timeout for the connection to Configuration Server as well as when the timeout warning dialog should appear.
• You have the option of having a configurable security banner appear when Composer is first launched, similar to other Genesys applications. For information on configurable items related to the banner, see the Genesys 8.1 Security Deployment Guide.
• Composer supports secure connections when connecting to GVP's Media Control Platform and when connecting to Context Services and for Universal Contact Server.
• Composer now has Transport Layer Security (TLS) support and adheres to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) in its connection to Configuration Server and to GVP Media Control Platform.

Routing & Voice Applications

• When organizing custom blocks, you have the option of creating new drawers in the palette. You can also select from a set of bundled custom icons for the custom blocks you create.
• Expression Builder now returns to its last state when re-opened, which includes displaying the tree and the location in the tree in the Expression Builder Data area.
• The Expression Builder filter now works on the description of the functions in addition to the function signatures.
• Expression Builder data loading is optimized to run in a separate thread. As a result, dialogs remain responsive while data loading is in progress.

New operating system support for 8.1 is as follows:

• Composer can run on the Windows 2003, Windows 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit in 32-bit compatibility mode), Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit in 32-bit compatibility mode) operating systems. For more information, see "Operating Systems Supported" on page 41.