State table applications

A state table is a program that specifies the basic logic of the interaction that takes place with callers. A state table can invoke other state tables, and uses prompts and voice segments to communicate with the caller. A voice segment is an audio recording, usually of spoken words. A prompt is a small program that specifies the logic of the voice output that callers hear, allowing you to combine voice segments efficiently, rather than having to record every utterance separately.This section describes how state table applications work, how you create them, and when you should consider state tables rather than other programming models.

A state table application is a collection of state tables, prompts, voice segments, and servers, which together provide the desired function. The top-level state table is the one that is specified in an application profile, hence you will find it convenient to refer to the voice application by the name of this state table. Figure 1 shows the various components of a voice application.

Figure 1. The components of a voice application using a state table environment
Diagram shows how a state table voice application processes an incoming call from the telephone network, routing it either through a custom server to the required business logic, or through a 3270 server to a host-based application. In both cases information can then be obtained and fed back from a separate data server.
This section describes how state table applications work, how you create them, and when you should consider state tables rather than other programming models: