One of the coolest applications I have ever seen, from my own perspective as well as what I have seen in pure user delight, is the Weather by Zip Code program.
Written by our own Super Nerd Uno, Ward Mundy, the program allows you to enter your zip code, and get a customized weather report - provided by Noah - verbalized right over the phone.
To install it, you download a couple of zip files, use phpMyAdmin to do some sql stuff, make a few manual entries and create a dial plan or two, then make a custom destination for it. (As I recall, the first couple of versions also required some naked dancing around a fire pit and possibly the use of voodoo dolls to get it installed, but I digress.)
If this is sounding like the ramp up to another FreePBX module - you're right!
Weather By Zip:THE MODULE installs the entire system as envisioned by Nerd Uno. Its installs the zip code database, supports both swift and flight, and comes complete with a feature code in the FreePBX Feature code control screen. No manual adjustments are required to install Ward's ultra-cool program!
Install and Upgrade
This module should co reside with the original non-modularized version of the Weather by Zip Code program. (The feature codes of course must be unique)
The installation will take between 45 seconds and 1:30 seconds on a reasonably fast machine.
On a reasonably slow machine - it can fail outright due to the size of the database it's populating with some 42 thousand zip codes. We are preparing an update that we think will resolve this. (6.24.09)
Upgrading/ Reinstalling will not cause duplicate ZIP code databases.
Installation:
Step 1: Download the module to your desktopFrom here. (Be sure to select the most current stable non development version.)
Don’t decompress the archive!
Step 2: Use a web browser to access FreePBX on your PBX. Choose Tools, Module Admin, Upload Module.
Now, browse to the weatherzip-1.X.X.tgz file on your Desktop and click the Upload button. Now click local module administration, scroll down and click on Weather by Zip - and then the Install radio button.
NOTE: This will take longer than any module you have ever installed before. BE PATIENT and don't interrupt it.
The orange square that normally shows you installation progress WILL BE BLANK until the process is completed.
You will KNOW you are done when you see the messages saying that the Weather by ZipCode and the ZIP code database have been installed.
If after some time you get a single white status line on the top of this status box, and nothing else, your system has not completed the installation of the ZIP code database. (There IS a way to proceed should this happen to you.)
Now click Process, and complete the usual FreePBX install and reload process.
Step 3: Use a web browser to access FreePBX on your PBX. Choose Setup, Weather by ZIP.
You will be presented with configuration screen. Select the Text to Speech engine that make sense for your PBX, and click Process, and complete the usual FreePBX confirm and reload process.
That's all there is to it. If everything went according to Hoyle, you can pick up any extension and dial *947 (or whatever you have changed it to in the Features Control screen of FreePBX) and be asked for your zip code.
Now - the next time your sitting there thinking it would be good exercise to get up, walk to a window and see what the weather is like outside - remember you don't really have to. :1eyeb:
Don't forget to let us know how this works for you!
Until next time -
tshif
More info:
This module is compatible with the security models used in the following distributions:
PBX In A Flash
TrixBOX CE *See Special Issues
Elastix *See Special Issues
The Module’s wiki Page is here.
Asterisk Version Compatibility
This module has been tested and found to work correctly with Asterisk versions 1.4 and 1.6.
Known Issues:
1. This module does not properly clean up changes made to extensions_custom.conf. Specifically, this line:
# include custom_weatherzip.conf
Will be attached to the bottom of the extensions_custom.conf file every time you install / re install the module. This is harmless, and will be corrected in a future release of the module.
2.This module supports only mysql, if your PBX is deployed using another database, this module will fail.
Written by our own Super Nerd Uno, Ward Mundy, the program allows you to enter your zip code, and get a customized weather report - provided by Noah - verbalized right over the phone.
To install it, you download a couple of zip files, use phpMyAdmin to do some sql stuff, make a few manual entries and create a dial plan or two, then make a custom destination for it. (As I recall, the first couple of versions also required some naked dancing around a fire pit and possibly the use of voodoo dolls to get it installed, but I digress.)
If this is sounding like the ramp up to another FreePBX module - you're right!
Weather By Zip:THE MODULE installs the entire system as envisioned by Nerd Uno. Its installs the zip code database, supports both swift and flight, and comes complete with a feature code in the FreePBX Feature code control screen. No manual adjustments are required to install Ward's ultra-cool program!
Install and Upgrade
This module should co reside with the original non-modularized version of the Weather by Zip Code program. (The feature codes of course must be unique)
The installation will take between 45 seconds and 1:30 seconds on a reasonably fast machine.
On a reasonably slow machine - it can fail outright due to the size of the database it's populating with some 42 thousand zip codes. We are preparing an update that we think will resolve this. (6.24.09)
Upgrading/ Reinstalling will not cause duplicate ZIP code databases.
Installation:
Step 1: Download the module to your desktopFrom here. (Be sure to select the most current stable non development version.)
Don’t decompress the archive!
Step 2: Use a web browser to access FreePBX on your PBX. Choose Tools, Module Admin, Upload Module.
Now, browse to the weatherzip-1.X.X.tgz file on your Desktop and click the Upload button. Now click local module administration, scroll down and click on Weather by Zip - and then the Install radio button.
NOTE: This will take longer than any module you have ever installed before. BE PATIENT and don't interrupt it.
The orange square that normally shows you installation progress WILL BE BLANK until the process is completed.
You will KNOW you are done when you see the messages saying that the Weather by ZipCode and the ZIP code database have been installed.
If after some time you get a single white status line on the top of this status box, and nothing else, your system has not completed the installation of the ZIP code database. (There IS a way to proceed should this happen to you.)
Now click Process, and complete the usual FreePBX install and reload process.
Step 3: Use a web browser to access FreePBX on your PBX. Choose Setup, Weather by ZIP.
You will be presented with configuration screen. Select the Text to Speech engine that make sense for your PBX, and click Process, and complete the usual FreePBX confirm and reload process.
That's all there is to it. If everything went according to Hoyle, you can pick up any extension and dial *947 (or whatever you have changed it to in the Features Control screen of FreePBX) and be asked for your zip code.
Now - the next time your sitting there thinking it would be good exercise to get up, walk to a window and see what the weather is like outside - remember you don't really have to. :1eyeb:
Don't forget to let us know how this works for you!
Until next time -
tshif
More info:
This module is compatible with the security models used in the following distributions:
PBX In A Flash
TrixBOX CE *See Special Issues
Elastix *See Special Issues
The Module’s wiki Page is here.
Asterisk Version Compatibility
This module has been tested and found to work correctly with Asterisk versions 1.4 and 1.6.
Known Issues:
1. This module does not properly clean up changes made to extensions_custom.conf. Specifically, this line:
# include custom_weatherzip.conf
Will be attached to the bottom of the extensions_custom.conf file every time you install / re install the module. This is harmless, and will be corrected in a future release of the module.
2.This module supports only mysql, if your PBX is deployed using another database, this module will fail.