Building Prompts

Prompts are defined for each step in an inspection assignment based on the nature of the expected response from the technician.

Prompt Types and Parameters

The prompt type you select determines how the device will instruct the technician to perform inspection step and the responses allowed. Each prompt type has a set of parameters that help define it.

Prompt Only

Select this prompt type for an informational step where the device speaks a statement to the technician but does not allow a response.

Parameter Required Entry
Priority Prompt Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before speaking a command. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt.

Ready

Select this prompt type for a step where the device speaks a statement to the technician and requires a "ready" response before proceeding to the next step.

Parameter Required Entry

Priority Prompt

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before responding. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt with his or her response.

Multiple List Selection

Select this prompt type for any step that requires a response from a defined list. The response can be a single selection from the list or multiple selections, as defined in the parameters. The valid responses to any multiple list selection prompt are defined in the List Items section of the VoiceForm Editor.

Parameter Required Entry

Confirm

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if you want the VoiceApplication to repeat the technician's response and ask for confirmation. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.

Use confirmations to reduce errors on value entry prompts; turn off confirmation to speed up the workflow.

Max Selection

Yes

Allowed values:

  • Integer, maximum 6 characters (default is 10000)

Enter the number of selections a technician can make from the list of valid responses. For example, if a technician must respond with "yes" or "no" to a specific prompt, enter 1 to indicate that either "yes" or "no" can be selected from the defined list. If any or all of a set of responses can be selected, leave the default 10000 value for this parameter.

Items Key

Yes

Click the Change link to select a list item group to associate with this step. Learn how to create and edit list items.

The list item group associated with a multiple list selection step cannot be changed if any list items are referenced by another step as constant values in a condition statement.

Notes

Select this prompt type for any step that prompts to record a VoiceNote.

Parameter Required Entry

Prompt Only

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked)
  • False (clear, default)

By default, this parameter is set to "false" to instruct the VoiceApplication to speak the prompt and wait for the technician to say "ready" before starting to record a VoiceNote. Check the checkbox if you want the recording to begin immediately following the prompt.

Float Value

Select this prompt type for a step that requires a decimal numeric entry.

Parameter Required Entry

Decimal Places

Yes

Allowed values:

  • Integer, maximum 15 characters (default is 2)

Enter the number of decimal places required in the numeric response.

If the responses to a float value step sometimes include whole numbers, train technicians to speak the number followed by "point zero."

Confirm

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if you want the VoiceApplication to repeat the technician's response and ask for confirmation. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.

Use confirmations to reduce errors on value entry prompts; turn off confirmation to speed up the workflow.

Scan

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked)
  • False (clear, default)

Check the checkbox if the technician can scan a barcode to enter the value. Otherwise clear the checkbox.

Priority Prompt

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before responding. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt with his or her response.

Minimum Value

No

Allowed values:

  • Positive or negative decimal value, maximum 10 characters

If the expected response must fall within a numeric range, enter the minimum value allowed. Otherwise leave this field blank.

Maximum Value

No

Allowed values:

  • Positive or negative decimal value, maximum 10 characters

If the expected response must fall within a numeric range, enter the maximum value allowed. Otherwise leave this field blank.

Value Entry

Select this prompt type for a step that requires a response of a short string of characters.

Parameter Required Entry

Min Length

Yes

Allowed values:

  • Integer, maximum 6 characters (default is 1)

Define the allowable number of digits for the technician's response; enter the minimum number of characters allowed. This entry helps to optimize speech recognition by telling the VoiceApplication how many utterances to expect.

Max Length

Yes

Allowed values:

  • Integer, maximum 6 characters (default is 10)

Define the allowable number of digits for the technician's response; enter the maximum number of characters allowed. This entry helps to optimize speech recognition by telling the VoiceApplication how many utterances to expect.

Confirm

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if you want the VoiceApplication to repeat the technician's response and ask for confirmation. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.

Use confirmations to reduce errors on value entry prompts; turn off confirmation to speed up the workflow.
Scan

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked)
  • False (clear, default)

Check the checkbox if the technician can scan a barcode to enter the value. Otherwise clear the checkbox.

Priority Prompt

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before responding. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt with his or her response.

Characters

Yes

Allowed values:

  • ALPHA
  • ALPHA_NUMERIC
  • NUMERIC (default)
  • Other text string

Select the type of characters required in the response as ALPHA, ALPHA_NUMERIC, NUMERIC, or type in a specific character set.

This entry helps to optimize speech recognition by limiting the vocabulary of the responses. If responses include special characters, enter a specific character set using numbers, symbols, and/or capital letters. For example, "123456789-ABCDE" allows all whole numbers, the letters A through E, and a dash.

Result Data Type

Yes

Allowed values:

  • string (default)
  • integer

Select "string" for text string, or "integer" for number.

Min Value

No

Allowed values:

  • Positive or negative integer, maximum 10 characters

If the expected response must fall within a numeric range, enter the minimum value allowed. This parameter only applies when the result_data_type entry is "int." If a numeric range does not apply or the expected entry is a non-numeric "str" data type, leave this field blank.

Max Value

No

Allowed values:

  • Positive or negative integer, maximum 10 characters

If the expected response must fall within a numeric range, enter the maximum value allowed. This parameter only applies when the result_data_type entry is "int." If a numeric range does not apply or the expected entry is a non-numeric "str" data type, leave this field blank.

Long Value Entry

Select this prompt type for a step that requires a response of a long string of characters. The long value entry prompt allows the technician to enter or clear responses in groups of characters. Serial numbers, for example, may be easier to read in three or four groups of digits; and if the technician misstates a digit, he or she can speak “no” after the device repeats the entry in order to clear only a group of digits rather than the entire value.

Use a long value entry prompt instead of a value entry prompt when the expected response is a numeric with more than eight characters or an alphanumeric with more than six characters.

Parameter Required Entry

Confirm

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if you want the VoiceApplication to repeat the technician's response and ask for confirmation. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.

Use confirmations to reduce errors on value entry prompts; turn off confirmation to speed up the workflow.
Scan

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked)
  • False (clear, default)

Check the checkbox if the technician can scan a barcode to enter the value. Otherwise clear the checkbox.

Priority Prompt

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before responding. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt with his or her response.

Characters

Yes

Allowed values:

  • ALPHA
  • ALPHA_NUMERIC
  • NUMERIC (default)
  • Other text string

Select the type of characters required in the response as ALPHA, ALPHA_NUMERIC, NUMERIC, or type in a specific character set.

This entry helps to optimize speech recognition by limiting the vocabulary of the responses. If responses include special characters, enter a specific character set using numbers, symbols, and/or capital letters. For example, "123456789-ABCDE" allows all whole numbers, the letters A through E, and a dash.

Fraction

Select this prompt type for a step that requires a response of a fractional measurement in inches.

Fractions are not supported in the Android application.

Fractional values may be spoken with no whole number (as in "3/8") or with a single-digit whole number (as in "9 and 1/16") and the lowest common denominator of a fraction limited to five denominators: halves, fourths, eighths, sixteenths, and thirty-seconds. A step with fractional measurement input also allows a whole number followed by "even" or "inches."

The following examples illustrate the values that the voice application will allow and will not allow.

The technician can speak:

  • "One eighth"
  • "Seven sixteenths"
  • "Three and one half"
  • "Nine and thirty-one thirty-seconds"
  • "Eight even"
  • "Three inches"

The technician cannot speak:

  • "Four sixteenths" (4/16 is not the lowest common denominator)
  • "Eleven and three fourths" (11 is not a single-digit whole number)
  • "One six and three fourths" (16 is not a single-digit whole number)
  • "Two thirds" (thirds is not a valid denominator)
  • "Seven" (the whole number must be followed by "even" or "inches")
Parameter Required Entry

Confirm

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if you want the VoiceApplication to repeat the technician's response and ask for confirmation. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.

Use confirmations to reduce errors on value entry prompts; turn off confirmation to speed up the workflow.

Priority Prompt

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before responding. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt with his or her response.

Part Number

Select this prompt type if you want to collect part numbers for parts entry steps.

When the voice application prompts the technician for a part number and the technician responds with at least two digits of the number, the voice application attempts to match and confirm the part name using imported part description data. If the parts step has a part number prompt type, the voice application prompts the technician to confirm the part number from the list imported in the assignment data.

If there are no matches to the imported part numbers for the confirmed part name, the part number prompts for a long value entry using the prompt phrase written for this step.

Create a single, generic part number prompt that can be reused for all parts steps such as, "Enter part number."

Parameter Required Entry

Confirm

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if you want the VoiceApplication to repeat the technician's response and ask for confirmation. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.

Use confirmations to reduce errors on value entry prompts; turn off confirmation to speed up the workflow.
Scan

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked)
  • False (clear, default)

Check the checkbox if the technician can scan a barcode to enter the value. Otherwise clear the checkbox.

Priority Prompt

Yes

Allowed values:

  • True (checked, default)
  • False (clear)

Check the checkbox if the technician must listen to the entire prompt before responding. Clear the checkbox if the technician can interrupt the prompt with his or her response.

Characters

Yes

Allowed values:

  • ALPHA
  • ALPHA_NUMERIC
  • NUMERIC (default)
  • Other text string

Select the type of characters required in the response as ALPHA, ALPHA_NUMERIC, NUMERIC, or type in a specific character set.

This entry helps to optimize speech recognition by limiting the vocabulary of the responses. If responses include special characters, enter a specific character set using numbers, symbols, and/or capital letters. For example, "123456789-ABCDE" allows all whole numbers, the letters A through E, and a dash.

Date

Select this prompt type for a step that requires the technician to enter a date. The voice application always confirms a date entry.

Parameter Required Entry

Date Format

Yes

Allowed values:

  • Text string (default is %m/%d/%Y), maximum 15 characters

Set the format for the date entry that is required by the host system. Use any standard Python U.S. English date format (see https://docs.python.org/3.2/library/datetime.html for more information).

Examples:

  • %m/%d/%Y = 02/21/2014
  • %d/%m/%y = 21/02/14
  • %b/%d/%Y = Feb 21 2014
  • %m/%d/%Y/%H/%M/%S = 02/21/2014/18:15:00

Photos

Select this prompt type for a step that requires the technician to take photos. The technician's Talkman device and the display device used to view the inspection steps must be on the same network. The display device must support HTML5.

The voice application speaks the main prompt for the step, then it prompts for a photo. The technician clicks a button on the display screen and either takes a photo with a smart device (iPhone, Android phone, Windows handheld device) or browses to a photo taken by and uploaded from a digital camera. The voice application continues to prompt for photos until the technician speaks "no more."

There are no parameters available for the photos prompt.