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About Webphone

This Applescript applet allows people to call you via the internet by a simple click of a hyperlink. If you are using video conferencing software such as CUSeeMe, or audio conferencing software such as Netphone, but do not want to run these programs all the time, this applescript applet might well be for you. It provides your web page with an interface to automatically start up video or audio conferencing software on both sides. If the caller uses Netphone, he/she actually only needs to press the "Call" button to get a connection.


Contents

o How to allow people to call you by clicking a hyperlink.
o Getting Webphone.
o Installation.
o Requirements.
o Making Webphone calls to other people.
o Setting up Macintosh voice calls.
o Setting up UNIX voice calls.
o Disclaimer.

How to allow people to call you by clicking a hyperlink

This applet proves that the idea works on a Mac, though conferencing program developers should be a bit more aware of the possibilities of the world-wide web. The script uses the Common Gateway Interface standard, and is operated via Apple Events (thanks to Jon Wiederspan for his excellent example code!). It starts up when a caller clicks its hyperlink on your home page (see the example on my
home page). It will look what type of connection should be set up (audio or video). The script will play a sound, and will show the following dialog on the receiver's machine:

If the receiver the presses the answer button, the appropriate communication software will automatically startup on both ends of the connection, and you can talk to each other.

What really happens is this:

When the receiver the presses the answer button, a file will be returned to the caller's webbrowser. If audio is requested it will return a file of MIME type audio/conference. This is actually a Netphone file. If video is requested it will return a file of MIME type video/conference. This is actually just a text file with the ip address of the receivers machine in it (CUSeeMe doesn't use bookmark files, so after it's started up, you still need to type in the recipient's address). If the caller has instructed his browser which helper applications to launch when these MIME types are downloaded, the browser will automatically start up the appropriate application. Meanwhile, the applet will have started up the same application on the receiver's side.


Getting Webphone

o You can download the Webphone applet from the info-mac archives.

Installation

o Webphone should be used in conjunction with MacHTTP 2.0 or Webstar WorldWideWeb Server software running on Macintosh computers.

o Get a Connectix Quickcam, or any other Quicktime compatible video grabbing system.

o Put Webphone in the same folder as MacHTTP 2.0.

o Put the following html code in your home page html document:
Call me  <A HREF="/Webphone.cgi?audio">by audio </A> or 
<A HREF="/Webphone.cgi?video">by video </A>
The path in front of the ? sign tells MacHTTP where to find the Webphone.cgi applet, the selector after the ? sign tells Webphone what type of communications program to run: an audio tool or a video tool.

o Download the Netphone demo application.

o Download the CUSeeMe videoconferencing application.

o Launch Netphone, and create a bookmark file with the address of your machine. You do this by calling yourself, and then choosing save. This bookmark file should be saved as "CallMe.nph" in your MacHTTP home directory. This is the file that will be sent to the caller to start up his Netphone application.

o Now open your MacHTTP.config file and add the following MIME Types:

TEXT .CUC CUce * video/conference
BINARY .NPH EMC8 * audio/conference

You can also simply replace your config file with the one provided with this applet.

o Include these MIME types in your Netscape preferences helper applications dialog. Choose Launch application as the default option. There is only one problem: Netscape's preferences dialog is still buggy as hell. It doesn't set Netphone's file type correctly. If you want this to work, use ResEdit to open the resource file included with this software, select all, copy, and paste into the Netscape Preferences file. This will add the correct 'MIME' resources to your Netscape preferences. Alternative, you can replace your Netscape file with the one included. If you might ask, but I can't require every user to hack around with Resedit, your perfectly right, but SOMEONE has to make clear to both the developers of Netscape and CUSeeMe that they are missing some vital points in their software, which inhibits their interoperability.

o Put the sound file "Ring" into your system folder.

o As an example of its use, check out my home page
And please, ONLY call when you actually have something to say to me. When abused, I'll simply remove the link.


Requirements

Applescript, MacHTTP 2.0 or WebStar, and the following OSAXen:

o Apple: Current Date, Display Dialog, String Commands.
o Jon's commands

Making Webphone calls to other people

o Setting up Macintosh voice calls.
o Setting up UNIX voice calls.


Setting up Macintosh voice calls:

o If your Mac has a microphone, first install Netphone software. This program will allow you to make a voice call over the internet. The demo version, unfortunately, limits conversations to 90 seconds...

o Although you should be able to do this with other WWW browsers as well, please install Netscape instead.

o Select the Preferences item in your browser and select Helper Applications.

o Define a new MIME type audio with subtype conference. You do this by pressing the new button. After definition, the MIME type should look like this: audio/conference.

o Press the Browse button to select a helper application for this new MIME type.

o Find the Netphone application on your hard disk and double-click it.

o Make sure that the helper application is launched. You do this by selecting Launch Application.

o Set the file extension type to .nph

o Make sure the file type menu indicates WkSp. If it doesn't, click in the popupmenu and select this file type.

o Now you can try calling me. Your Netphone application should be automatically started by your web browser, and will show a window with a Call button. Just press that button and you will be connected to my machine.


Setting up UNIX voice calls:

o If your workstation has a microphone, first install Visual Audio Tool (VAT) software. This program will allow you to make a voice call over the internet. You do not need to have a multicast machine to do this.

o Although you should be able to do this with other WWW browsers as well, please install Netscape instead.

o Select the Preferences item in your browser and select Helper Applications.

o Make sure there is a MIME type application with subtype x-csh. You can define one by pressing the new button. After definition, the MIME type should look like this: application/x-csh.

o Make sure data of this MIME type gets piped to the csh process running on your machine.

o Now you can try calling me. Your VAT process should be automatically started, and you should be instantly connected to my machine.


Disclaimer

This software comes on an as-is basis. The author does not accept any liability whatsoever for damage resulting from its use.

This software is e-mail-ware. If you use this software, please send me an e-mail with the URL of the web page where it is utilized.

Non-commercial utilization only! The software may not be sold or in any other way used in a profitable manner without my prior consent. This software may not be distributed without this read me file.

I will not answer questions by e-mail which clearly demonstrate that you did not read this read-me file carefully.


If you have problems or comments concerning this WWW server, please contact
Roel Vertegaal
Copyright 1995 Dept. of Ergonomics, University of Twente, The Netherlands. All rights reserved.