Appendix A - Script Example for Telephone Rotation Scheduling Rules

Procedures and descriptions are provided in the Telephone Rotation Schedule Rules documentation (go to Telephone Rotation Scheduling Rules Overview for more information).

// To initialize 2 required background fields on upload

function InitialiseActiveNumber()

{

 var telnumber=GetRespondentValue("Tel1");

 Scheduling.Interview.TelephoneNumber=telnumber;

 SetRespondentValue('TelephoneNumber',telnumber)

 SetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNumber',"Tel1")

 SetRespondentValue('ConnectedCallCount', 0);

}

// To stop rotation - used for appointment and new number outcomes

function StopRotation() {

 SetRespondentValue('StopRotation', "1");

}

// to update the call history fields after each connected call

// required as the dialer does not go to the survey engine for outcomes that don't connect to an interviewer

(e.g. no reply, busy, fax, etc)

function SaveCallHistory() {

 var callstatus = Scheduling.Interview.TransientState;

 var dt: DateTime = DateTime.Now;

 var iter = int(GetRespondentValue('CallAttemptCount'));

 var currentnumber = GetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNumber');

// to increment call count for connected calls only

if (Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == 1 || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == 33 || Scheduling.Interview.

TransientState == 2 || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == 3 || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState

 == 7 || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == 7) {

 SetRespondentValue('Status' + currentnumber, "1");

 SetRespondentValue('ConnectedCallCount', int(GetRespondentValue('ConnectedCallCount')) + 1);

}

// to incremement count for current number

 var currentnumbercount = int(GetRespondentValue('Count' + currentnumber))

 SetRespondentValue('Count' + currentnumber, currentnumbercount + 1);

 SetRespondentValue('LastExtendedStatus', callstatus);

 f('CallDateTime', iter).setValue(dt);

 f('CallExtendedStatus', iter).setValue(callstatus);

 var telno = GetRespondentValue('TelephoneNumber')

 f('CallPhoneNumber', iter).setValue(telno);

 Scheduling.Interview.TelephoneNumber = telno;

// To keep track of how many times the number has been called for outcomes Busy / Answer Phone

 if (Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == "2" || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == "7")

  SetRespondentValue('ActivePhone', "1");

 var activenocount = int(GetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNoCount'))

 SetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNoCount', activenocount + 1);

// IMPORTANT change the limit to the highest number of attempts for busies / answer phones

if (activenocount >= 2 || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState=="8" ||  Scheduling.Interview.TransientState=="9" || Scheduling.Interview.TransientState == "11") {

 SetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNoCount', 0);

 SetRespondentValue('ActivePhone', "0");

}

}

// to keep track of how many numbers are still available to call (it excludes unobtainables, faxes, modems)

function UpdateUsablePhoneCount() {

 var nophones = 6; //**** IMPORTANT Change this if there are more than 6 phone numbers *****

 var count: int = 0;

 for (var i: int = 1; i <= nophones; i++) {

  if (GetRespondentValue('Tel' + i) != null && GetRespondentValue('StatusTel' + i)!= 9) {

   count += 1;

   if (GetRespondentValue('StatusTel' + i) == null) {

    SetRespondentValue('StatusTel' + i, '0');

   }

  }

 }

 SetRespondentValue('UsablePhoneCount', count);

}

// To select to next number available

// Used for rotation when call outcome is a no reply

function SelectNextNumber() {

 var currNum = GetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNumber');

 var nextphone;

 var phoneArray = ['Tel1', 'Tel2', 'Tel3', 'Tel4', 'Tel5', 'Tel6'] /**** IMPORTANT Add to this if there are more than 6 telephone number background fields */

  // to go through all the next numbers

  var flagCurr = false;

  var rLength = phoneArray.length;

  var currArray;

  SetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNoCount',0)

  for (var j: int = 0; j < rLength; j++) {

   var chkNum = phoneArray[j];

   currArray = j;

   if (chkNum == currNum) {

    flagCurr = true;

    continue;

   }

   if (flagCurr) {

    // test next number to see if TelStatus value is 1 or 9

    var testVal = 'Status' + chkNum;

    if (GetRespondentValue(testVal) != null && (GetRespondentValue(testVal) == "0" || GetRespondentValue(testVal) == "1")) {

     nextphone = chkNum;

     break;

    }

   }

  }

  //end of available phone numbers reached

  if (currArray == rLength - 1 && nextphone == null) {

   for (var jj: int = 0; jj < rLength; jj++) {

    var chkNum1 = phoneArray[jj];

    // test next number to see if TelStatus value is 1 or 9

    var testVal1 = 'Status' + chkNum1;

    if (GetRespondentValue(testVal1) != null && (GetRespondentValue(testVal1) == "0" || GetRespondentValue(testVal1) == "1")) {

     nextphone = chkNum1;

     break;

    }

   }

  }

  if (nextphone) {

   var nextNum = GetRespondentValue(nextphone);

   SetRespondentValue('TelephoneNumber', nextNum);

   Scheduling.Interview.TelephoneNumber = nextNum;

   SetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNumber', nextphone);

  }

 }

// To flag record for rotation

function NextNumberAction() {

 var usableCount = int(GetRespondentValue('UsablePhoneCount'));

 // Select next number if ActivePhone is not set to 1 (i.e. for busies and answer phones)

 // Remove the second part of the condition if next number should be selected for busies and no replies

 if (usableCount > 1 && GetRespondentValue('ActivePhone')!="1") {

  SelectNextNumber();

 }

}

// to flag invalid numbers

function InvalidNumberAction() {

 var currTelAct = GetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNumber');

 var tag = 'Status' + currTelAct;

 SetRespondentValue(tag, '9');

 UpdateUsablePhoneCount();

 var usableCount = int(GetRespondentValue('UsablePhoneCount'));

 if (usableCount > 0) {

  SelectNextNumber();

 } else {

  SetRespondentValue('ActiveTelNumber', '');

  SetRespondentValue('TelephoneNumber', '');

  Scheduling.Interview.TransientState="32" // all numbers are unobtainable

 }

}