How to answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python?

Question

How to answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python?

Young Yee Er 0

I am following this guide https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/python/api/overview/azure/communication-callautomation-readme?view=azure-python to answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python.

After creating a call and retrieving the connection ID successfully, I am struggling with answering/starting the call. Regardless of how I format the incoming_call_context, I receive the following error:

File ~\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\azure\communication\callautomation\_generated\operations\_operations.py:967, in AzureCommunicationCallAutomationServiceOperationsMixin.answer_call(self, answer_call_request, repeatability_request_id, repeatability_first_sent, **kwargs)
    965     map_error(status_code=response.status_code, response=response, error_map=error_map)
    966     error = self._deserialize.failsafe_deserialize(_models.CommunicationErrorResponse, pipeline_response)
--> 967     raise HttpResponseError(response=response, model=error)
    969 deserialized = self._deserialize("CallConnectionProperties", pipeline_response)
    971 if cls:

HttpResponseError: (8523) Incoming Call Context is invalid.
Code: 8523
Message: Incoming Call Context is invalid.

I have been unable to find any resources on how to correctly format the incoming call context. My goal is to establish a call between two authenticated ACS clients using the same ACS subscription, without encountering this error. Ultimately, I plan to set up a test environment for a LLM powered voice bot to answer calls from one end, and a human from the other.

SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-13T04:25:25.2733333+00:00

@Young Yee Er Thanks for reaching here! If I am understanding right you are trying to answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python.

Regarding the error you are facing, it seems like the incoming call context is invalid. The incoming call context is a unique identifier for the call that you are trying to answer. It is usually provided in the request body when you receive an incoming call notification.

To answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python, you can follow these steps:

1.     First, you need to create a CallConnection object using the create_call_connection method of the CallClient object. You will need to provide the source and targets parameters to create the call connection. The source parameter is the identity of the user who is making the call, and the targets parameter is the identity of the user who is receiving the call.

2.     Once you have created the call connection, you can retrieve the call_connection_id from the response object.

3.     Next, you can use the answer_call method of the CallAutomationClient object to answer the call. You will need to provide the call_connection_id and the incoming_call_context parameters to answer the call.

See- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/python/api/azure-communication-callautomation/azure.communication.callautomation.callautomationclient?view=azure-python

Let us know.
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-13T08:09:47.3533333+00:00

<Removed duplicated comment>

Young Yee Er 0

Hi Sneha, thanks for responding! I have trying to do as you described, and I have 2 follow up questions.

How do I go from the response im getting here into the incoming call context? {

"event": {

"method": "POST",

"path": "/",

"query": {},

"client_ip": "REDACTED",

"url": "https://REDACTEDwebhook.net/",

"headers": {

 "host": "REDACTEDwebhook.net",

  "content-length": "548",

  "authorization": "Bearer [REDACTED]",

  "x-microsoft-skype-chain-id": "REDACTED",

  "accept": "application/json",

  "user-agent": "Microsoft-Skype/3.0 (Calling/1.0)",

  "x-microsoft-skype-message-id": "REDACTED",

  "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8"

},

"body": [

  {

    "id": "REDACTED",

    "source": "calling/callConnections/REDACTED",

    "type": "Microsoft.Communication.CallDisconnected",

    "data": {

      "version": "2023-03-06",

      "callConnectionId": "REDACTED",

      "correlationId": "REDACTED",

      "publicEventType": "Microsoft.Communication.CallDisconnected"

    },

    "time": "2023-11-13T02:26:50.7594309+00:00",

    "specversion": "1.0",

    "datacontenttype": "application/json",

    "subject": "calling/callConnections/REDACTED"

  }

]

},

"context": {

"id": "REDACTED",

"ts": "2023-11-13T02:26:51.676Z",

"pipeline_id": null,

"workflow_id": "",

"deployment_id": "",

"source_type": "COMPONENT",

"verified": false,

"hops": null,

"test": false,

"replay": false,

"owner_id": "",

"platform_version": "3.44.7",

"workflow_name": "",

"resume": null,

"emitter_id": "",

"trace_id": "REDACTED"

}

In step 3 described in your answer, does the call answerer need to come from the same instance of the ACS client? Or can this be answered from say, another device authenticated under the client and assuming the call recipient's user identity?

Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-14T05:54:27.18+00:00

I've since managed to call the answer_call after finding the incoming call context (from an earlier IncomingCallEvent response from my webhook viewer).

However, my call connection state is stuck at connecting on my caller client, and on the answering client it is unknown . Hence I could not proceed forward to perform any other actions on the call (eg. record, hang up, play media)
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-14T11:41:29.98+00:00

@Young Yee Er Thanks for reply!

As its mentioned in the document-

This release supports only outbound diagnostic logs. OS and SDK versions associated with the bot and the participant can be redacted because Communication Services treats identities of participants and bots the same way.

Also, if I am understanding right you are trying to link ACS to the Cognitive service, if so, see this detailed thread might be helpful.

Further- I reached out to product team on query and we are releasing more samples in Python in the coming weeks (Can not share ETA here) but in the meanwhile you can look at the dotnet and java samples to understand the configuration and runtime flow.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/samples/call-automation-ai?pivots=programming-language-csharp

Let us know, If further query here.
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-16T03:42:56.2033333+00:00

@Young Yee Er Just checking if you have chance to see recent response.

Please let us know if further query or issue remains.
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-16T19:18:14.68+00:00

Hi Sneha,

I've managed to establish a connected call successfully already. Subsequently I can do actions such as play media and record the call.

Right now I'm keen to subscribe to the audio stream of an ongoing call and I currently am trying to use this guide https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/quickstarts/voice-video-calling/media-streaming?pivots=programming-language-java

I understand that it is written only for Java and C#, which is fine as long as I could find the equivalents in Python to apply.

However, the guides don't seem to address - how does my application actually get the media stream URL so we can subscribe to it?

(Reference)*
Start media streaming - incoming call*

Your application will start receiving media streams once you answer the call and provide Azure Communication Services with the WebSocket information.
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-20T15:01:13.65+00:00

@Young Yee Er Great to know you managed to establish a connected call successfully.

On query-

how does my application actually get the media stream URL so we can subscribe to it?

I had discussion with PG on this and they confirmed-

"The media streaming URL is given to us by the customer app as they host the websocket server."

Please let us know if you are facing issue here.
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-22T05:00:37.0166667+00:00

@Young Yee Er Just checking if you have chance to see recent response.

Please let us know if further query or issue remains.
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-22T05:05:40.13+00:00

Hi Sneha,

Just saw the response!

I see, if we host the websocket server and have the url, where exactly does it get passed to the CallAutomation client?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/python/api/azure-communication-callautomation/azure.communication.callautomation.callautomationclient?view=azure-python#azure-communication-callautomation-callautomationclient-answer-call

I'm looking at this and I only see the callback_url as a parameter.

If you could point me to a resource that shows how the websocket url is passed in a python based example, that would be really helpful!

1 answer

Your answer

SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-13T04:25:25.2733333+00:00

@Young Yee Er Thanks for reaching here! If I am understanding right you are trying to answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python.

Regarding the error you are facing, it seems like the incoming call context is invalid. The incoming call context is a unique identifier for the call that you are trying to answer. It is usually provided in the request body when you receive an incoming call notification.

To answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python, you can follow these steps:

1. First, you need to create a CallConnection object using the create_call_connection method of the CallClient object. You will need to provide the source and targets parameters to create the call connection. The source parameter is the identity of the user who is making the call, and the targets parameter is the identity of the user who is receiving the call.

2. Once you have created the call connection, you can retrieve the call_connection_id from the response object.

3. Next, you can use the answer_call method of the CallAutomationClient object to answer the call. You will need to provide the call_connection_id and the incoming_call_context parameters to answer the call.

See- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/python/api/azure-communication-callautomation/azure.communication.callautomation.callautomationclient?view=azure-python

Let us know.
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-13T08:09:47.3533333+00:00

<Removed duplicated comment>
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-13T08:18:10.1+00:00

Hi Sneha, thanks for responding! I have trying to do as you described, and I have 2 follow up questions.

How do I go from the response im getting here into the incoming call context? {

"event": {

"method": "POST", "path": "/", "query": {}, "client_ip": "REDACTED", "url": "https://REDACTEDwebhook.net/", "headers": { "host": "REDACTEDwebhook.net", "content-length": "548", "authorization": "Bearer [REDACTED]", "x-microsoft-skype-chain-id": "REDACTED", "accept": "application/json", "user-agent": "Microsoft-Skype/3.0 (Calling/1.0)", "x-microsoft-skype-message-id": "REDACTED", "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8" }, "body": [ { "id": "REDACTED", "source": "calling/callConnections/REDACTED", "type": "Microsoft.Communication.CallDisconnected", "data": { "version": "2023-03-06", "callConnectionId": "REDACTED", "correlationId": "REDACTED", "publicEventType": "Microsoft.Communication.CallDisconnected" }, "time": "2023-11-13T02:26:50.7594309+00:00", "specversion": "1.0", "datacontenttype": "application/json", "subject": "calling/callConnections/REDACTED" } ]

},

"context": {

"id": "REDACTED", "ts": "2023-11-13T02:26:51.676Z", "pipeline_id": null, "workflow_id": "", "deployment_id": "", "source_type": "COMPONENT", "verified": false, "hops": null, "test": false, "replay": false, "owner_id": "", "platform_version": "3.44.7", "workflow_name": "", "resume": null, "emitter_id": "", "trace_id": "REDACTED"

}

}

In step 3 described in your answer, does the call answerer need to come from the same instance of the ACS client? Or can this be answered from say, another device authenticated under the client and assuming the call recipient's user identity?
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-14T05:54:27.18+00:00

I've since managed to call the answer_call after finding the incoming call context (from an earlier IncomingCallEvent response from my webhook viewer).

However, my call connection state is stuck at connecting on my caller client, and on the answering client it is unknown . Hence I could not proceed forward to perform any other actions on the call (eg. record, hang up, play media)
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-14T11:41:29.98+00:00

@Young Yee Er Thanks for reply!

As its mentioned in the document-

This release supports only outbound diagnostic logs. OS and SDK versions associated with the bot and the participant can be redacted because Communication Services treats identities of participants and bots the same way.

Also, if I am understanding right you are trying to link ACS to the Cognitive service, if so, see this detailed thread might be helpful.

Further- I reached out to product team on query and we are releasing more samples in Python in the coming weeks (Can not share ETA here) but in the meanwhile you can look at the dotnet and java samples to understand the configuration and runtime flow.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/samples/call-automation-ai?pivots=programming-language-csharp

Let us know, If further query here.
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-16T03:42:56.2033333+00:00

@Young Yee Er Just checking if you have chance to see recent response.

Please let us know if further query or issue remains.
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-16T19:18:14.68+00:00

Hi Sneha,

I've managed to establish a connected call successfully already. Subsequently I can do actions such as play media and record the call.

Right now I'm keen to subscribe to the audio stream of an ongoing call and I currently am trying to use this guide https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/quickstarts/voice-video-calling/media-streaming?pivots=programming-language-java

I understand that it is written only for Java and C#, which is fine as long as I could find the equivalents in Python to apply.

However, the guides don't seem to address - how does my application actually get the media stream URL so we can subscribe to it?

(Reference)*
Start media streaming - incoming call*

Your application will start receiving media streams once you answer the call and provide Azure Communication Services with the WebSocket information.
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-20T15:01:13.65+00:00

@Young Yee Er Great to know you managed to establish a connected call successfully.

On query-

how does my application actually get the media stream URL so we can subscribe to it?

I had discussion with PG on this and they confirmed-

"The media streaming URL is given to us by the customer app as they host the websocket server."

Please let us know if you are facing issue here.
SnehaAgrawal-MSFT 22,706 Reputation points Moderator

2023-11-22T05:00:37.0166667+00:00

@Young Yee Er Just checking if you have chance to see recent response.

Please let us know if further query or issue remains.
Young Yee Er 0 Reputation points

2023-11-22T05:05:40.13+00:00

Hi Sneha,

Just saw the response!

I see, if we host the websocket server and have the url, where exactly does it get passed to the CallAutomation client?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/python/api/azure-communication-callautomation/azure.communication.callautomation.callautomationclient?view=azure-python#azure-communication-callautomation-callautomationclient-answer-call

I'm looking at this and I only see the callback_url as a parameter.

If you could point me to a resource that shows how the websocket url is passed in a python based example, that would be really helpful!

Answer 1

CallAutomationClient in Azure Communication Services only requires a callback_url parameter to answer a call. The callback_url is the URL that the service will use to send events related to the call, such as incoming video or audio streams.

However, if you have a WebSocket server that you want to use to handle the incoming video or audio streams, you will need to implement the WebSocket connection in your own code and pass the necessary information to the CallAutomationClient to use your WebSocket server instead of the default one.

Also as mentioned-

we are releasing more samples in Python in the coming weeks (Can not share ETA here) but you can refer to the documentation for the WebSocket library you are using to implement the WebSocket connection, and then pass the WebSocket URL to the CallAutomationClient as a custom header or parameter.

see- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-web-pubsub/howto-websocket-connect?tabs=browser

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.

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How to answer a call in Azure Communications Services using Python?

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