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Introduction to Dialog Speech Controls

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  Microsoft Speech Technologies Homepage

Dialog Speech Controls is a set of ASP.NET Web controls designed for building speech-enabled Web applications using Speech Application Language Tags (SALT) technology.

Dialog Speech Controls technology requires a client device with a browser and scripting capabilities. A graphical user interface (GUI) in the browser is not required. When the user connects to an ASP.NET Web page containing Dialog Speech Controls, ASP.NET renders the page and sends it to the client browser. The user interacts with the rendered controls in the browser, and does not see the Web page.

The rendered page contains information about the controls on the page and about the data to be collected. A client-side script called RunSpeech obtains this information and activates controls to collect the specified data and to confirm that it is correct.

Semantic Dialog Speech Controls

These Dialog Speech Controls serve as containers for all data that the Web page collects from user speech and from user dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) input.

  • The SemanticItem control stores information about a single semantic element of collected data. The Text property contains the recognized text, and the State property indicates whether the data needs confirmation. One or more SemanticItem controls can be placed in a SemanticMap control.
  • The SemanticMap is a collection of SemanticItem controls. One or more SemanticItem controls can be placed on an ASP.NET form, table, panel or other container.

User-Interface Dialog Speech Controls

These Dialog Speech Controls are placed in an ASP.NET form, table, panel or other container. They are activated by the RunSpeech script, and they contain other Dialog Speech Controls.

  • The Speech QA control defines a single interaction with the user, which is usually, but not always a "Question and Answer" dialogue. A QA control that collects data places it in SemanticItem controls.
  • The Speech CompareValidator and CustomValidator controls are similar to the ASP.NET CompareValidator and CustomValidator controls. The Speech validators operate on the data in SemanticItem controls and play spoken error messages.
  • The Speech Command control performs recognition of unprompted user speech, such as phrases like Help, Repeat, or Main Menu. Command controls are not designed for data collection, and do not place data in SemanticItem controls.
  • Applications on a Telephony Application Services server can use the Speech RecordSound control to record user speech, and to copy the recording from the speech server to the Web server for playback.

Nested Dialog Speech Controls

These Dialog Speech Controls are always contained within one of the user-interface controls mentioned previously. These dependent controls are activated by their parent controls.

  • The Prompt control handles speech output directed to the user, usually in the form of a question. The output may consist of a prerecorded audio file, or text synthesized by the speech engine. When defined in a QA control, the Prompt plays a message or question before recognition. When defined in a Command control, the Prompt plays a help message in response to recognition. In a CompareValidator or CustomValidator control, the Prompt plays an error message after validation failure. The prompt is required.
  • The Reco control configures a recognition from the speech engine. It specifies grammar resources, and specifies handlers for several types of recognition error conditions. The Reco control is optional in the QA control.
  • The Grammar control specifies a recognition grammar resource, usually a file. At least one Grammar control is required in the QA.Reco, Dtmf and Command controls.
  • The Answer control links a semantic element of recognition results to a SemanticItem control. Answer controls are optional in the QA control.
  • The Record control configures the recording of user speech. The Record control is optional in the QA.Reco control.

Property-Setting Dialog Speech Controls

These Dialog Speech Controls define collections of Dialog Speech Controls property settings, in a manner similar to the HTML <style> and <stylesheet> objects.

  • The SpeechControlSettingsItem control sets properties of other Dialog Speech Controls that reference it. One or more SpeechControlSettingsItem can be placed in a SpeechControlSettings control.
  • The SpeechControlSettings control is a collection of SpeechControlSettingsItem controls. SpeechControlSettings controls are optional in an ASP.NET form, table, panel or other container.