7.3.6. Custom Fields

By default, the NexLog DX-Series database stores several pieces of information about each Record, such as the Channel Number and Name it was recorded on, the Date/Time it started, and its Duration. In addition to these standard fields, some optional features and custom integrations can fill in additional information. Since there is no preset field in the database to hold this information, you must configure a Custom Field to store the info. These fields are populated by various optional and standard subsystems, or by custom integrations. For example, upon a fresh installation, five custom fields are automatically added: Annotations, Caller_Id, Calling_Party, Calltype and DTMF. These fields are automatically filled in for calls which enter the system via certain board tasks. For example, a call received on an Analog card which contains DTMF Tones will have those tones automatically processed and the corresponding numbers entered into the database record for that recording as long as the DTMF custom field has not been deleted. If you are not using those fields they may be deleted for your convenience.

In addition to the five preset Custom Fields, certain optional features, both licensed and core, may utilize a preset custom field and for those features to operate, a custom field by the indicated name must be added. Examples of such custom fields are MF_ANI for storing the MFR2 ANI Number transmitted on some analog CAMA trunks, and RadioID for the ANI transmitted via MDC1200 on some analog Radio systems. Custom metadata integrations may require additional custom fields, for example, an ANI/ALI Spill for a 911 Call Center may contain information such as Carrier and Street_Address. These custom fields could be added to the system, and the metadata integration configured can populate them. Note that just adding a new custom field without an integration to populate it will not provide a useful function, just empty fields. Custom fields can be enabled as columns in the playback clients (MediaWorks DX, etc.) to view the metadata associated with a call.

Fig. 7.49 Custom Fields

The Main Setup page for Custom Fields shows a list of all fields currently configured, as well as a button to add a new custom field, and a button to Edit or Delete a selected custom field. Simply select the desired field, and then the desired action button. Each Custom Field has several options which can be configured and viewed. These are:

Field Name: This is what the field will is called in the MediaWorks DX/Front Panel Column and also how it will by identified by the Server. Any field name can be used with a custom integration, but certain field names have specific uses on the server. For example, DTMF, CALLING_PARTY, CALLER_ID, MF_ANI, MDC_ANI, and USER_ID are special fields. If these fields exist on the recorder and the corresponding back end configuration options are enabled and configured, they will be populated by the systems. Other fieldnames will only ever be populated via Custom Integrations or manually by users using client software. Field names are limited to alphanumeric characters and must start with an alphabetical character. Underscores are also allowed and will be translated to spaces for display purposes.

FieldType

What type of data the field will be designed to hold in the database. This can be one of seven types: Integer, Text, Float, Location, List, Image List, Checkbox.

Group Name

Optional field used to group custom fields together in MediaWorks DX search filters. For example, if you are using RSOS Location, you may want all RSOS fields to be in the RSOS group, so that they show up grouped by RSOS rather than alphabetically in with all other configured fields. It has no effect on recording or the contents of the metadata.

Text

is generally always used unless efficient database searching based on “greater than” or “less than” will be utilized. Float is for numbers with a decimal place, whereas Integer fields contain only whole numbers. Location is used for Geolocation GPS data.

Image List

allows you to choose from a wide variety of images that can be assigned to a call record in MediaWorks DX. By default, Image Lists that are editable will include an option to “unset” the value back to nothing. The “Color_Code” field created for the example below has 9 images selected and the unset option turned on:

Fig. 7.50 Custom Image List Color_Code Example

These images can then be assigned to call records in MediaWorks DX. The Color Code field of the selected call record in blue in this image has been double clicked, opening the menu to select the image from:

Fig. 7.51 Color_Code Example in MediaWorks DX

List

is similar. It lets you create an arbitrary list of values that can be selected from a pull down menu. A Checkbox field will display a column of checkboxes in MediaWorks DX. It is important to make List, Image List and Checkbox fields editable, if they are going to be set by end users in MediaWorks DX.

Indexed

If this field is enabled, the recorder database will maintain an index on the metadata field. This index will make searching on the field in Front Panel and MediaWorks DX more efficient and fast, at the expense of additional CPU load on the server to maintain the index. Fields that will commonly be searched on should be indexed.

Editable

If true, users will be able to edit the value of this field in MediaWorks DX, otherwise only the Recorder itself will be able to control the value of the custom field for a call.

When adding new custom field, the above options can be configured. However, when editing an existing custom field, only the Verifier and Editable options can be changed. This is because the Field Name, Type, and Indexed Status end up in the database schema and cannot be efficiently changed. Changing these values would require deleting and re-adding the custom field, which would have the side effect of deleting any information stored in this field for any recording on the recorder.

Deleting a custom field using the ‘Delete’ Button will also delete any data stored in the custom field for any recording in the database.

7.3.6.1. Calltype

Calltype is a feature that automatically tags records with an image representing the kind of recording it is. By default, recordings made on Analog Recording cards will be tagged with Audio, T1/E1 with Phone, screen captures with Screen. These automatic mappings will only be set up when the system is installed or when a new board is added.

Fig. 7.52 Calltype Field Configuration

If you want to set up a new Calltype if the default mapping isn’t appropriate for a channel, you can configure it by going to Recording: Boards, expanding a board and then clicking the Gear to edit the channel. Once on the Edit Channel page, change the Default Call Type field to match one of the entries in the Custom Field mapping. You can put any text here and it will be automatically tagged in this field for all calls that come in on this channel but if you want it to show an image in the timeline, you need to have this text match one of the entries in the map.

If you want to set the value for every channel of a board in one go, click a column header on the Recording Interfaces page and select Default Call Type and then click it again to select Set All Values → Default Call Type, enter the desired value and hit the enter key.