Introduction
The following sections contain a step-by-step guide to implementing frequency processing within the auto-reply maintenance in QMessage Monitor. This feature allows you to perform a different action based on the number of occurrences of a message within a given time period (minutes).
In the example, we send an email message to a user via an escalation procedure, if a certain message has been received four times in an hour; otherwise, we answer the message with a “C”.
Escalation Procedure
Defining the escalation user
First, define the escalation user. In this example we define the escalation user as a QRemote Control user whose preferred paging method is the email address as below:
Defining the escalation procedure
Next, we define a simple escalation procedure that pages the above user if the message is unanswered. First define the header:
and then the details:
Don't worry that we're ‘Paging’ a user, because the user is set up with a preferred paging method equal to email, the message will be sent to the email address.
Automatic Responses
Defining the auto-reply rules
We now need to define two auto-reply rules. The first calls our escalation procedure if we've received message CPA576E for controller UPSPROD1 four times within a sixty-minute period. The second answers message CPA576E for controller UPSPROD1 with a C. Because the auto-reply table is searched in sequence number order, the rules have to be created in this numerical order.
So, the first rule is created as follows; enter the message ID and a more specific text on the General tab:
Then, select the Action Taken tab:
Then, select the Escalation tab to enter the escalation procedure:
Then, select the External Selection tab for the frequency settings:
We define the fact that it is controller UPSPROD1 by selecting the Fields tab and entering the controller in field 24, as it is the 24th variable in the message description (see DSPMSGD CPA576E for more details):
The second rule is created as follows; enter the message ID and a more specific text on the General tab:
Then, select the Action Taken tab and specify that the message is replied to with a value of “C”:
Then select the Fields tab:
An Example of How It All Works
In order to test our records we can use the MMSNDMSG command as below:
MMSNDMSG MSGID(CPA576E) MSGDTA(' UPSPROD1') MSGTYP(*INQ)
Note: Make sure you get the message data starting in the correct position.
Run this command four times. Also, run the command with different message data (such as UPSPROD2) to ensure that this record will be treated separately. You should see something similar to the following on the QMessage Monitor console:
We see the first three messages replied to with a C. The fourth message has an escalation icon against it indicating that an escalation procedure has been run.
Finally, here is a copy of the email, as it appears in the email Inbox:
