Twilio Labs is where additional features for the Twilio core platform are published.
Twimlets
The projects accessed through Twilio Labs are called Twimlets. Twimlets are small web applications that implement basic voice application functionality. They are open source so you can modify Twimlets to suit your needs; they are also stateless so you can pass the URL parameters of execution in when you call them.
Using Twimlets
You can wire up a phone number to the URL of a Twimlet, and they can be combined with your own applications. Twimlets can also be chained based on what happens during their execution.
The Twimlets currently available are:
Forward |
will forward a call to another phone number and can forward to a new URL if the call isn’t answered |
Find Me |
will ring up to 10 phone numbers in order until someone answers the call |
Simulring |
will dial 2-5 phone numbers simultaneously and the first person to answer is connected to the caller |
Voicemail |
will ask the user to leave a message and will email the audio recording to a specified email address |
Simple Menu |
will play a message for the caller and wait for them to press digits that will launch them to a new URL or twimlet based on their selection |
Simple Message |
will play one or more audio files, say one or more text blocks, or any combination of both |
Call Me |
a simpler version of Simulring or Find Me that only rings one number and will forward to another URL or Twimlet if no one answers |
Echo |
outputs TwiML passed in via the URL, which is useful for building completely stateless apps that place outbound calls |
Conference |
allows you to build a simple conference line |
Hold Music |
plays hold music indefinitely based on music stored in an S3 bucket |
Twimlet Generator
Twilio Labs provides a Twimlet Generator where you can build up and test a Twimlet URL on the website.
Below is the Forward Twimlet Generator and its Configuration parameters using Twilio’s Try It Out! section found in each Twimlet example:
Twilio Sample File in FileMaker
Within FileMaker, Twimlets can be utilized by HTTP requests and the “Insert From URL” function. Revolution 11 developed a sample file to send text messages shown in the blog “Twilio Sample PHP & Instructions.” In this blog, we integrated the Hold Music Twimlet.
By entering a phone number in the “To Phone Number” section and pressing Send SMS button, the phone number you entered receives this SMS text message:
When we enter the phone number we want to reach and press “Call 1,” the phone number receives a call with music playing.
Download a PDF of this blog here: Introducing Twilio Labs…