Input Collection

This page covers the XML elements for collecting user input: DTMF digit presses and automatic speech recognition.

GetDigits

The <GetDigits> element collects DTMF (touch-tone) digits entered by the caller. Use it for IVR menus, PIN entry, and numeric input.

Recommendation: Use GetInput instead of GetDigits for new applications. GetInput supports both speech and digit input.

Basic Usage

<Response>
    <GetDigits action="https://example.com/handle-input/" numDigits="1">
        <Speak>Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support.</Speak>
    </GetDigits>
    <Speak>We didn't receive any input. Goodbye.</Speak>
</Response>

from plivo import plivoxml

response = plivoxml.ResponseElement()
getdigits = plivoxml.GetDigitsElement(
    action='https://example.com/handle-input/',
    num_digits=1
)
getdigits.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support.'))
response.add(getdigits)
response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement("We didn't receive any input. Goodbye."))
print(response.to_string())

GetDigits Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`action`	URL	-	URL to receive the digits
`method`	string	`POST`	HTTP method (`GET`, `POST`)
`numDigits`	integer	`99`	Maximum digits to collect
`timeout`	integer	`5`	Seconds to wait for first digit
`digitTimeout`	integer	`2`	Seconds between consecutive digits
`finishOnKey`	string	`#`	Key to submit input (digit, `#`, `*`, `none`)
`retries`	integer	`1`	Retry attempts if no input
`redirect`	boolean	`true`	Redirect to action URL
`playBeep`	boolean	`false`	Play beep after nested elements
`validDigits`	string	`1234567890*#`	Allowed digits
`invalidDigitsSound`	URL	-	Audio for invalid digit
`log`	boolean	`true`	Log digits (disable for sensitive input)

Nested Elements

<GetDigits> can contain:

<Speak> - Text-to-speech prompt
<Play> - Audio file prompt

Prompts play while waiting for input. Input collection starts as soon as the first digit is pressed.

Phone Tree (IVR)

<Response>
    <GetDigits action="https://example.com/ivr/" numDigits="1" timeout="10" retries="2">
        <Speak>
            Welcome to Acme Corp.
            Press 1 for sales.
            Press 2 for support.
            Press 3 for billing.
            Press 0 to speak with an operator.
        </Speak>
    </GetDigits>
    <Speak>Sorry, we didn't receive valid input. Goodbye.</Speak>
</Response>

Handle the input on your server:

# Flask example
@app.route('/ivr/', methods=['POST'])
def handle_ivr():
    digits = request.form.get('Digits')
    response = plivoxml.ResponseElement()

    if digits == '1':
        response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Connecting you to sales.'))
        dial = plivoxml.DialElement()
        dial.add(plivoxml.NumberElement('+14155551111'))
        response.add(dial)
    elif digits == '2':
        response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Connecting you to support.'))
        dial = plivoxml.DialElement()
        dial.add(plivoxml.NumberElement('+14155552222'))
        response.add(dial)
    elif digits == '3':
        response.add(plivoxml.RedirectElement('https://example.com/billing-menu/'))
    elif digits == '0':
        response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Please hold for an operator.'))
        dial = plivoxml.DialElement()
        dial.add(plivoxml.NumberElement('+14155550000'))
        response.add(dial)
    else:
        response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Invalid option.'))
        response.add(plivoxml.RedirectElement('https://example.com/ivr-start/'))

    return Response(response.to_string(), mimetype='application/xml')

PIN Entry

Collect a specific number of digits:

<Response>
    <GetDigits action="https://example.com/verify-pin/"
               numDigits="4"
               timeout="10"
               finishOnKey=""
               log="false">
        <Speak>Please enter your 4-digit PIN.</Speak>
    </GetDigits>
</Response>

Note: Set log="false" for sensitive input like PINs.

Variable Length Input

Use finishOnKey for variable-length input:

<Response>
    <GetDigits action="https://example.com/handle-input/"
               finishOnKey="#"
               timeout="15">
        <Speak>
            Enter your account number followed by the pound key.
        </Speak>
    </GetDigits>
</Response>

Restrict Valid Digits

Only accept specific digits:

<Response>
    <GetDigits action="https://example.com/handle-input/"
               numDigits="1"
               validDigits="123"
               invalidDigitsSound="https://example.com/invalid.mp3">
        <Speak>Press 1, 2, or 3.</Speak>
    </GetDigits>
</Response>

No Redirect

Collect digits without redirecting (fire and forget):

<Response>
    <GetDigits action="https://example.com/log-input/"
               redirect="false"
               numDigits="1">
        <Speak>Press any key to confirm you're listening.</Speak>
    </GetDigits>
    <Speak>Thank you. Continuing with your call.</Speak>
</Response>

GetDigits Action URL Parameters

When digits are collected, these parameters are sent:

Parameter	Description
`Digits`	The digits entered (excluding `finishOnKey`)

Plus all standard request parameters.

GetDigits Flow Behavior

Nested <Speak> or <Play> elements execute
If playBeep="true", a beep plays
Digit collection starts
Collection ends when:
- numDigits reached
- finishOnKey pressed
- timeout or digitTimeout expires
Digits sent to action URL
Response XML from action URL executes

If no digits are received after retries attempts, execution continues to the next element.

GetInput

The <GetInput> element collects user input through automatic speech recognition (ASR) or DTMF digit presses. It’s the recommended replacement for <GetDigits>, supporting both speech and digit input.

Basic Usage

<Response>
    <GetInput action="https://example.com/handle-input/" inputType="dtmf speech">
        <Speak>How can I help you today? You can say your request or press 1 for sales, 2 for support.</Speak>
    </GetInput>
    <Speak>We didn't receive any input. Please try again.</Speak>
</Response>

from plivo import plivoxml

response = plivoxml.ResponseElement()
getinput = plivoxml.GetInputElement(
    action='https://example.com/handle-input/',
    input_type='dtmf speech'
)
getinput.add_speak('How can I help you today?')
response.add(getinput)
response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement("We didn't receive any input."))
print(response.to_string())

GetInput Attributes

Core Settings

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`action`	URL	required	URL to receive the input
`method`	string	`POST`	HTTP method (`GET`, `POST`)
`inputType`	string	-	Input type: `dtmf`, `speech`, `dtmf speech`
`redirect`	boolean	`true`	Redirect to action URL after input
`log`	boolean	`true`	Log input (disable for sensitive data)

Timing

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`executionTimeout`	integer	`15`	Max seconds to wait for input (5-60)
`digitEndTimeout`	string	`auto`	Seconds between digits (2-10, or `auto`)
`speechEndTimeout`	string	`auto`	Seconds of silence to end speech (2-10, or `auto`)

DTMF Settings

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`numDigits`	integer	`32`	Maximum digits to collect (1-32)
`finishOnKey`	string	`#`	Key to submit input (digit, `#`, `*`, `none`)

Speech Settings

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`language`	string	`en-US`	Speech recognition language
`speechModel`	string	`default`	ASR model: `default`, `command_and_search`, `phone_call`
`hints`	string	-	Comma-separated phrases to boost recognition
`profanityFilter`	boolean	`false`	Filter profane words

Callbacks

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`interimSpeechResultsCallback`	URL	-	URL for real-time speech results
`interimSpeechResultsCallbackMethod`	string	`POST`	HTTP method for interim callback

Input Types

DTMF Only

Collect only digit presses:

<GetInput action="/handle-input/" inputType="dtmf" numDigits="4">
    <Speak>Enter your 4-digit PIN.</Speak>
</GetInput>

Speech Only

Collect only speech input:

<GetInput action="/handle-input/" inputType="speech" language="en-US">
    <Speak>What city would you like to search?</Speak>
</GetInput>

Both Speech and DTMF

Accept either input type (first detected wins):

<GetInput action="/handle-input/" inputType="dtmf speech">
    <Speak>Say your request or press 1 for help.</Speak>
</GetInput>

Speech Recognition Models

Model	Best For
`default`	General long-form audio
`command_and_search`	Short commands and voice search
`phone_call`	Phone call audio (varied quality)

<GetInput action="/handle-input/"
          inputType="speech"
          speechModel="command_and_search"
          language="en-US">
    <Speak>What would you like to do?</Speak>
</GetInput>

Improve Speech Recognition

Use hints to boost recognition of specific words:

<GetInput action="/handle-input/"
          inputType="speech"
          hints="account balance, transfer money, pay bill, customer service">
    <Speak>How can I help you with your account today?</Speak>
</GetInput>

Limits:

Max 500 phrases per request
Max 10,000 characters total
Max 100 characters per phrase

Real-Time Speech Results

Get interim transcription results as the user speaks:

<GetInput action="/final-result/"
          inputType="speech"
          interimSpeechResultsCallback="https://example.com/interim/">
    <Speak>Please describe your issue.</Speak>
</GetInput>

Interim Callback Parameters

Parameter	Description
`StableSpeech`	Confident transcription so far
`UnstableSpeech`	Current guess (may change)
`Stability`	Confidence score (0.0-1.0)
`SequenceNumber`	Order of callbacks

Supported Languages

Common languages include:

Language	Code
English (US)	`en-US`
English (UK)	`en-GB`
English (Australia)	`en-AU`
Spanish (US)	`es-US`
Spanish (Spain)	`es-ES`
French	`fr-FR`
German	`de-DE`
Italian	`it-IT`
Portuguese (Brazil)	`pt-BR`
Japanese	`ja-JP`
Chinese (Mandarin)	`zh-CN`

GetInput Action URL Parameters

When input is collected:

Parameter	Description
`InputType`	`dtmf` or `speech`
`Digits`	Digits entered (empty if speech)
`Speech`	Transcribed text (empty if DTMF)
`SpeechConfidenceScore`	Confidence (0.0-1.0)
`BilledAmount`	Transcription cost

Plus all standard request parameters.

Handling Input on Your Server

# Flask example
@app.route('/handle-input/', methods=['POST'])
def handle_input():
    input_type = request.form.get('InputType')
    response = plivoxml.ResponseElement()

    if input_type == 'dtmf':
        digits = request.form.get('Digits')
        if digits == '1':
            response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Connecting you to sales.'))
            # Add dial logic
        elif digits == '2':
            response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Connecting you to support.'))
            # Add dial logic

    elif input_type == 'speech':
        speech = request.form.get('Speech', '').lower()
        confidence = float(request.form.get('SpeechConfidenceScore', 0))

        if confidence < 0.5:
            response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement("I didn't catch that. Please try again."))
            response.add(plivoxml.RedirectElement('/start/'))
        elif 'balance' in speech:
            response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement('Your current balance is $150.'))
        elif 'transfer' in speech:
            response.add(plivoxml.RedirectElement('/transfer-flow/'))
        else:
            response.add(plivoxml.SpeakElement("I'm not sure how to help with that."))

    return Response(response.to_string(), mimetype='application/xml')

GetInput Nested Elements

<GetInput> can contain:

<Speak> - Voice prompt
<Play> - Audio prompt

Speech Recognition Pricing

Speech recognition is billed per 15-second increment.

Audio Output - Speak, Play, DTMF
Call Routing - Dial, Redirect, Hangup, Wait

Getting Started

Concepts

API Reference

XML Reference

SDKs

Troubleshooting

Voice Tutorials

Migration Guides

​GetDigits

​Basic Usage

​GetDigits Attributes

​Nested Elements

​Phone Tree (IVR)

​PIN Entry

​Variable Length Input

​Restrict Valid Digits

​No Redirect

​GetDigits Action URL Parameters

​GetDigits Flow Behavior

​GetInput

​Basic Usage

​GetInput Attributes

​Core Settings

​Timing

​DTMF Settings

​Speech Settings

​Callbacks

​Input Types

​DTMF Only

​Speech Only

​Both Speech and DTMF

​Speech Recognition Models

​Improve Speech Recognition

​Real-Time Speech Results

​Interim Callback Parameters

​Supported Languages

​GetInput Action URL Parameters

​Handling Input on Your Server

​GetInput Nested Elements

​Speech Recognition Pricing

​Related

GetDigits

Basic Usage

GetDigits Attributes

Nested Elements

Phone Tree (IVR)

PIN Entry

Variable Length Input

Restrict Valid Digits

No Redirect

GetDigits Action URL Parameters

GetDigits Flow Behavior

GetInput

Basic Usage

GetInput Attributes

Core Settings

Timing

DTMF Settings

Speech Settings

Callbacks

Input Types

DTMF Only

Speech Only

Both Speech and DTMF

Speech Recognition Models

Improve Speech Recognition

Real-Time Speech Results

Interim Callback Parameters

Supported Languages

GetInput Action URL Parameters

Handling Input on Your Server

GetInput Nested Elements

Speech Recognition Pricing

Related