Call log incorrect

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dvhttn
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:29 pm

Call log incorrect

Post by dvhttn »

Hi,

The problem I describe is not confined to DW Contacts but it would be good if DW could fix it.
In my contact list I have a separate 'contact' per person, even if they live at the same address. For example, I have myself, my wife and my son as separate contacts who share the same postal address details as well as the same fixed-line phone number. It is this last item which causes the "problem" I'm seeing when dialling that fixed-line. Basically I'll go to, say, my wife's contact details and ring that fixed-line number for her. However, the outgoing call is logged to myself or my son. Obviously this isn't correct.

Now I've asked another contacts app writer about this in the past (I forget who) and they have explained that the issue arises because of the way the Android API is used. Basically you pass the phone number to Android and it comes back with the contact det5ails which you then log. Correct? If this is the case this issue will arise with any contacts that share the same number. Imagine 25 contacts at the same company with no direct-dial.

Do you need to make a call to Android to determine who you are calling? Surely your app knows which contact details you have on screen so can determine who you are calling anyway? (I have limited knowledge of the Android APIs so this is guesswork on my part).

Obviously if a call is made TO the phone then you can't really determine which of the contacts that share that number has made the call but surely if a call is made FROM the phone this can be correctly identified?

Thanks in advance.
Dave
Carpe diem .....
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Call log incorrect

Post by dwp »

Hello
Yes, call records only to save a phone number. Not save extension number.
For example, if you dial 10010,,,,1
Call records just to save "10010"
Then, when you view the call records. Software will find the contacts of the phone number "10010". If multiple contacts contain it. Then it will use one of them.
I think there is a way to avoid the problem in outgoing calls.The expansion of the database at the same time contains the Contact ID in the call log.I will try in the future.
dvhttn
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:29 pm

Re: Call log incorrect

Post by dvhttn »

Thank you! Just to confirm:

a) Outgoing calls: the contact name should be saved with the contact number so that the correct details are shown.

b) Incoming calls: as you cannot determine which contact (if several have the same contact number) is calling can you, in this case, NOT save a contact name with the number, as it could be incorrect?

Thanks.
Dave
Carpe diem .....
dwp
Site Admin
Posts: 713
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:46 pm

Re: Call log incorrect

Post by dwp »

Hello
Yes, but not DWC completed. DWC can not control. The default implementation of call records in the call records program. Call records program through the numbers to find contacts. And then update the contact name saved. Therefore, this method will not work. The best solution of this problem should the Android, relying on third-party applications will be very difficult.
AlCan
Posts: 150
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:00 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: Call log incorrect

Post by AlCan »

Hi dvhttn,
dvhttn wrote:Thank you! Just to confirm:

a) Outgoing calls: the contact name should be saved with the contact number so that the correct details are shown.

b) Incoming calls: as you cannot determine which contact (if several have the same contact number) is calling can you, in this case, NOT save a contact name with the number, as it could be incorrect?

Thanks.
Yeah, Kinda.

As I think you have gathered, the problem is with Android. DWP uses (has to use) the Android calls log database, which (for some lame reason) doesn't save the Extended Number details...

So, when DWP (or the Stock Android app) tries to look up the Contact data using the incomplete Android Call Log database record, it just displays the first matching contact (i.e. the first contact it finds with that base phone number), which is not necessarily who you just called. SO Yes, you (it) can't even tell who you just dialled! Lame, eh?

I had a long discussion about this with the DWP guys: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2493

The way I work around it may work for you too.

I have many contacts in my phone who work for the same company. I use the Organisation field to collect ('group') them. Many contacts either have a DDI (Direct Dial In) number, or an Extension that you can enter after the Auto-Attendant answers - so I save Number;extn and/or DDI for each contact. But I don't list the Main Trunk line number under any of these contacts. I create a separate contact called "Company Name" or something similar, under which I save the Trunk number - and only save it there. Thus, when I call John, the call log says I called Company, which is better than having it say I called David. Likewise, incoming calls show "Company Name", rather than the first Contact it finds, which will probably be wrong.

In your case, you are calling several people who have the same 'Trunk' number only. You can 'fool' Android by saving each (every) individual person at that number with a fake "extension" number, e.g. (123) 456 7890,1. The 1 might be dialled but won't do anything. (Or you can use ; then Cancel when it when prompted to dial the extension.) Save ONLY the "Family Name" contact with the bare "Trunk" number: (123) 456 7890. Save them All with the same Family 'Organisation' name. Then, when looking up the Recent calls contact info, or when receiving a call from one of them, DWP / Android will show "Family Name" as the recently called or Incoming call Contact. But if you then tap on the Family 'Organisation' name (make sure you have it turned on in your Tab Settings, Display items list), you go straight to the list of people in the family - if you want to for some reason - which I often do. I might get a call from John, then need to call back to Richard, at the same Co. but with a different extension.

Does this help?

Cheers,
Al
Currently (i.e Now, not necessarily the date of this post)
using DW Contacts & Dialer version 2.5.3.0-pro
On Motorola Defy with Android 2.2.2 (Work Phone)
dvhttn
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:29 pm

Re: Call log incorrect

Post by dvhttn »

AlCan wrote: ... As I think you have gathered, the problem is with Android. DWP uses (has to use) the Android calls log database, which (for some lame reason) doesn't save the Extended Number details...

So, when DWP (or the Stock Android app) tries to look up the Contact data using the incomplete Android Call Log database record, it just displays the first matching contact (i.e. the first contact it finds with that base phone number), which is not necessarily who you just called. SO Yes, you (it) can't even tell who you just dialled! Lame, eh?

I had a long discussion about this with the DWP guys: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2493 ...
Thanks for the reply and other thread discussion. Definitely what I'm seeing though on a more personal level - 3 people with the same 'home' number. Having worked in IT, and even written SW many moons ago (F77 ... :shock: ), I can understand what's happening. The wife has a problem though as, when she calls me at home and the dialling details are those of our son, then she's a) confused and b) just wants it to work! And it doesn't .....
AlCan wrote: ... I have many contacts in my phone who work for the same company. I use the Organisation field to collect ('group') them. Many contacts either have a DDI (Direct Dial In) number, or an Extension that you can enter after the Auto-Attendant answers - so I save Number;extn and/or DDI for each contact. But I don't list the Main Trunk line number under any of these contacts. I create a separate contact called "Company Name" or something similar, under which I save the Trunk number - and only save it there. Thus, when I call John, the call log says I called Company, which is better than having it say I called David. Likewise, incoming calls show "Company Name", rather than the first Contact it finds, which will probably be wrong. ...
Like I said, I don't have an issue with a company and extensions, just more than one person with the same home number. But from your posting I tested out adding a digit to the shared number, a different one for each person. That seems to work on dialling, at least from the local country - not sure if it'd still work from abroad though I do store ALL my contact phone numbers in international format. For example, even though I'm in the UK (country code '44') my own number is stored as '+44 1234 567890'. Saves hassle when going abroad! Obviously, though, as you noted, that shared number dialling the mobile comes up as just a number so I've had to add the 'real' number to the contact details [actually, I've just thought, and what I'll do is add a new contact called 'Home' with that number - or the wife will get confused ... :mrgreen: ].

OK. So incoming calls can't really be an exact match with a shared number and even with extensions you could have person 'a' using person 'b's phone. But what I don't understand is why the outgoing call cannot be stored as the correct contact. After all, you use DW Contacts to get the phone number and touch the right one WITHIN that contact. Can those details not be used to add to the call log? Or is the number the only thing that can be stored via Android?

I've also seen the Android bug list from the other thread so I'm going to peruse the problems and add my tuppence worth to them. For instance, ... http://code.google.com/p/android/issues ... ry%20Stars ... #37055.

Thanks again.
Dave
Carpe diem .....
AlCan
Posts: 150
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:00 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: Call log incorrect

Post by AlCan »

dvhttn wrote:But from your posting I tested out adding a digit to the shared number, a different one for each person.
Are you adding a digit as part of the number: +44 1234 567890 -> +44 1234 5678901? I guess that will work, but I suggest putting a comma (or possibly better, a semi-colon) between the Number and its Extension (+44 1234 567890;1), just to be consistent, and to reduce the possibility of it causing problems, especially when dialling from France or wherever. This (using a semi-colon) does work for dialling extensions in real Automated Attendant phone systems. Dial the Main number, wait for the recorded message prompt to dial an extension, then hit the Ok button to auto-dial the extension. (Not sure about ones that require a hash key though.) And it doesn't have to be a different "extn" number for each contact. All you are doing is hiding the number from Android's search, but I'm pretty sure just a semi-colon by itself doesn't do it.
dvhttn wrote:OK. So incoming calls can't really be an exact match with a shared number and even with extensions you could have person 'a' using person 'b's phone.
True. But the POTS phone system never (as far as I know) transmits the extension number information, but usually only transmits the Trunk number, so it is not even possible to identify WHO is calling you. Fortunately, some phone systems transmit the Caller's DDI number instead of the Trunk number, and you can use that to look up the Contact who normally uses that phone, but as you say, 'a' could be using 'b's phone. It's still not a perfect world!
dvhttn wrote:But what I don't understand is why the outgoing call cannot be stored as the correct contact.
Yeah, it's an annoying defect of Android, isn't it? It certainly annoyed me. Programmatically, of course there's no reason why they couldn't store the data differently - e.g. store the Database Index value instead of storing the "stripped" number as they do. But, for whatever reason they didn't design it that way. This is one of the weird things about Google. In spite of being a High Tech Company at the leading edge of the Information Industry, sometimes, they do the dumbest things. I think it's an American trait! Like trying to convince the world there's something logical about recording the date as MM/dd/YY. (I've had American's try to tell me that's "Logical"...)
dvhttn wrote:After all, you use DW Contacts to get the phone number and touch the right one WITHIN that contact.
Totally agree! But what do you do when a different person at that number calls you back? You should default back to the "Company" contact, regardless.
dvhttn wrote:Can those details not be used to add to the call log? Or is the number the only thing that can be stored via Android?
Apparently, this "IS" how it is. For now anyway.
dvhttn wrote:I've also seen the Android bug list from the other thread so I'm going to peruse the problems and add my tuppence worth to them. For instance, ... http://code.google.com/p/android/issues ... ry%20Stars ... #37055.
Good Luck!
Currently (i.e Now, not necessarily the date of this post)
using DW Contacts & Dialer version 2.5.3.0-pro
On Motorola Defy with Android 2.2.2 (Work Phone)
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