Get current step number and handling max steps exceptions

Question

We are using IPCC Express Premium 4.0.4 and would like to know:
1. Is it possible to determine the execution number for the current step? For example, x number of steps have been executed up until a certain point in the script. Possibly via a Set step using Java or a DB Read step?
2. When the system parameter "Max Number of Executed Steps" limit has been reached the exception "com.cisco.wfframework.obj.WFMaxExecutedStepsExceededException" exists within the CRS Engine MIVR log. This exception does not exist within the available exceptions list in the "On Exception Goto" step. Is there a way that we can intercept this specific exception or will we have to use the "com.cisco.app.ApplicationTaskInactiveException" exception instead?
We have been experiencing stuck Reserved agents and periodic callers stuck in queues, which has been occurring due to the maximum number of executed steps being exceeded. We have increased our "Max Number of Executed Steps" parameter from 1,000 to 2,500 for the time being and we may need that higher still.
Our script has a lot going on after every 30secs of hold music....to determine if notification pages/emails need to be sent out to Help Desk staff due to long wait times, or to play updated status prompts only when appropriate....to name a couple. To our knowledge we have made things as efficient as possible (using Sessions) and we will be making a few more tweaks, but nowhere near enough to stay under the default 1,000 limit.
I asked question # 1 to help us better assess what our step execution counts are for different logic scenarios, rather than manually trying to count the steps within our script. I asked question # 2 so that we can send pages/emails to ourselves if a WFMaxExecutedStepsExceededException exception does occur and include the phone number of the caller who would have ended up not getting through so we can call them back not long after.
Thank you for any info you can provide!
Tom

Answer 1

I'll try and answer the issues in this thread in turn:
"1. Is it possible to determine the execution number for the current step? For example, x number of steps have been executed up until a certain point in the script. Possibly via a Set step using Java or a DB Read step?
2. When the system parameter "Max Number of Executed Steps" limit has been reached the exception "com.cisco.wfframework.obj.WFMaxExecutedStepsExceededException" exists within the CRS Engine MIVR log. This exception does not exist within the available exceptions list in the "On Exception Goto" step. Is there a way that we can intercept this specific exception or will we have to use the "com.cisco.app.ApplicationTaskInactiveException" exception instead? "
----->Sadly this is not in the On Exception Goto step. Several people have commented on this to Cisco and I would recommend you join the crowd. Talk to your Cisco Account Manager. If you are a partner, submit a well thought out request to [email protected].
"Our script has a lot going on after every 30secs of hold music....to determine if notification pages/emails need to be sent out to Help Desk staff due to long wait times, or to play updated status prompts only when appropriate....to name a couple. To our knowledge we have made things as efficient as possible (using Sessions) and we will be making a few more tweaks, but nowhere near enough to stay under the default 1,000 limit. "
----->You should be using sub flows for this type of work. Sub flows are a separate script and as such, have their own maximum step count each time you call them. Put all of this extra logic into a separate script and call it each iteration through the queued loop.
"In most of the cases,you should not hit the 1000 step limit unless there's a loop in the script."
----->Exceeding this is not recommended by Cisco as it increases the amount of memory being used by each script instance. I would proceed with a great deal of caution.
"I want to check to see if the caller pressed 1 (to leave a message type functionality) anytime during the queue loop. Not just when a delay expires and a prompt is played. This easily exceeds the default max steps. "
----->The common way of doing this is uploading a WAV of your music on hold to the prompt repository and then using a Get Digit String step with the MoH WAV file as the prompt for it. This allows the caller to press it at the IVR is essentially always waiting for a DTMF digit. You can use Match or If statements within the Success branch to determine if they pressed the correct digit.
"Where I can make the max steps very large ?
I am using CRA3.5.
Please help ASAP,
Thanks"
----->Again, not recommended! You can almost certainly break your script into appropriate functional components and use subflows to drastically reduce the likelihood of hitting the maximum.