Using ESL to execute commands

In our previous examples we've originated calls from fs_cli. In this section we'll show you a couple of code samples that will do the same things from your favorite scripting language. For our examples, we're going to use Lua, since you've probably become accustomed to it by now. The ESL API is the same whether you use Python, Lua, PHP, Perl, or whatever, so the adventurous minds could follow along in their own favorite language.

Tip

ESL scripts versus built-in languages

Keep in mind that ESL-based programs are not the same as using built-in languages. The FreeSWITCH event socket is a TCP-based connection to FreeSWITCH. The ESL is an abstraction library that is available for more languages than just the few that are built-in to FreeSWITCH. You must first install the Lua, Perl, Python, or PHP for your system before using ESL. For Lua see http://www.lua.org for more information.

First, since the ESL modules aren't built as part of the default install, we'll need to...