The application will respond in a language designed by Twilio called TwiML, short for Twilio Markup Language. This response contains a set of instructions that tell Twilio how to respond to the incoming message.
In this example, the application returns the current weather. The response from the application will look like this:
XML
Copy the code
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<Response>
<Message>It is really freakin' sunny out!</Message>
</Response>
Developers will surely notice the striking resemblance to HTML. HTML and TwiML are an extension of XML - eXtensible Markup Language . TwiML was specifically designed to be recognizable by those who have worked with HTML or XML.
This response is sent back to Twilio via HTTP, where Twilio wil philippines mobile number example l transform it into an SMS response. Once translated, Twilio sends it back to the operator via SMPP. The operator is then responsible for sending this message back to the user.
TwiML is designed to be as user-friendly as possible. Twilio supports context-specific shortcuts to streamline the response flow. In this case, there is nothing in the response that tells Twilio who to send the message to. When the message is processed in the messaging flow, Twilio automatically sends responses like this to the number that sent the original message.
Here we see the magic of Twilio. Twilio transforms real-world events into virtual signals that software can handle. TwiML is Twilio’s core technology that makes it easy for developers to respond to these real-world events. Developers can use the same languages and protocols that are already used in their web applications.
Send messages: “You will need your umbrella today!”
While it's nice to be able to ask for the current weather, it doesn't make sense that everyone has to ask for it every day.
In this case we need what is called an application initiated event , which starts with a client application and ends at the operators from where the messages are then sent to the correct destination.
These events are initiated through Twilio's public REST API ( Application Programming Interface) .
The REST API takes incoming HTTP requests and attempts to perform the requested action. Twilio customers can make phone calls, send text messages, purchase phone numbers, and interact with all of Twilio's products and services.