Introduction to html-based Skype interaction

When the user has installed Skype, one can open Skype directly from a webpage. The protocol is skype:skypename – and optional flags.

The example will use the chinese demo user of Skype (echo-chinese) – which will record a call and play it back or ping back the typed in chat messages.

Call a skype user

The optional flag is call – to force Skype to call somebody. It can also be left out – but if the user changed the default behaviour to e.g. chat – Skype will open an IM session instead. So – go the save way and use the call – flag.

Example: call a Skype user

call echo-chinese with Skype
<a href="skype:echo-chinese?call">call echo-chinese with Skype</a>

Send an Skype IM message to a Skype user

The optional flag is chat. See the example below to see the usage in a html page.

Example: send a chat message to a Skype user

<a href="skype:echo-chinese?chat">Chat with echo-chinese</a>

Send a voicemail to a Skype user

The optional flag is voicemail – as you might have guessed.

Example: send a voicemail to Skype user

<a href="skype:echo-chinese?voicemail">Send voicemail to echo-chinese</a>

Create a Skype conference call with multiple users

This is as easy as the examples above – just more usernames before the “?” and call as flag.

Example: create a Skype conference call

<a href="skype:echo-chinese;echo123?call">conference call with echo-chinese and echo123</a>

Create a conference chat with multiple users

Same as conference call – with chat as flag.

Example: open a conference chat with multiple users – in html

<a href="skype:echo-chinese;echo123?chat">conference chat with echo-chinese and echo123</a>