[asterisk-users] Using * in extension name

[Mike Clark]

Daniel Hazelbaker wrote:
> I am trying to setup an extension of *7XXX that will allow me to dial  
> *7 and then any extension and use the Pickup application to pickup a  
> ringing phone.  Ideally it will also check if the phone is ringing  
> somehow and then either dial the extension or pick it up if it is  
> ringing.  But I can't get that far.  If I use *7268 specially it works  
> fine, but as soon as I introduce any wild card char (X, N, Z, !, .) it  
> responds with 404 and nothing is logged.
>
> Can * be used in this manner in a dialplan?  If so then any  
> suggestions on what I can check to see why it is doing this?  If not,  
> does anybody have a better suggestion for me?  I'd rather not use a  
> regular digit as the "begin" code.
>
> Daniel Hazelbaker
>
>   
You have to start with an underscore character, '_', to make wildcard 
matching work. So your extension should be _*7XXX

Mike Clark