[Asterisk-Users] How to use * and # as part of number in dial command

[Damon Estep]

* # are valid in a dialplan

you would start your exten => with the vertical service code *21*
then play prompt, collect digits, play prompt, dial
${exten}$(var_for_collected_digits}

BUT, unless I have missed something, You can just send *21* to the PSTN
and then follow their prompts! As long as DTMF is configured correctly
it should work. If they don't prompt you still dial the same way,
activate the vertical service code with *21*

Exten *21*,1,Dial(ZAP/CHAN/{$EXTEN})

That's all! Then just enter the rest of the digits, allowing the PSTN
switch to collect the DTMF and activate the code.

You may want to use something like this to specify which ZAP channel
your forward (or which line).

Add a line number first like this

Exten 1*21*,1,Dial(ZAP/CH1/*21*)

Notice we don't send the 1, but we do use it to pick the zap channel.



>From the wiki pages

http://www.voip-info.org/tiki-index.php?page=Asterisk+config+extensions.
conf

Extensions 
An extension can be one of two types: a literal or a pattern. 

A literal extension can be a number, like 123, and it can also contain
the standard symbols * and # that appear on ordinary telephones, so
12#89* is a valid extension. Some telephone keypads have the special
DTMF keys labeled A, B, C and D, and extensions can be defined with
these letters too. In fact, the name of a extension can contain any
letter or number as well as some punctuation marks. Note that many VOIP
telephones are able to "dial" extension "numbers" that may be any
arbitrary text string, such as "Office". It is perfectly permissible to
define an extension with the name Office in Asterisk. 

Are extension names case sensitive? Well, they are and they aren't. They
are case sensitive in the sense that when Asterisk is trying to match
the extension a user dialed against the extensions defined for a
context, the extension must match, including case. So if a user dials
extension "OFFICE" using their VOIP telephone, Asterisk will not start
executing the commands you have defined for an extension named "Office".
On the other hand, extension names are not case sensitive in the sense
that you can not define different extensions (in the one context) that
have the same names differing only in case. So you can't define one set
of commands for extension "Office" and another set of commands for
extension "OFFICE".

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-
> bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Francesco Peeters
> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 2:45 AM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] How to use * and # as part of number in
dial
> command
> 
> On Sat, August 27, 2005 23:41, Michel Koenen said:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I am struggling with the following and I can't get it work:
> >
> > In the Netherlands where I live it is possible to use special codes
> > (aka vertical service codes) to set special 'behaviour' of
phonecalls.
> > So e.g. when I want to dial out with a normal phone and I dial
> > *31*<phonenumber to dial> then it will turn off my numberindication
> > (CID) at the called party.  They seem to call this the 'keypad
> > protocol' but I  cannot find this term when searching through
asterisk
> > documents.
> >
> > My asterisk system is connected to an ISDN line with HFC card. I use
> > zaphfc module for that.  In my extensions I tried several things to
> > dial out and use the *31* but without success.
> >
> 
> A few others are:
> Call forwarding: *21*<number># / #21#
> Delayed forwarding: *61*<number># / #21#
> Busy forwarding: *63*<number># / #63#
> 
> (the ## numbers are to disable the service)
> 
> I am glad to see this topic come up before I ran in to it myself!  ;-)
I'm
> curious about the answers...
> 
> 
> --
> Francesco Peeters
> ----
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