Asterisk Dial-plan exercise [Speed-Dial]

Creating a Speed-Dial Functionality :

This was a test exercise I gave in one my teaching classes here last year. The idea is to develop a Speed-Dial functionality context for PBX users.

What we'll learn:

1- Connect to MySQL DB from Dial-plan.

2- Use of Asterisk Dial-plan functions CUT, FIELDQTY.

3- Use of GOTOIF Dial-plan application.

4- Use of restricted extension pattern matching by use of [ ].

Problem Statement:

The users should be able to edit their own speed dial-lists via web-interface. And whenever a SIP user dials single digit extension ranging from 0-9 should be able to speed-dial to their contacts saved in DB.

(The Php web-interface for editing contacts isn't included here, it shouldn't be difficult to make a simple page for this.)

Solution Algorithm:

Final Dial-Plan Code:

Corresponding Dial-plan for the above Algorithm is as follows.A few exceptions were handled where if no user speed-dial lists exists or no user data existed.

[Speed-Dial]

exten => _[0-9],1,NOOP(Starting Speed-Dial functionality)

same => n,MYSQL(Connect connid localhost asteriskuser ast_pass user_prefs)

same => n,MYSQL(Query resultid ${connid} SELECT contact_list FROM speed_dial_list WHERE user='${CALLERID(num)}')

same => n,MYSQL(Fetch fetchid ${resultid} UserList)

same => n,MYSQL(Clear ${resultid})

same => n,MYSQL(Disconnect ${connid})

same => n,GOTOIF($["${fetchid}" < "1"]?not_found:found)

same => n(not_found),Playback(No-User-List-Found)

same => n,Goto(h,1)

same => n(found),NOOP(User Speed-Dial List Found: ${UserList})

same => n,NOOP(Find if user Dialed Speed-Dial index exists)

same => n,SET(List_Length=${FIELDQTY(UserList,-)})

same => n,GOTOIF($["${EXTEN}" >= "${List_Length}"]?not_found:lengthok)

same => n(lengthok),NOOP(Now User Contact for Speed-Dialed exten ${EXTEN} Exists for Sure)

same => n,NOOP(Fetch the Speed-Dial-Contact from ${UserList})

same => n,SET(UserContact=${CUT(UserList,,${EXTEN})})

same => n,NOOP(Found user Contact ${UserContact} Corresponding to ${EXTEN})

same => n,DIAL(SIP/${UserContact})

same => n,Hangup()

Now Database turn.

Connect to MySQL and Create table "speed_dial_list" and push some dummy values corresponding to PBX users

#mysql

mysql>use asterisk

mysql>CREATE TABLE `speed_dial_list` (`user` varchar(80) NOT NULL default '',`contact_list` varchar(555) NOT NULL default '');

mysql>INSERT into speed_dial_list(user,contact_list) VALUES ('100','110-132-400-161-101-123'),('200','100-201-115-101'),('110','201-200-119'),('210','150-161-110-199-923452167923');

mysql>GRANT all on asterisk.* to 'asteriskuser'@'localhost' Identified by 'ast_pass';

mysql>flush privileges;

Sample output on Asterisk CLI when SIP User 100 dialled Speed-Dial Extension '3'

So, we made a Speed-Dial context here, include this context in your [default] dial-plan context and all one-digit extensions will be matched in Speed-Dial context and perform the functionality if anything matches else it'll be skipped.