An application is a short piece of Asterisk dialplan that runs when someone dials its number. PhonixPBX ships a set of applications for testing and for phone features, and you can add your own, for example an announcement or a time service. Applications are managed under Dialplan → Applications.

Changes take effect after you apply them, see Applying changes.

Application list

Click Application above the list to add one. The list shows the Number, Name, Description and Status (enabled or disabled, and public when it is reachable from outside). The buttons at the end of each row edit and delete the application. Deleting an application also removes the incoming routes and IVR keys that led to it.

The search field above the list finds applications by number, name or description; how searching and paging work is described in Lists.

New installations come with these applications:

NumberNameWhat it does
000063Read extension numberReads back the number of the calling phone (0000ME).
000047Read IPReads back the IP address of the PBX (0000IP).
00003246EchoPlays back what you say, to test audio and delay (0000ECHO).
000064554MilliwattA constant 1000 Hz tone to test line quality (0000MILLI).
000086Voicemail systemOpens the voicemail box of the calling phone (0000VM).
000023Call forwardingSwitches call forwarding of the calling phone on and off (0000CF).
00009327357WeaselsA test announcement (0000WEASELS).

The numbers spell the name on a phone keypad. You can change or delete them like your own applications. How phone users use them is described in Using your phone.

Add or edit an application

FieldMeaningDefault
NumberThe number that starts the application: digits, or an Asterisk pattern such as _0XX. (X, N, Z, [], ., !). It must not be used by anything else.–
NameA name for lists and destination pickers.–
DescriptionA note, shown in the list and in the printed overview.empty
Application logicThe dialplan, one step per line (see below).–
EnabledDisabled applications are left out of the configuration.on
Reachable from outsideCallers from providers may reach the application directly by its number.off
Public nameWith Reachable from outside: an alternative number or name for callers from outside.empty

Application logic

Each line is one dialplan step in the form priority,Application(arguments):

  • The priority is a number (1, 2, …) or n for “the next one”. A label can follow in brackets, for example 3(retry),Playback(beep), and Goto(retry) jumps there.
  • The first step needs priority 1, otherwise Asterisk does not find the number.
  • include => context lines include another dialplan context.
  • Lines starting with ; are comments and are ignored.

Example — play an announcement and hang up:

1,Answer()
n,Playback(hello-world)
n,Hangup()

The dialled number is available as ${EXTEN}. When the application is reached as the destination of an incoming route, an IVR key or business hours, ${EXTEN} is s. The Asterisk documentation lists the available dialplan applications and functions.

PhonixPBX checks only the form of each line; the application logic is passed to Asterisk as written. Test the number after applying.