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Dialplan to Lua Reference

Below is a quick reference that can be used to translate traditional extensions.conf dialplan concepts to their analog in extensions.lua.

Extension Patterns

Extension pattern matching syntax on logic works the same for extensions.conf and extensions.lua.

extensions.conf
[users]
exten => _1XX,1,Dial(SIP/${EXTEN})

exten => _2XX,1,Voicemail(${EXTEN:1})
extensions.lua
extensions = {}
extensions.users = {}

extensions.users["_1XX"] = function(c, e)
    app.dial("SIP/" .. e)
end

extensions.users["_2XX"] = function(c, e)
    app.voicemail("1" .. e:sub(2))
end

Context Includes

extensions.conf
[users]
exten => 100,1,Noop
exten => 100,n,Dial("SIP/100")

[demo]
exten => s,1,Noop
exten => s,n,Playback(demo-congrats)

[default]
include => demo
include => users
extensions.lua
extensions = {
    users = {
        [100] = function()
            app.dial("SIP/100")
        end
    },
    demo = {
        ["s"] = function()
            app.playback(demo - congrats)
        end
    },
    default = {
        include = {"demo", "users"}
    }
}

Loops

extensions.conf
exten => 100,1,Noop
exten => 100,n,Set(i=0)
exten => 100,n,While($[i < 10])
exten => 100,n,Verbose(i = ${i})
exten => 100,n,EndWhile
extensions.lua
i = 0
while i < 10 do
    app.verbose("i = " .. i)
end

Variables

extensions.conf
exten => 100,1,Set(my_variable=my_value)
exten => 100,n,Verbose(my_variable = ${my_variable})
extensions.lua
channel.my_variable = "my_value"
app.verbose("my_variable = " .. channel.my_variable:get())

Applications

extensions.conf
exten => 100,1,Dial("SIP/100",,m)
extensions.lua
app.dial("SIP/100", nil, "m")

Macros/GoSub

Macros can be defined in pbx_lua by naming a context 'macro-*' just as in extensions.conf, but generally where you would use macros or gosub in extensions.conf you would simply use a function in lua.

extensions.conf
[macro-dial]
exten => s,1,Noop
exten => s,n,Dial(${ARG1})

[default]
exten => 100,1,Macro(dial,SIP/100)
extensions.lua
extensions = {}
extensions.default = {}

function dial(resource)
    app.dial(resource)
end

extensions.default[100] = function()
    dial("SIP/100")
end

Goto

While Goto is an extenstions.conf staple, it should generally be avoided in pbx_lua in favor of functions.

extensions.conf
[default]
exten => 100,1,Goto(102,1)

exten => 102,1,Playback("demo-thanks")
exten => 102,n,Hangup
extensions.lua
extensions = {}
extensions.default = {}

function do_hangup()
    app.playback("demo-thanks")
    app.hangup()
end

extensions.default[100] = function()
    do_hangup()
end

app.goto() under Asterisk 1.8

The app.goto() function will not work as expected in pbx_lua in Asterisk 1.8. If you must use app.goto() you must manually return control back to asterisk using return from the dialplan extension function, otherwise execution will continue after the call to app.goto(). Calls to app.goto() should work as expected in Asterisk 10 but still should not be necessary in most cases.

In Asterisk 1.8, use return:

extensions.lua
function extension_function(c, e)
    return app.goto("default", "100", 1)

    -- without that 'return' the rest of the function would execute normally
    app.verbose("Did you forget to use 'return'?")
end