Syntax for dial plans

In Bria, a dial plan can be used to modify how your calls are placed. For example, a dial plan can change any number that starts with “+1613” to “613”. A dial plan is used for any combination of the following reasons:

To modify (transform) the input (the number to be dialed), such as to add the “9” required to obtain an outside line from a PBX.
To select the account to use to place a call, if users have more than one account. For example, to use Account 1 to dial a number starting with 61, and use Account 2 to dial a number starting with 64.

This topic discusses how to come up with a dial plan as well as how Bria uses it.

If you have only one SIP account and are looking for ways to modify dialing numbers, read Writing a dial plan on how to define patterns and transformation. If you decide to use more than one pattern, learn about the T timer to add a pause.
If you have multiple SIP accounts and want dial plans to choose a dial-out account, read Syntax for dial plans.

Writing a dial plan expression

A dial plan has two parts:

Pattern - It defines rules for the Bria client to look for in the input (a number to be dialed). If the input matches a pattern, the Bria client checks if the dial plan includes a match/transformation part for the pattern and modifies the input as defined. See Pattern elements on how to define a pattern using regular expressions.
Match/transformation - It defines how the input should be modified for the specific pattern. This is optional; you do not always need to modify the input. The match parameter indicates the pattern number such as match=1. There are several modifications supported; see Transformation keywords.

Examples of patterns and transformation

Dial plan syntax

The syntax of your dial plan expression separates each part with semicolons and terminates with a semicolon:

pattern;match=n;transformation;

You can have more than one of each in an expression, where patterns are separated by a pipe | symbol:

pattern1|pattern2|pattern3;match=1;trans1;match=2;trans2;match=3;trans3;

Pattern elements

The content for a pattern follows the digit map rules of RFC 2705, supplemented by the rules for regular expressions. Where there is an overlap between the digit map and regular expression rules, the digit map rules apply. For this reason, there are some special cases, included in the table below.

Most common elements of a dial plan pattern

All regular expression elements are supported.

Element	Element type	Description
\|	Regular expression rules	Pipe character, used to separate patterns. Example: `x.T\|xxxxxxxxxx` contains two patterns, `x.T` and `xxxxxxxxxx`.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	Literals	Literal digits, used as is. For example, 604xxxxxxx will match with any 10-digit phone number that begins with 604.
# * a to z	Literals	Literal characters, used as is. Special cases: The literal x character is represented by `\x`. The literal t character is represented by `\t`.
x	Digit map rules	Wildcard for any single digit, `0` to `9` — it matches any digit. Example: `7xxx` will match `7100`, `7232`, `7354`, or any other 4-digit number starting with `7`.
\a	Regular expression rules	Wildcard for any single alphanumeric character — it matches any digit or letter.
[digit-digit]	Regular expression rules	A digit within the specified range. Example: `[2-7]` matches any digit that is `2`, `3`, `4`, `5`, `6`, or `7`.
[character-character]	Regular expression rules	A character within the specified range. Example: `[b-q]` matches any letter from `b` to `q`.
[digit1, digit2, digit3]	Regular expression rules	One of the characters in the collection. Example: `[2,5,9]` matches any digit that is `2`, `5` or `9`.
.	Digit map rules	Repeat the last element 0 or more times. Examples: `x.` means "any digit followed by any number of digits" — in other words, any number of any length. `\a`. means "any letter or digit followed by any number of letters or digits.
T	Digit map rules	A timeout period of approximately 4 seconds will take place before automatic dialing starts. The timer starts counting down after each key press by the user. The T timer forces Bria to wait after a match is made. This timer should always be included in these situations: Any pattern that uses the . (dot). For example, if the pattern is xxxx. then adding a timer lets you type three or more digits. If there is no timer, then as soon as you type three digits, Bria makes the match. Any dial plan that has two patterns that are similar in elements but different in length. For example, if one pattern is xxx and the other pattern is xxxxxxx, then adding the timer lets you continue typing past three digits, in order to get a match on the second pattern. In this situation, the T timer should be included in the shorter pattern.

Transformation keywords

Bria uses several keywords to transform the input into a number that can be dialed. These are processed in a specific order.

Dial plan examples

Dial plan 1

This example has two patterns. It shows how to differentiate between a PSTN number and a softphone address, and how to add a “9” dialing prefix only to the PSTN number.

\a\a.T|xxxxxxx.T;match=2;pre="9"

Pattern	Match	Transformation	Description
`\a\a.T`	1	(none)	The input contains alphanumerics. Bria calls the number without transformation.
`xxxxxxx.T`	2	`pre="9"`	If it's a number with at least 7 digits (PSTN), Bria pauses and then dials the number prefixed by 9.

Dial plan 2

This dial plan has four patterns.

3xxT|1xxxxxxxxxx|[2-9]xxxxxxxxx|+x.T;match=2;pre="9";match=3;pre="91";match=4;prestrip=1;pre="9011"

Pattern	Match	Transformation	Description
`3xxT`	1	(none)	The first pattern is any three-digit number beginning with `3`. No transformation. The assumption is that this is an internal extension. The timer forces Bria to wait after detecting a three-digit number beginning with 3, in case you are actually dialing a local call starting with 3.
`1xxxxxxxxxx`	2	`pre="9"`	The second pattern is any eleven-digit number beginning with `1`. Prefix with `9` and dial as is. The assumption is that this is a long-distance PSTN call within North America (within North America, all long-distance calls start with `1`).
`[2-9]xxxxxxxxx`	3	`pre="91"`	The third pattern is any ten-digit number beginning with a number other than `1`. The assumption is that this is a local PSTN call within a ten-digit dialing zone. `9` and `1` are prefixed to access an outside line and a long-distance code.
`+x.T`	4	`prestrip=1` `pre="9011"`	The fourth pattern is a number of any length that begins with `+`, to indicate an international PSTN call from North America. Delete the `+` (which is the first digit in the input) and add prefix with `9011` (where `9` accesses an outside line and `011` is the prefix to access an international line from North America).

How Bria uses the dial plan

When the user enters a digit to dial, Bria takes the input (a phone number) and performs a series of steps to match the number to a dial plan, and if the input matches a pattern, alter the number (if necessary), and then place the call right away without any further user interaction.

Process the input.
The input being compared is different depending on whether the input is dragged, selected, or typed:
- If the input is dragged or selected, then the entire input is compared to each dial plan.
- If the user is typing the input, then the digits are compared one by one as they are entered. Each time a new digit is entered, the comparison starts over at the first account.
Then the input is cleaned up by removing spaces, dashes, open brackets, and close brackets. Cleanup allows Bria to support calls placed using contacts from a contact list, including Microsoft^® Outlook^®. This Cleanup step is not part of the dial plan; it is always performed even when there is no dial plan.
Match the input to a dial plan.
As soon as the user types a digit to dial, Bria starts comparing the input to a pattern in a dial plan.
- When Bria desktop is used in Auto Select mode, Bria compares the input to the patterns in the dial plan of all the enabled accounts , starting with the first listed account, until it finds a match. Each account has one dial plan, and each dial plan has one or more patterns.
- When Bria desktop is not used in Auto Select mode, Bria only compares the input to the patterns in the dial plan for the already selected account.
- Bria mobile compares the input to the patterns in the dial plan of all the enabled accounts until it finds a match.
Transform the input.

If a match is found between the input and a pattern, that pattern’s transformation (if any) is performed.
Place a call.

If a match is found between the input and a pattern, the call is placed immediately without user intervention to the transformed input, using the pattern's account.

If Bria finds a match that includes a T timer, Bria waits until the T timer expires (approximately 4 seconds) or the user clicks Enter or Call, whichever happens first, to dial the transformed number.

What if no match is found?

If no match is found, Bria waits till the user clicks Enter or Call, and dials the input without altering.

Bria desktop chooses the account to dial out as follows:

When the Outgoing Account is set to Auto Select, Bria desktop uses the account selected as the Preferred account for calls in Account Settings.
When the Outgoing Account is set to a specific account, Bria desktop uses the selected account to dial the number.

Bria mobile uses the preferred account if no match is found.