The purpose of this application is to allow you to answer parked calls. In order to use this application you have to include the parkedcalls extension. The application is used when during a conversation the call is transferred to a specially defined number. By default this number is 700. Then, the transferred call could be answered through third phone by dialling the number 700 or by using the ParkedCall application.

Below, we will give you an example.

To use this application you need a working Asterisk PBX with registered users in iax.conf, sip.conf or mgcp.conf(It depends on which protocol you would like to use) and made extensions. Also, you need to include the parkedcalls extension. Below, we will show you how.

To see how the application works, we recommend you to use our IAX softphone Idefisk. You can download it from here. Please also read our tutorial to learn how to configure it to work with Asterisk PBX.

NOTE: This is only an example of one of the uses of this application. Of course you can use it and for other things.

We need one registered user in the iax.conf file and also another one in the sip.conf file. This is because we are going to use the IAX2 and the SIP channels. If you want to use other protocol such as MGCP, you have to do the configurations below respectively in mgcp.conf.

So, we have registered the user user1 in the iax.conf file and the user operator in the sip.conf file.

Type=friend means that this user can make and receive calls. Host=dynamic means that the IP is not static but dynamic through a DHCP server. Allow=all means that the line which this user will use, could support all audio codecs. Context=test - this shows that this user is working with the extensions in this context of the configuration file extensions.conf.

In the sip.conf file you can see the following option: disallow=all. This means that the line will not support any codecs. However, below this option we have allow=ulaw, allow=alaw and allow=gsm. This means that the line will support these three codecs - ulaw, alaw and gsm. It is important to write the options exactly in this order. First you write the disallow=all option and then the allow options. Otherwise, if you write the disallow option after the allow options, no codecs will be supported by the line.

Now lets take a look at the extensions.conf file.

On the picture above you can see our extensions.conf file.

We have one extension with the number 113. It contains the Dial application. Due to it, you can call to the user user1 through the IAX2 channel. As arguments, in the brackets of the application, we have set also the letters t and T. They will allow the caller and the called party to transfer calls.

Now, let's say that you have dialled this number and you are talking with the user user1. However user1 decides to transfer you to another phone. He/she will press the transfer button and will type the number 700. This will cause the parking of the call. In other words, the call will be transfered to a temporary number specified by the features.conf file. In most of the cases this is either number 701 or number 702. When the call is parked, the caller will hear music on hold. When the parked call is answered, the music on hold will stop an the caller will hear the person at the other side immediately.

If the call is not answered again within the specified, by the features.conf file time, the Asterisk will, connect it to the previously dialled number. In our case to number 113.

Now, in order to answer a parked call, you have to dial the extension, where the call is parked. The other way to achieve this is by using the ParkedCall application with argument the number, where the call is parked.

In our case, in order to execute the application, we have to dial the number 115. As argument in its brackets we have set the number 701, because this is the number, by default, where the transferred call is parked. As soon as we dial 115, we will be connected to the parked call. There will be no signal. You will hear immediately the person at the other side.

NOTE: The features.conf file is the place where you can change the settings connected with the parking of calls. For example, there you can change the number for parking. By default it is in the range between 701 and 720.

NOTE: Do not forget, that in order to use this application, you have to include the parkedcalls extension in your context, in the extensions.conf file. You can to this, by writing the following statement, in the context, where you use the ParkedCall application: include => parkedcalls.

Finally, in order to be sure that the Asterisk PBX will hang up the line, after the conversation is over, it is a good idea to make an extension for hanging up the line.

For more information about extensions.conf you can check here.
For more information about iax.conf you can check here.

This application is tested with our IAX softphone Idefisk. You can download it from here. For more information about this softphone please read our tutorial.

If you would like to test this application with the SIP channel you can read our tutorials about the SIP Softphones to learn how to configure them to work with Asterisk PBX

extensions.conf
iax.conf
sip.conf
features.conf

Park
ParkAndAnnounce