With the help of this function you could limit you conversations. You could set a period of time after which expiration, the line will be hung up automatically.

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. We are using Asterisk version1.2.1.

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

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

So, we have registered the user user1

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.

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

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

In this example, when somebody dials 100, the call will be answered by the Answer application.

Then we will limit the duration of the call through the TIMEOUT(absolute) function.

So the next executed extension will be the one, which contains the Set application. As arguments in its brackets we have set the following - TIMEOUT(absolute)=10. This will set 10 seconds for absolute timeout and when they expire the channel will be hung up. So after 10 seconds the call will be hung up.

Please pay attention that the 10 seconds include the time before the another site to answer the call. So, if you dial somebody but he/she does not answer within 10 seconds the call will be hung up. If he/she answers after 5 seconds than you have only the rest 5 seconds for conversation.

The extension with the next priority contains the Dial application. This application will allow you to connect the user user1 through the IAX2 channel.

NOTE: The function TIMEOUT(absolute) is case sensitive. You always have to write it in your dialplans as you see it in our tutorial.

In order to be sure that the Asterisk PBX will hang up the line, when the conversation is over, it is a good idea to use the Hangup application.