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Thirdlane

Outbound Call Routes

The Outbound Routes page manages how outbound calls are routed for a tenant. Each route defines a dial pattern, category, and the action script (with trunk) used to place the call.

When creating a new tenant, you can clone routes from an existing template tenant to get a consistent starting set. Routes can then be customized per tenant as needed.

How routes are matched

When a user dials a number, the system compares it against the tenant’s outbound routes and uses the best (most specific) match, then runs that route’s action script to place the call. Exact numbers win over patterns, and more specific patterns win over broader ones (a catch-all like _. should be the last resort). The dialing endpoint’s outbound dialing category is also checked against the route’s Category, so a restricted phone cannot use an unrestricted route.

Create/Edit Route

Route. A number or a pattern for outbound dialing. If the first character of the route is _ it means that whatever follows is to be treated as a pattern:

  • X - any digit 0-9.
  • Z - any digit 1-9.
  • N - any digit 2-9.
  • [13-5] - any digit listed in the brackets, individually or as a range.
  • . - one or more characters.

Examples: _1NXXNXXXXXX matches 11-digit US long distance; _011. matches international calls; 911 and _9911 match emergency dialing with and without a leading 9.

Description. Optional label to help identify the route in the list.

Category. Specify whether the route is in the Restricted, Unrestricted or Emergency category. Routes in the Emergency category can be dialed from all endpoints; “Unrestricted” routes are not available to endpoints whose outbound dialing category only allows internal calls; and “Restricted” routes are not available to endpoints that are not allowed to make all calls. Match the category to the risk of the destination (for example keep international routes Restricted).

Action. Name of the Action Script used to handle calls that match the pattern. The default outbound action scripts require a Trunk parameter (the trunk the call is placed on) and typically accept a second trunk used for failover if the first trunk is unavailable or the call fails. Additional parameters (such as digit manipulation) depend on the chosen script.

Digit manipulation can happen in two places: on the route (via the action script parameters) and on the Trunk itself (strip/prepend, E.164 output). Trunk-level manipulation applies to every route that uses the trunk, so use it for carrier-wide formatting and use route parameters for route-specific changes.

Mass Trunk Assignment

Use the toolbar at the bottom to assign a trunk to multiple selected routes at once. Select the routes, choose a trunk and position (1st or 2nd for failover), then click Assign. This is the fastest way to repoint many routes to a new carrier or to add a backup trunk across a set of routes.

  • Trunks - the carrier connections routes place calls over.
  • Action Scripts - the logic invoked by a route.
  • Dialing Plans - endpoint dialing categories referenced by a route’s Category.