Zulu click to dial Outlook parser extension

[woodpecker505 (Woodpecker)]

For Zulu click to dial the parser should have following extensions:

All spaces, dash (-), slash (/), semicolon ( should be removed from a selected string.
Actually this happens for the first dash or space, but the parser then does not continu and removes the rest of the digits. Suggestion : only keep the digits in a selected string to avoid other types of separators stopping the parser.

There are 2 special characters however:

Digits between brackets should be removed (including the brackets).

+dialing should be converted to the International prefix (e.g. 00 for Europe) - that should be a Zulu client config setting

Finally also PBX access code should be added if wanted - should also be a Zulu Config setting

With this following strings should all result in 0123456789 :

0123456789
0123 45 67 89
0123:45:67:89
0123-45-67-89
0123/45/67/89
and even 0123/ 45 67 89 or 0123 45:67:89 or other combinations (in fact only keeping the digits in the selected string)

for “plus” dialing:
+123 45 67 89 should become (in Europe with 00) : 00123456789
+123 (0) 45 67 89 should become (in Europe with 00) : 00123456789

for PBX access code (if set - e.g. 0 for Europe) :
0123456789 should become 0 0123456789

[tm1000 (Andrew Nagy)]

@woodpecker505

removed from a selected string

I assume you mean when you select something and right click on it. Not the auto find and replace

@woodpecker505

Actually this happens for the first dash or space, but the parser then does not continu and removes the rest of the digits.

Unable to replicate this. I right clicked on every number in here and was able to dial it. Additionally the auto parser highlighted them all for me as well and I was able to click them and see them in the list of numbers

@woodpecker505

Digits between brackets should be removed (including the brackets).

This is too specific (eg narrow) and probably won’t happen. What if people want digits between brackets?

@woodpecker505

that should be a Zulu client config setting

It would have to be in the config of the browser extension

@woodpecker505

Finally also PBX access code should be added if wanted - should also be a Zulu Config setting

No idea what this is for. Please explain.

@woodpecker505

012345678

0123 45 67 89

0123:45:67:89

0123-45-67-89

0123/45/67/89

and even 0123/ 45 67 89 or 0123 45:67:89 or other combinations (in fact only keeping the digits in the selected string)

Right clicking on these and selecting “make call” resulted in every single one turning into what you proposed. I don’t see an issue here?

Additionally after adding the below to Pattern List your other numbers matched as well. Did you know there are options to set all of this?

XXXX:XX:XX:XX
XXXX-XX-XX-XX
XXXX/XX/XX/XX
XXXX XX XX XX
XXXX/ XX XX XX
XXXX XX:XX:XX

[woodpecker505 (Woodpecker)]

Sorry for having not mentioned how I used the click to dial - my mistake:-(

You did the test by selecting digit strings in the browser. The tests I made is on the Zulu Outlook integration: within an email body that includes all these number variations, I select a digit string and then right-click to dial it and then happens what I described.

Some comment on adding the PBX access code : If FreePBX is setup to dial out by first making a PSTN outside line access code (usually 0 in Europe or 9 in UK and US) then Outlook contacts or telephone numbers included in an email do never work. In this case ALL numbers you select (no matter if they come from an email body, contact, address book,…) should add the outside line access code in front. If the PBX is not setup with this access code, then of course numbers can be dialled directly without prefix.

Some comment for the brackets and “plus” dialing : it is common practice in Belgium (and other European countries) to specify a number as follows in an international format:
+32 (0) 1234567 with 32 being Belgian country code and (0) the local prefix.

Depending from where you call you can dial the number in 2 ways: within Belgium you normally dial 0 1234567 (national call) and from abroad you need to dial the full international number, but now WITHOUT the 0 between brackets.

So for the parser you could make a more sophisticated algorithm to check the user’s Country code first, and if it matches, then use the national method (removing the +, removing the own country code and keeping the bracketed 0). If it does not match (calling from abroad) then using the international method: replace the + by 00 (for Europe) or by 011 (for US) and removing the 0 between brackets.

However, there is an easier parser solution: the international method works also for national calls, so the easiest is to always use the international method: replace the + by 00 (Europe) or 011(US) and remove the 0 between the brackets.

So the parser only needs 2 or 3 configurable items in the Zulu client advanced configuration:

1. • parsing by XXXX (00 in Europe, 011 in US, 010 in Japan, 0011 in Australia)
2. PBX outside line access code Y (0 in Europe, 9 in US, UK, …)
3. own country code ZZZ (1 for US, 32 for Belgium, …)

Note that the 3rd item can be avoided (see higher)

P.S. I’m not sure if Microsoft’s number normalization mechanisms have effect when dialing from a contact. I hope that the Zulu Outlook plugin avoids this, because Skype for Business or MS Link is performing the same kind of number parsing mechanisms as explained above. But they are hidden in the regional setup upon WIndows installation and often are not set correctly, so it is better not to rely on them…

[woodpecker505 (Woodpecker)]

at the end something went wrong on the configurable items:

1. “plus” parsing by XXXX

[woodpecker505 (Woodpecker)]

I just checked the Chrome plug-in, and then the parser works indeed as expected - but not for selected numbers in an email body.

BTW, how did you get the telephone icon next to the number ? I can only call via right click and then select “Z make call”

For dialing Outlook contacts I just noticed something weird : suddenly it did not work anymore - I always got the Microsoft dialer in stead. But now I noticed that the Zulu add-in was not working disabled automatically due to slow Outlook start, so I had to “always enable” it. Is Zulu indeed causing performance issues or is this a Microsoft attempt to use SFB in stead ? When looking at the Outlook add-ins this is what is shown:

Please also check the PBX outside line addition and “+” dialing with possible digits between brackets to ignore in my previous post.

[tm1000 (Andrew Nagy)]

@woodpecker505

BTW, how did you get the telephone icon next to the number ? I can only call via right click and then select “Z make call”

The telephone icon allows you to click it and then it sends this to Zulu. If that’s not working you need to read the wiki on how to configure the browser extension (Sangoma Documentation). As stated in my original response I had to change the settings of the Zulu BROWSER addon/extension and add more number matching patterns to match your combination of numbers.

@woodpecker505

but not for selected numbers in an email body.

Different parser. I didn’t reply to this thread anymore because it’s talking about Outlook. Which should have been clarified in your original post. I can’t help with Outlook. I didn’t write it, which is why I am bowing out of this thread again as I will be of no help.

[woodpecker505 (Woodpecker)]

I tried working with the auto parser in Chrome, but this is just not manageable for international numbers. There would be just to many combinations on number sizes and how numbers are presented for local, national and international calls to cover the whole world number formats.

So I gave up trying to get a telephone icon in the browser and focus only on selecting a number string and then right click and select make a call.

But some of my remarks above remain:

1. “+” dialing requires replacing the + by the international access code (1 to max 4 digits ) to be specified in the Zulu client config.

2. numbers between brackets must always be ignored - if not it becomes more complex (see above)

3. PBX outside line access code should be an option to add or not (e.g. 0 or 9)

P.S. I find it weird that Outlook parser is different from the Browser parser(s) - I think it is better to have only 1 mechanism in the Zulu client and not in each of the application (Outlook, Chrome, Firefox,…)

[tm1000 (Andrew Nagy)]

@woodpecker505

I tried working with the auto parser in Chrome, but this is just not manageable for international numbers. There would be just to many combinations on number sizes and how numbers are presented for local, national and international calls to cover the whole world number formats.

I showed you an example above that would have worked for the numbers you said in your original post. If you find it “not manageable” then it’s certainly not going to be manageable for us to keep track of it. This is why it’s presented to you, the user, to configure.

@woodpecker505

P.S. I find it weird that Outlook parser is different from the Browser parser(s) - I think it is better to have only 1 mechanism in the Zulu client and not in each of the application (Outlook, Chrome, Firefox,…)

Thanks for the advice. But we can’t, you should look into how to create browser extensions and outlook extensions for reasonings as to why what you propose won’t work at all and actually violates the agreements you sign with Microsoft and the Chrome and Firefox (externally parsing data from webpages, emails without being able to see the source code)

[woodpecker505 (Woodpecker)]

Isn’t there a difference between “modifying” a browser page or Outlook page trying to add the telephone icon next to it, and just selecting a string and use that string in an application ? I don’t see any violation in the last option. In this way it can be made application independent and simplified : no pattern based parsing but just removing delimiters and adding prefixes: PBX outside line access code, + dialing normalization and bracketed digits removal. Without these features Click-to-Dial is not really useful in Europe - and even in US.

Regarding the “icon based dialing” : this requires indeed a pattern based parser, but this is really complex due to country dependent number format, spacing in the presentation, digit length and difference in local/national/international prefixes. And on top of that my remarks above about PBX acc code, + dialing and brackets still need to be handled.