Access list

Sorts calls by the caller's number: an allow list, a deny list, and a third output for anyone on neither list.

At a glance

How it works

As the call passes through the module, the platform reads the caller's number, then goes through the Allow: lines in order. The first line that matches sends the call out through accept, and reading stops there. If none matches, the Deny: lines are gone through the same way, and the first one that matches sends the call out through deny. If nothing matches in either list, the call goes out through unknown.

Each line is compared to the whole number, from the first digit to the last. A line containing 02 therefore only recognizes the number 02 itself, not 02123456. To target the start of a number, you must describe what follows, as shown in the window's help text.

If the triggered output isn't connected to anything, the call is hung up on the spot, with no announcement. This module has three outputs, and the third one is the one that gets forgotten.

What to fill in

Step by step

1. First note the exact format your callers arrive in, from Reports, Call list. This is the format your patterns need to describe.
2. Place the Access list module and connect the previous node to its input.
3. Open it. In Allow:, write one pattern per line, for example 02\d* for all numbers starting with 02.
4. In Deny:, write the patterns to exclude, one per line.
5. Close the window and connect the three outputs: accept, deny, and unknown.
6. For deny, choose an explicit destination, an announcement or the Hang up module, rather than an unconnected output: the caller will at least know they were turned away.
7. Click Apply changes.
8. Call once from a number listed in Allow:, then again from a number absent from both lists, and check both journeys.

If it doesn't work

A number that's actually in Allow isn't recognized. The line is compared to the whole number. 02 only recognizes the number 02. Write 02\d* to cover everything starting with 02. Also check the number's format in Reports, Call list: an international prefix changes everything.

All calls go out through unknown. Both lists are empty, or none of their patterns describe the actual format of the numbers received. Compare a pattern and a number taken from the reports, digit by digit.

A caller I denied still gets through. Allow: is examined first. A pattern too broad in this list, for example 0\d*, wins before Deny: is even read. Narrow the allow pattern.

The call is hung up as it passes through the module. The triggered output isn't connected to anything. This module has three, and unknown is the one left unconnected by mistake.

A call with no caller number goes out through unknown. The module compares your patterns to an empty number, which a pattern written for digits doesn't recognize. These calls therefore end up on unknown, which is one more reason to connect this output.