asterisk users - Jan 2021 - Howto configure additional files in a separate directory?

Running asterisk 18 in a FreeBSD 12-STABLE platform, asterisk.conf contains some
FreeBSD
style delegations of the directoris used by default.

First of all: the configuration of the Asterisk instance is done in a simple,
plain way
using static config files!

We face a weird behaviour with the default sample entry one can find in
etc/asterisk.conf, the entry 

[directories](!)
astspooldir     =>              /pool/logging/var/spool/asterisk

results in a voicemail folder created at

/var/spool/asterisk/voicemail/...

and not at /pool/logging/var/spool/asterisk/voicemail/... as we would expect.
But
ommiting the "(!)" tag

[directories]
astspooldir     =>              /pool/logging/var/spool/asterisk

results in the desired behaviour! This is weird. Where can I find some
informations about
the usage of the "(!)" in this context? As far as I know, the
"(!)" marks a stanza as
pristine/unique and is not to be expanded by other stanzas (or objects, I'm
not so
familiar with the variaty of semantics ...). I derive this from my knowledge
taken from
the syntax/semantics of extensions configuration.


Another problem, as the subjects may state, is to have additional sounds
alongside the
default ones.

The default sounds shipped with the FreeBSD port of Asterisk are located at
/usr/local/share/asterisk/sounds/en. We'd like to stay with any default,
since the
directory configuration pointing to the top level directory of sounds is

[directories]
astdatadir      =>              /usr/local/share/asterisk

The installation image of asterisk is changing from time to time due to updates.
The
additional configurations should be kept outside the default paths, but sounds
are
located as a subdirectory adjacent with a lot of other default directories
I'd like to
keep as they are.

For voicemail and other purposes we need other languages, German (de_DE/de),
French (fr)
and so on. We'd like to put those additions into different directories,
maintaining them
separately and leave the original folders untouched.

Does Asterisk provide a mechanism to expand/searches directories?

I tried to study the example/sample configuration files but I coul not find a
hint how to
explicitely set the directory (absolute, relative) for sounds in a defined
stanza (the
"[...]" thing i.e. in etc/voicemail.conf and so on).

Thanks in advance,

best regards

O. Hartmann
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On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 5:25 AM Hartmann, O. <ohartmann at walstatt.org>
wrote:

<snip>

and not at /pool/logging/var/spool/asterisk/voicemail/... as we
would
> expect. But
> ommiting the "(!)" tag
>
> [directories]
> astspooldir     =>              /pool/logging/var/spool/asterisk
>
> results in the desired behaviour! This is weird. Where can I find some
> informations about
> the usage of the "(!)" in this context? As far as I know, the
"(!)" marks
> a stanza as
> pristine/unique and is not to be expanded by other stanzas (or objects,
> I'm not so
> familiar with the variaty of semantics ...). I derive this from my
> knowledge taken from
> the syntax/semantics of extensions configuration.
>
The use of (!) means it is a template[1][2] for use by another context. It
can also be used as a way for a context to be put into a configuration
file, but not actually used until removed.

>
>
> Another problem, as the subjects may state, is to have additional sounds
> alongside the
> default ones.
>
> The default sounds shipped with the FreeBSD port of Asterisk are located at
> /usr/local/share/asterisk/sounds/en. We'd like to stay with any
default,
> since the
> directory configuration pointing to the top level directory of sounds is
>
> [directories]
> astdatadir      =>              /usr/local/share/asterisk
>
> The installation image of asterisk is changing from time to time due to
> updates. The
> additional configurations should be kept outside the default paths, but
> sounds are
> located as a subdirectory adjacent with a lot of other default directories
> I'd like to
> keep as they are.
>
> For voicemail and other purposes we need other languages, German
> (de_DE/de), French (fr)
> and so on. We'd like to put those additions into different directories,
> maintaining them
> separately and leave the original folders untouched.
>
> Does Asterisk provide a mechanism to expand/searches directories?
>
I'm not aware of any current method to do that, everything gets searched in
the sounds directory from what I know of.

> I tried to study the example/sample configuration files but I coul not
> find a hint how to
> explicitely set the directory (absolute, relative) for sounds in a defined
> stanza (the
> "[...]" thing i.e. in etc/voicemail.conf and so on).
>
Applications/functionality don't allow individual configuration of paths
like this, they rely on the global configuration.

[1] https://wiki.asterisk.org/wiki/display/AST/Template+Syntax
[2] https://wiki.asterisk.org/wiki/display/AST/Using+Templates

-- 
Joshua C. Colp
Asterisk Technical Lead
Sangoma Technologies
Check us out at www.sangoma.com and www.asterisk.org
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