Inconsistent Phone Number Formats in Version 1.18.1 (0375576)

gorudin

Entering phone numbers in osTicket can be a bit frustrating. In our country, the standard format for phone numbers includes plus (+) and minus (-) signs. For example, a mobile number is typically written as +45-123-456789, while a regular landline might look like 08-56485160.

When entering an agent’s phone number in osTicket, I can use + and - without any issues. However, if I enter a 7-digit number, the system automatically reformats it to 123-4567. Similarly, a 10-digit number is converted to (123) 456-7890, following the US standard. This behavior appears to be defined in the include/class.format.php file.

The real problem arises when entering user phone numbers. Regardless of whether the display format is set to US Standard or Unformatted, the system does not retain any formatting. All phone numbers lose the +, -, and parentheses ().

Furthermore:
• 7-digit numbers are not displayed as 123-4567.
• 10-digit numbers are not displayed as (123) 456-7890.
• Any + or - signs entered are stripped out completely.

When entering phone numbers for a Company, I can include + and - signs using either the US Standard or Unformatted setting. However, when adding phone numbers for Organizations, these symbols are removed, regardless of the selected display format—just like with user phone numbers.

Key Issue
The inconsistency stems from the fact that there are at least three different forms for entering phone numbers:

Company Information
Organization Information
Contact Information

Each form appears to handle phone numbers differently, and the selected format setting doesn’t seem to apply consistently across them. As for agent phone numbers, the formatting rules seem entirely separate, and it’s unclear how they are managed.

Proposed Solution
The simplest and most effective solution would be to define the phone number format in one central location—specifically, in the Settings section of the Admin Panel. This would ensure uniform formatting across all forms and eliminate the confusion caused by inconsistent handling of phone numbers.

KevinTheJedi

gorudin

Can you try installing a language pack for said language, adding it as a secondary language in your system, setting your Profile language to the desired language, and retesting the phone format stuff? I can't remember if it goes off of the US format all the time or if it's based on the current language's formats.

Cheers.

gorudin

KevinTheJedi

As of now I am using the English (US) version. I will install a new language and come back

gorudin

I very much like the program and it is really good for my future use. It is very annoying that I cannot use + and - for user's phone numbers since most users rely on mobiles today.

I installed a language pack for the specified language and added it as a secondary language in the system. I also set the desired language as the primary option. After testing the phone number formatting behavior, the results turned out to be even more perplexing.

Test Results:
User Account (Display set to Unformatted):
o I can enter + and –, and they appear correctly after updating.
o However, switching from the profile view to creating a ticket and then back to the profile causes the + and – to disappear.
o To make phone number changes persist, I also need to update the password.

Admin Profile (Display set to Unformatted):
o I can enter + and –, and they persist unless I input 7 or 10 digits, which triggers a reformatting to the US Standard.
o When changing a user’s phone number, the + and – do not persist, but entering 7 or 10 digits does not trigger the US Standard format.

Admin Profile (Display set to US Standard):
o Changing a user’s phone number does not apply the US Standard format, nor does it retain + or –.
o However, when changing an agent’s phone number, entering 7 or 10 digits does apply the US Standard format.
o If + and – are included, they persist unless the string length matches 7 or 10 digits, in which case the formatting changes.

If you want me to I can make a full list of this strange behaviour.
I've made sure to re-start the computer a few times while I conducted the tests.

KevinTheJedi

gorudin

Let me back up and ask a question I should’ve asked in the beginning. Have you tried setting the Display Format for the Phone Number field to "Unformatted" (Admin Panel > Manage > Forms > Contact Information > Phone Number > Config > Display Format)?

Cheers.

gorudin

KevinTheJedi
I've tried both Unformatted and US Standard. It seems like there is no difference.

I will later give you a list of all combinations. What I know is there is something very peculiar going on.

The most important one is User settings. No matter what Display Setting it looks just the same.

I've just tried the 17.5 version. When using System Admin and changing phone number for a user it does not matter what Display format I use. The + and - signs are removed and there never is a US Standard setting when I enter 7 or 10 digits.

I do appreciate your efforts.

gorudin

KevinTheJedi
Using the System Admin, Display set to Unformatted, I get US Standard format when entering 7 and 10 digits.
In the class.format.php file there is a section:

static function phone($phone) {

	$stripped= preg_replace("/[^0-9]/", "", $phone);
	if(strlen($stripped) == 7)
		return preg_replace("/([0-9]{3})([0-9]{4})/", "$1-$2",$stripped);
	elseif(strlen($stripped) == 10)
		return preg_replace("/([0-9]{3})([0-9]{3})([0-9]{4})/", "($1) $2-$3",$stripped);
	else
		return $phone;
}

When I change the == 7 and ==10 to much higher numbers the US Standard formatting disappears.
I will now try using the display format US Standard

gorudin

KevinTheJedi

It seems to me that there is a problem with the “static function phone($phone) function in class.format.php file.
When I change it, increasing the numbers from 7 and 10 to above 20 for each the System Admin Profile phone number behaves just the way the User phone number does. The + and – signs are removed and there is no US Standard format for 7 and 10 digits.

As if the static function phone($phone) gets different information when setting User’s phone numbers. Since I am not a programmer I cannot explain it in a sensible way.

KevinTheJedi

gorudin

Thanks for all the info. I’ll add this to our list of things to look into.

Cheers.