Numbering Products

Numbering Products

The latest version of CodeLook may be downloaded from the member only areas of this web site

Online CodeLook
Lookup partial numbers,
tariff bands and localities
on a web page

CodeLook

Magenta Dialling Code Lookup

CodeLook is a Windows application designed to display United Kingdom dialling code, tariff and locality information.

CodeLook has two main functions, looking up partial telephone numbers to find the locality and tariff band, and looking up localities to find the code. It effectively replaces the BT Phone Book Companion that serves the same purpose in book format (but does not use the same source material!). CodeLook is fully interactive, so partial number look-up occurs as digits are entered. Alternatively SEARCH allow look-up of a pasted number. NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons permit scrolling through the database, but the volume of data precludes an index.

The number database used by CodeLook includes over 45,000 telephone codes and over 5,600 localities and is built automatically, primarily combining the Oftel numbering database of UK codes with the BT Electronic Price List that indicates the tariff bands for specific codes. Locality information comes from five separate lists of varying quality, with exception tables for correction purposes. Where possible, local codes are identified by both BT area name and postal locality, so for instance 0208656 looks-up as London area, in locality Addiscombe, Croydon, Surrey, CR0.

The database code table includes international fixed, international mobiles, geographic, service and indirect codes, each with area name, locality, post town, county, partial post code, country, tariff band and digits, usage, operator, and validity dates. For UK geographic codes (01x, 02x), CodeLook can distinguish whether calls between two areas are local or national tariff band. It also distinguishes whether international numbers are mobile (which are often cost more to call) and when an indirect access code is used, so 1452003275 looks-up to a Belgium Mobile indirect via Eurobell.

The localities table includes post town, county, area code and tariff band, and allows selection of names from a list of up to 50. Please note the postal information is not yet validated against the Royal Mail PAF file, this is not easy because of some historical BT area names like Colney Heath.

Installation

CodeLook comprises just a single EXE file and one database file, and does not install or need any DLLs other than those supplied with all versions of Windows. About 1.5 Mbytes of disk space is required for the application and database.

Distribution

CodeLook is available without further cost to all paid members of the UK Telecom Comparison web site. Business and trade members may use it on multiple PC within their organisation. CodeLook may not be posted on any web sites, FTP servers, BBS or distributed by any means whatever, except by Magenta System Ltd.

Because code and tariff information is changing monthly, the number database has a built-in expiry date to ensure the codes and tariffs are reasonably up to date. It is expected the database will be updated at least monthly and but more often when significant tariff changes are made. Database creation is automatic, and only takes about 30 minutes when new source files are available, so it could be updated daily if necessary.

The full version of CodeLook available to paid members of this site has an expiry three months after being built, so newer versions must therefore be downloaded four or five times a year.

This web site also has an Online CodeLook providing most of the functionality of the windows application from a web page. It uses the Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL described below.

A number of functional enhancements are planned for CodeLook over the coming weeks, most effort until now was developing an accurate numbering database.

Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL

Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL is designed for developers that want to integrate the functionality of CodeLook, looking up partial telephone numbers to find the locality and tariff, and looking up localities to find the code, into other applications or web pages. This uses the same look-up code and database as CodeLook, but the level of detail that comes back is slightly higher, with the option to get more information (for international calls for instance).

Typical applications for the ActiveX could be:

Code and locality look-up on intranet web pages
Calling Line Identity (CLI) look-up for incoming telephone calls
Ordering systems to check supplied telephone number matches address
Call costing applications, to find tariff bands to call any telephone number

The Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL is used to provide the Online CodeLook on this web site.

Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL is designed to be used with most common languages on windows platforms, including Delphi, Visual Basic, C++, VBScript and JScript.

Please note that the license for the Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL does not permit it being distributed in any way, it may only be used on the licensee's own servers and PCs. Specifically it may not be downloaded from a web server, only run on the web server. Please contact for Magenta Systems Ltd for details on redistribution licensing.

Cost of the Magenta UK Numbering ActiveX DLL is £350 for the first year, with updates for subsequent years being included in Trade Membership (£144 per year). Please contact for Magenta Systems Ltd for details on redistribution licensing.

Magenta UK Numbering Database

The Magenta UK Numbering Database is designed for those that need to fully integrate telephone numbering, tariff band and locality information into their own systems. The original raw database is available as a set of comma separated variable (CSV) text files that may be importing into custom databases. The database comprises the following tables (number of records bracketed), samples of which can be provided upon request:

AllCodes.csv - The main lookup table (49.208)
AreaCodes.csv - Area names and codes (690)
Bands.csv - Tariff bands, descriptions and codes (513)
Countries.csv - Full international information (572)
DescCodes.csv - Various look-up descriptions (28)
Distance.csv - Shows local code pairs (17,501)
Localites.csv - Locality, post town, post code and area code (5,610)
Operators.csv - Operator contact info (292)
OpLines.csv - Lines allocated for each operator in each area (610)

Cost of the Magenta UK Numbering Database is £1,000 for the first year (which include full site membership), and £250 for subsequent years. Existing site members will be credited with their current fee and so only pay the difference. This price licenses the database to be used in one company or organisation only, and does not allow redistribution with applications. Please contact Magenta Systems Ltd for details on redistribution licensing.

The Magenta UK Numbering Database is distributed in a ZIP file, and may be downloaded from the password protected Numbering section of this web site. It will be updated weekly, or less often if there is no new numbering or tariff information from Oftel or BT.

Dialling Code Tables

The existing dialling code tables distributed in the ZIP files as part of residential or business membership of this site will continue to be maintained, and will shortly be generated from the main numbering database rather than being edited by hand. However, the level of information will remain similar to at present, so they will not contain all the extra detail of the numbering database.