Picking a VICIdial Script ID: the naming rules that trip people up

The exact rules for a valid Script ID

A Script ID in VICIdial must meet all of the following conditions at the same time. Miss any one of them and the form will not save:

• Length: minimum 2 characters, maximum 20 characters.
• Characters: letters and numbers only. No spaces. No punctuation — that means no hyphens, underscores, periods, or any other special character.
• Unique: no two scripts can share the same ID. VICIdial will reject a duplicate.
• Permanent: once created, the Script ID cannot be edited. To use a different ID, you must delete the script and recreate it from scratch.

Where people go wrong

The most common mistakes when creating a Agent script ID:

• Using hyphens or underscores — both are punctuation and will cause the form to reject the ID.
• Copying a script ID from somewhere else that uses a different convention, such as "sales-script-v2".
• Using a generic ID like "script1" that will clash with future scripts or mean nothing six months later.
• Forgetting that the ID is permanent and picking something throwaway, then needing to delete and recreate the script after it has already been assigned to a Campaign.

Script ID vs Script Name

It helps to understand the difference between the two primary identifiers:

• Script ID is the system-level key used in database references and campaign configuration. It cannot change.
• Script Name is the human-readable label shown in the admin UI. It can be updated anytime. Max 50 characters, no spaces or punctuation.

This distinction matters: a good Script ID carries meaning even without the Script Name next to it. If you ever see a Campaign configuration that just shows the raw Script ID, you want that ID to be self-explanatory.

A naming scheme that scales

Because the ID is permanent and must be alphanumeric, a prefixed structure works well. Use two or three letters for the product or department, followed by a short descriptor — all lowercase, no breaks. Examples: SALESOB1 for a sales outbound script, SUPPTIER2 for a support tier-2 script, RETINB01 for a retention inbound script.

Keep the ID short enough to be recognizable but long enough to be specific. Anywhere from 6–12 characters hits the sweet spot for most teams.

If you run a Blended dialing operation with both outbound and inbound scripts, a prefix like OB or IB at the start of the ID helps distinguish them instantly when you are scanning a long scripts list or configuring a campaign.

Script ID format decision tree

flowchart TD
  A[Choose a Script ID] --> B{Contains spaces or punctuation?}
  B -- Yes --> C[Remove them - letters and numbers only]
  C --> B
  B -- No --> D{Between 2 and 20 characters?}
  D -- No --> E[Adjust length]
  E --> D
  D -- Yes --> F{Already used by another script?}
  F -- Yes --> G[Pick a different ID]
  G --> F
  F -- No --> H[Valid Script ID - ready to create]

For more on why the ID is locked after creation and how to plan around that constraint, see why you cannot rename a VICIdial Script ID after you create it.

The broader context for where Script IDs fit in the admin panel is in the VICIdial agent screen configuration guide.

If you are building out a new VICIdial deployment and want to start with a clean script structure, see pricing for managed hosting options.