diff --git a/pbx.c b/pbx.c
index 8de44ee66df76e82bda3add26f88269880c2d7ae..f033de974b1af673587bdc96150d76e938e43ec3 100755
--- a/pbx.c
+++ b/pbx.c
@@ -751,7 +751,20 @@ static void pbx_substitute_variables_temp(struct ast_channel *c,const char *var,
 		headp=&c->varshead;
     *ret=NULL;
         /* Now we have the variable name on cp3 */
-	if ((first=strchr(var,':'))) {
+	if (!strncasecmp(var,"LEN(",4)) {
+		int len=strlen(var);
+		int len_len=4;
+		if (strrchr(var,')')) {
+			char cp3[80];
+			strncpy(cp3, var, sizeof(cp3) - 1);
+			cp3[len-len_len-1]='\0';
+			sprintf(workspace,"%d",strlen(cp3));
+			*ret = workspace;
+		} else {
+			/* length is zero */
+			*ret = "0";
+		}
+	} else if ((first=strchr(var,':'))) {
 		strncpy(tmpvar, var, sizeof(tmpvar) - 1);
 		first = strchr(tmpvar, ':');
 		if (!first)
@@ -929,17 +942,6 @@ static void pbx_substitute_variables_temp(struct ast_channel *c,const char *var,
 				}
 			}
 		}
-		if (!(*ret) && !strncasecmp(var,"LEN(",4)) {
-			int len=strlen(var);
-			int len_len=4;
-			if (len > (len_len+1) && !strncasecmp(var,"LEN(",len_len) && strchr(var+len_len+2,')')) {
-				char cp3[80];
-				strncpy(cp3, var, sizeof(cp3) - 1);
-				cp3[len-len_len-1]='\0';
-				sprintf(workspace,"%d",strlen(cp3));
-				*ret = workspace;
-			} else ast_log(LOG_NOTICE, "Wrong use of LEN(VARIABLE)\n");
-		}
 	}
 }