Re: [Evolution] How to input addresses in bulk into contact list

[Matthew Barnes <mbarnes redhat com>]

On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 09:20 -0500, Swarup wrote:
> I have exported the address list from Thunderbird, so now it is a file
> of type csv, called L1.csv. I can open the file in calc and see all the
> addresses.

For starters, please avoid CSV at all costs and use vCard format (.vcf).

CSV is a horrible, non-standardized, ambiguous file format that should
have passed into history along with the 20th century.  Every application
exports CSV differently.  The exported header names vary by application,
and sometimes there isn't even a header row, which is why Evolution has
importers for CSV data *by application* (and I don't even know for sure
if they're still accurate).

The vCard format is standardized (http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6350),
so you have a much better chance importing it correctly into Evolution.


> When I open a new contact list in evo, I only see a way to add addresses
> one at a time. 

Use drag-and-drop into the scrollable area under "Members".

I was hoping dragging a .vcf file into that area would work, but a quick
test suggests it doesn't work even in the latest version.  We should fix
that.  But instead you can select a bunch of address cards from the main
Contacts area and drag them into the Members area once you import them.


> In evo I went to File -> import, and following the steps I imported the
> file L1.csv. It seemed to accept the import just fine. But now I do not
> know where the file L1.csv is in evo. I searched in my address book, but
> it is not there.
>
> What do I have to do next to make the L1.csv file a contact list in evo?

Probably it couldn't make sense of the CSV fields and silently discarded
them, which is wrong, but Evolution's import code is very old and needs
an overhaul [1] and, like I said, CSV data from a foreign application is
difficult to make sense of.

I suggest creating a new address book under On This Computer to hold
your imported data, then be mindful to choose that address book when
importing vCard data.  Once imported, you can do Ctrl+A to select all
the imported contacts and drag them into the Members area.

Hope this helps,
Matthew Barnes


[1] Which is on my to-do list, but keeps getting delayed.
    https://live.gnome.org/Evolution/Planning38