Thunderbird address exporting

[mirandaguy]

My current address (contact) list is maintained on Thunderbird. I need to get it to a new iphone.
The path I chose is to move it to mac Mail and then synch that to the iphone. Problem is that in exporting specific address books in TB, I only get a partial list of entries...say 16 of 41. I can't figure out why I don't get all of them. I'm exporting to a LDIF on the desktop and then importing that to Mail where I see the shortfall. I've tried altering the desktop name and importing it back to TB and the list seems complete. I have wiped the Mail Address Book clean and still get the same problem. Any suggestions, please.

 

[mirandaguy]

I found the problem. Thunderbird accepts a LDAP with on the display name present whereas Mac Mail needs both a given and surname!!!! I had to print out the LDIF file as a text file and compare the entries that did and did not work. Took a long time to sleuth it out. Should have done it sooner but didn't know LDIF was simply a text file. Phooey!!!

 

[hewee]

Welcome to TSG

Glad you found the trouble and fixed things on your own.

Another trick is to make another address book in web base email accounts or look first and then see what all ways you can save the address book because your see more options.

Looks like not all CSV formats are the same.

This is from Gmail.

Which export format?
Google CSV format (for importing into a Google account)
Outlook CSV format (for importing into Outlook or another application)
vCard format (for importing into Apple Address Book or another application)

 

[mirandaguy]

Thanks, hewee. Not sure that Mail accepts csv format. It only mentions vCard, LDIF, text files and a backup Address Book file. Anyway, I had one typo in my "solution" response. It should have read that Mail doesn't accept display name ONLY hence I'm obliged to go through all my TB address to make sure that I have the whole enchilada: given name, surname, and display name. That has work for me so far. Another mystery for me in the mac Address Book is all the cross linking that seems to go on with the appearance of so many "others" that appear after a time on each card. It's very annoying. Thanks anyway.

 

[hewee]

I know it can be a pain. Luck part I have had is use of web mail sites and then over the years with netscape and copy of one version and or profile to the next version or computer and then it was easy to move to Thunderbird.

But then after a web base account changed and losted my address book that I just happen to export so lucked out there I had a little fun trying to get the address in Thunderbird.
Later I made 3 address books in Thunderbird so I can have all the address in one place because if any web base email account losted your address book or the site goes under your without if you don't have it backed up.

Thunderbird lets you import many formats but as you know that does not mean that they will show up right.

But I found out the pain of it all back then and how hard it can be and I think I imported to hotmail and exported in all the formats it lets you do it in because the site that losted my address book was myway and to this date after they made the changes about 3 years ago they still have not fixed things so I can not even have a address book at that site because it does not work and it does not matter what browsers or computer I use so it's not me or my setting but the website and they will not help to fix things. Support is not even there anymore because they will not reply.