Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
Bob
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
---- I am under the impression that the .vcf format is for transfer and most address book programs should be able to import them (thereby creating a new entry in your address book).
Craig
On 26/11/11 19:27, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
Depends what you mean by "display". Most of the mail clients can import VCF files as contact records.
poc
I'm not sure myself, a text editor or Libreoffice will display the raw data but apparently there is some format the data goes into.
My daughter has nothing but Apple equipment and has been on the phone with them for hours this weekend trying to sort out some problem, came around with the phone in her ear still talking and asked if I could display those files. I have never seen anything that convinces me the Mac is easy to use! Always problems and my daughter is computer literate.
Google describes them as some sort of record cards that can be displayed in OSX and Windows. I didn't find anything like that for Linux. I certainly don't want the stuff in my Thunderbird app.
Just though there might be something I haven't found.
Thanks,
Bob
On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 5:45 PM, Bob Goodwin bobgoodwin@wildblue.net wrote:
On 26/11/11 19:27, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
Depends what you mean by "display". Most of the mail clients can import VCF files as contact records.
poc
I'm not sure myself, a text editor or Libreoffice will display the raw data but apparently there is some format the data goes into.
My daughter has nothing but Apple equipment and has been on the phone with them for hours this weekend trying to sort out some problem, came around with the phone in her ear still talking and asked if I could display those files. I have never seen anything that convinces me the Mac is easy to use! Always problems and my daughter is computer literate.
Google describes them as some sort of record cards that can be displayed in OSX and Windows. I didn't find anything like that for Linux. I certainly don't want the stuff in my Thunderbird app.
Just though there might be something I haven't found.
It's a little awkward, but you can install the "vobject" Python module and use it to read it:
sudo yum install python-vobject python -c 'import vobject; vobject.readOne(open("file.vcf")).prettyPrint()'
-T.C.
On 26/11/11 20:00, T.C. Hollingsworth wrote:
On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 5:45 PM, Bob Goodwin<bobgoodwin@wildblue.net> wrote:On 26/11/11 19:27, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?Depends what you mean by "display". Most of the mail clients can import VCF files as contact records. pocI'm not sure myself, a text editor or Libreoffice will display the raw data but apparently there is some format the data goes into. My daughter has nothing but Apple equipment and has been on the phone with them for hours this weekend trying to sort out some problem, came around with the phone in her ear still talking and asked if I could display those files. I have never seen anything that convinces me the Mac is easy to use! Always problems and my daughter is computer literate. Google describes them as some sort of record cards that can be displayed in OSX and Windows. I didn't find anything like that for Linux. I certainly don't want the stuff in my Thunderbird app. Just though there might be something I haven't found.It's a little awkward, but you can install the "vobject" Python module and use it to read it: sudo yum install python-vobject python -c 'import vobject; vobject.readOne(open("file.vcf")).prettyPrint()' -T.C.
I was able to display some of the data in a new Thunderbird account's address book. There are about 2000 "cards," about 21 megs of data! The T-bird address book only displays some of the data, I guess just in columns it recognizes, Name and E-Mail addresses. At least it shows that the data is probably all there.
The above routine almost works but only begins to show some gibberish from the beginning:
[bobg@box9 ~]$ python -c 'import vobject; vobject.readOne(open("/home/bobg/Documents/11-26-2011-H2-DAD.vcf")).prettyPrint()' VCARD UID: cfc17ee7-1f82-4cdc-8b5a-16a7aec4915e X-ABUID: F0DB8EEF-5404-453B-B89A-CECE2841FB04:ABPerson CATEGORIES: [u'ALL-Cards-Sep-2011', u'card'] N: NOTE: As of April- 2011 ginette GREENE Matthew-Lucas GREENE Robert GOODWIN 4382 5802 9289 8005
4382580292898005
fulload55 smiles01
VERSION: 3.0 PRODID: -//Apple Inc.//Address Book 6.1//EN X-ABSHOWAS: COMPANY ORG: [u'AAA'] FN: AAA
I expected to see it list all 2000 records? I don't know how to deal with that but would be interested in seeing it.
Thanks for considering this, I appreciate the responses.
Bob
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
You can use any text editor to look at the contents, it's just a list of fields and data, in a form style. Not exactly like this, but it's the idea behind the technique:
name: Tim email: ignored_mailbox@yahoo.com.au
They're an electronic business, or visiting, card. And they contain as much information as the person put into it, or the recipient added to it when they saved it. They can hold names, numbers, addresses, encoded pictures, etc.
If you want to parse the data, that's another matter. But you haven't said what your needs are. Just to be able to see the content, or do something with it.
There are a variety of formats, and some of the data may not be recognised for what it is by some readers (which may not show you that data, or just show the raw data for you to figure out what it is).
On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 7:03 PM, Bob Goodwin bobgoodwin@wildblue.net wrote:
I was able to display some of the data in a new Thunderbird account's address book. There are about 2000 "cards," about 21 megs of data! The T-bird address book only displays some of the data, I guess just in columns it recognizes, Name and E-Mail addresses. At least it shows that the data is probably all there.
The above routine almost works but only begins to show some gibberish from the beginning:
<output snipped>
The output may be something about the format of the vcf files. The one I tested came out like this (anonymized as it was a real person who probably doesn't want their info all over the internet :-), free of all that garbage:
VCARD TEL: 520-555-1212 TEL: 520-555-2345 ADR: One Linux Way Fedoratown, AZ 85701 United States TITLE: Delicious Meaty Treat N: Beefy Miracle VERSION: 2.1 ORG: ['', u'Red Hat, Inc.'] EMAIL: ketchup@fedoraproject.org FN: Beefy Miracle
I expected to see it list all 2000 records? I don't know how to deal with that but would be interested in seeing it.
I wrote up this little script that uses it to read a bunch at once using the same method: https://gist.github.com/1396819
Download it and make it executable: curl https://raw.github.com/gist/1396819/7060cb6f054dbc65104ed2f96ec90fe4967d84ed...
readvcf
chmod +x readvcf
Then point it any number of vcards: ./readvcf /path/to/cards/*.vcf
Or spit the output into a file: ./readvcf /path/to/cards/*.vcf > cards.txt
-T.C.
On Sat, Nov 26, 2011 at 7:26 PM, T.C. Hollingsworth tchollingsworth@gmail.com wrote:
I wrote up this little script that uses it to read a bunch at once using the same method:
Sorry, I typoed that one. Try https://gist.github.com/1396830
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:45 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
On 26/11/11 19:27, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
Depends what you mean by "display". Most of the mail clients can import VCF files as contact records.
poc
I'm not sure myself, a text editor or Libreoffice will display the raw data but apparently there is some format the data goes into. My daughter has nothing but Apple equipment and has been on the phone with them for hours this weekend trying to sort out some problem, came around with the phone in her ear still talking and asked if I could display those files. I have never seen anything that convinces me the Mac is easy to use! Always problems and my daughter is computer literate. Google describes them as some sort of record cards that can be displayed in OSX and Windows. I didn't find anything like that for Linux. I certainly don't want the stuff in my Thunderbird app. Just though there might be something I haven't found. Thanks, Bob
Recently I had to create a e-mail list that corresponds to a contact list from evolution. Evolution will load a .vcf file. Using cut one can easily isolate the e-mail addresses in the file. You also have to remove the ^M character at the end of each line in the file. vim can do that.
On 26/11/11 21:26, Tim wrote:
On Sat, 2011-11-26 at 19:09 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Is there a Linux application that will display a .vcf file?
You can use any text editor to look at the contents, it's just a list of fields and data, in a form style. Not exactly like this, but it's the idea behind the technique:
name: Tim email: ignored_mailbox@yahoo.com.au
They're an electronic business, or visiting, card. And they contain as much information as the person put into it, or the recipient added to it when they saved it. They can hold names, numbers, addresses, encoded pictures, etc.
If you want to parse the data, that's another matter. But you haven't said what your needs are. Just to be able to see the content, or do something with it.
There are a variety of formats, and some of the data may not be recognised for what it is by some readers (which may not show you that data, or just show the raw data for you to figure out what it is).
Yes, I now understand what they are. I suspect that Apple has sold her on a software system that doesn't fit her needs. If I understand what she is telling me her data is stored in a "cloud" server somewhere while she wants local copies stored on several devices, desktop, portable, iPad, and what look like some iPods to me, maybe they are telephones, I'm not sure? But it seems that what she needs should be possible to do.
They need to be able to access their account data without finding an internet connection. I was caught in the middle when the Apple person on the phone asked if the .vcf files could be displayed on another computer system and she brought it to me on a flash drive. I didn't know what to do with it other than to look at it as text. That was why I inquired of the list.
I have since spent some time examining the files and they appear to be vcards interspersed among huge fields of meaningless data which at first looked like image files but I have since come to think it may be some sort of encryption? Whatever it's a collection of stuff I can't do anything with and I am not sure is even her data? I am losing interest in the project, my curiosity is waning.
I appreciate all the help and if nothing else I know what a .vcf file is and know that I can display the data in address book format if nothing else.
Thanks,
Bob
On Sun, 2011-11-27 at 11:26 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
I appreciate all the help and if nothing else I know what a .vcf file is and know that I can display the data in address book format if nothing else.
---- The thing to do is to use a completely different address book program that you never use and you can import this data into this address book without any fear of corrupting the data in an address book that you do use and in the process, get to see how another address book program works.
The binary data might very well be an image.
Craig
On Sun, 2011-11-27 at 11:26 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Yes, I now understand what they are. I suspect that Apple has sold her on a software system that doesn't fit her needs. If I understand what she is telling me her data is stored in a "cloud" server somewhere while she wants local copies stored on several devices, desktop, portable, iPad, and what look like some iPods to me, maybe they are telephones, I'm not sure? But it seems that what she needs should be possible to do.
They need to be able to access their account data without finding an internet connection.
Well, if they use several devices, then they will need some form of central database, otherwise how would you deal with updates to a record on one device being propagated through to the rest (such as a client giving you their new phone number, and you typing it into your pad).
But, it sounds like what they also need are offline clients, that cache the results (all the too-many-megabytes of them), then feed back updates when they get the chance. And, if you're right, they probably need something running on a local server, rather than the internet. Though "the cloud" is becoming the latest Emperor's New Clothes.
Yes, you'll pay for the new toy. Pay to lease the software, and pay for each and every access to it, through your mobile phone...
It's rather staggering the amount of money that well get splurged on techno-updating the secretary's rolodex. I'm sure that, soon enough, even very small businesses will be spending more on admin than actual workers.
I have since spent some time examining the files and they appear to be vcards interspersed among huge fields of meaningless data which at first looked like image files but I have since come to think it may be some sort of encryption?
Very likely that they're just pictures, and are something like base64 encoding (the same technique as used to send 8-bit binary files through 7-bit email services).
Chances are that it's not data that you even need (on all devices), and you'd be filling them up with a lot of wasted data. If it's client contact details on an ipad, so you can email the right person with a quote, you probably only need the textual stuff.
On Sun, 2011-11-27 at 14:15 -0700, Craig White wrote:
The thing to do is to use a completely different address book program that you never use and you can import this data into this address book without any fear of corrupting the data in an address book that you do use and in the process, get to see how another address book program works.
Or a second login, and using software that you're familiar with.
On 11/28/2011 07:13 AM, Tim wrote:
I have since spent some time examining the files and they appear to be vcards interspersed among huge fields of meaningless data which at first looked like image files but I have since come to think it may be some sort of encryption?
Very likely that they're just pictures, and are something like base64 encoding (the same technique as used to send 8-bit binary files through 7-bit email services).
Of course one could always read the RFC (http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6350). :-)
On 27/11/11 18:13, Tim wrote:
On Sun, 2011-11-27 at 11:26 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
Yes, I now understand what they are. I suspect that Apple has sold her on a software system that doesn't fit her needs. If I understand what she is telling me her data is stored in a "cloud" server somewhere while she wants local copies stored on several devices, desktop, portable, iPad, and what look like some iPods to me, maybe they are telephones, I'm not sure? But it seems that what she needs should be possible to do.
They need to be able to access their account data without finding an internet connection.
Well, if they use several devices, then they will need some form of central database, otherwise how would you deal with updates to a record on one device being propagated through to the rest (such as a client giving you their new phone number, and you typing it into your pad).
They would periodically sync devices to the primary desk top computer which is always connected.
But, it sounds like what they also need are offline clients, that cache the results (all the too-many-megabytes of them), then feed back updates when they get the chance. And, if you're right, they probably need something running on a local server, rather than the internet. Though "the cloud" is becoming the latest Emperor's New Clothes.
Yes, you'll pay for the new toy. Pay to lease the software, and pay for each and every access to it, through your mobile phone...
I haven't heard mention of data transfer via the mobile phone system but it is killing me on my limited ISP bandwidth. About ten gigs in the last few days, perhaps a week, and I only have 17 per month! We are in a rural area and satellite is the best we can do here. Normally there has been sufficient bandwidth over the last five years or so.
It's rather staggering the amount of money that well get splurged on techno-updating the secretary's rolodex. I'm sure that, soon enough, even very small businesses will be spending more on admin than actual workers.
I have since spent some time examining the files and they appear to be vcards interspersed among huge fields of meaningless data which at first looked like image files but I have since come to think it may be some sort of encryption?
Very likely that they're just pictures, and are something like base64 encoding (the same technique as used to send 8-bit binary files through 7-bit email services).
Chances are that it's not data that you even need (on all devices), and you'd be filling them up with a lot of wasted data. If it's client contact details on an ipad, so you can email the right person with a quote, you probably only need the textual stuff.
Yes it may well be images that aren't essential but as she points out thumbnails are helpful in locating entries as she scans a list. I have no idea how much space those thumbnails might require but right now Apple is sorting out her problems. It's proprietary software and I suspect that only they can deal with it.
We appreciate your thoughts about this.
Thanks,
Bob
On Mon, 2011-11-28 at 10:32 -0500, Bob Goodwin wrote:
I haven't heard mention of data transfer via the mobile phone system but it is killing me on my limited ISP bandwidth. About ten gigs in the last few days, perhaps a week, and I only have 17 per month! We are in a rural area and satellite is the best we can do here. Normally there has been sufficient bandwidth over the last five years or so.
It's how some mobile devices work (mobile phone network, rather than wireless LAN), and some people have reported phenomenal costs involved with it, when things have downloaded stacks of data. e.g. Courier driver using an online map service.
-
Aaron Konstam -
Bob Goodwin -
Craig White -
Ed Greshko -
Patrick O'Callaghan -
T.C. Hollingsworth -
Tim