Import contact data from other sources

Import from a file
Import from Microsoft Outlook
Import from comma-separated text files (*.csv)
Import from Google CSV files
Import from vCard files (*.vcf)
How to resolve differences (conflicts) between current data and imported data
Comparison of different import methods

Import from a file

Easiest way to import from a file of any supported file type:

• Resize Windows explorer window and E-Z Contact Book window so you have them both side by side on the screen
• Click a file you want to import with the left mouse button in Windows explorer, but don't release the button yet
• While holding the file with the left mouse button, drag it into E-Z Contact Book window, then drop it here (release the mouse button). It will automatically start the import process.

The program automatically determines which import option to choose based on the file type. If the file does not contain information about contact groups, you will be asked to select a group where you want to import the data to. You can drag and drop more than one file into the program, including files with different formats. They will be imported one by one.

Alternatively, you can use import options located in the program menu Data > Import:

In the following dialog, you will have to choose how you would like to import the contacts:

Import from Microsoft Outlook

Importing from Microsoft Outlook is very straightforward: you just select Data > Import > ...from Outlook. You will be asked to select the contact group for import. After completion, the import process will indicate how many contacts were imported.

Import from comma-separated text files (*.csv)

Any Excel spreadsheet containing contact information can be saved as a comma-separated file, and then imported to E-Z Contact Book: select Data > Import > ...from Text File (Comma Separated Values).

It is relatively easy to export contact data from existing communication programs (for example, Windows Address Book or Mozilla Thunderbird Address Book) into a comma-separated text file (.csv format).

For example, note the steps to import contacts from a Thunderbird Address Book:

• In Thunderbird, open Tools > Address Book
• In the Address Book, open Tools > Export...
• Select the "Comma Separated" option in the "Export Address Book" box
• Save the file to a place where you can find it

The .csv file that you get may require some minimal editing prior to import. Open it in MS Excel (or alternatively OpenOffice Calc if you don't have MS Office installed) and:

• Make sure that the first row contains column titles. If not, add a new row at the top of the data, and type the appropriate column names (e.g. First Name, Last Name, Phone, Email, etc.) only for those columns that have some data
• Make sure the file has the columns First Name and Last Name - these key columns are mandatory
• Delete any columns that do not have any data. This will simplify column mapping later on. You may also add a column "Group" if you want, and populate it with the group names of your choice. Without that, all the contacts will be imported into one selected group
• Once the file is ready, click menu option Data > Import > from Text File (comma Separated Values), and select the file (or simply drag and drop the file into the program)
• If ithe nput file does not have a column "Group", the program will ask you to select a group to apply to the imported data
• If the program is unable to find an exact match between source columns and its internal fields, you will see the "Import Mapping" screen at the next step. You will need to match up those fields manually. Mapping is quite simple: drag one item from the left box and drop it onto the matching item in the right box, or vice versa. You will see linked pairs in the bottom box. If you make an error, delete the mapped pair and try again. When this step is done, click "Import" - that is the last step.

Import from Google CSV files

1. Sign in to Google Contacts section of your Google account (if you don't have one, obviously you cannot use this feature):

2. Click the option More on the left panel, below list of groups to expand it, then Export :

You will see the following dialog:

3. Keep the selection "Google CSV", then you can select whether you want to export all the contacts, or a single group. Then click Export. In the left bottom corner of your browser you will then see the exported file containing your Google contacts:

If your browser is Google Chrome, you can click on the option "Show in folder" to see the file location.

4. The last step is to open the E-Z Contact menu Data > Import > from Google CSV File, and select this file. Or simply drag and drop the file from Windows explorer into the program window. This will import all the contacts from the file. No extra mapping is required as program recognizes Google CSV format.

Import from vCard files

To import from a vCard file, either :

• Drag and drop the file from Windows explorer into the program window, or
• Open E-Z Contact menu Data > Import > from vCard file

You will be asked to which group you would like to import contact(s) to.

How to resolve differences (conflicts) between local data and imported data

It is important to verify the differences between imported data and that stored in your database, and make a conscious decision to update it. Conflict editor provides a convenient way to examine and resolve the conflicts. It will help you prevent overwriting important data by accident.

While the program is importing data from an external source, it tries to find every incoming contact in the database - first of all, to avoid duplicated import. There are three possible scenarios:

• Contact not found by the <First + Last name> combination (a new contact). In this case, the contact will be imported silently
• Contact found by <First + Last name>, and all the data fields (address, phones, etc.) are identical. This conact will be bypassed since there is nothing to update
• Contact found by <First + Last name>, but has some differences (conflicts). Program will collect all the conflicted contacts in a list, and show you the list in the following editor :

The options to update are quite simple. You can select any conflicted contact pair, and update either individual fields, or all the fields from the imported contact. Once conflicts for a contact pair are resolved, the pair disappears from the list.

The process can be stopped by clicking "Cancel" or Escape key at any time, leaving remaining conflicts unresolved. All the edits you have made up to this point will be saved in database.

Comparison of different import methods

Various contact management systems (CMS) have different sets of data fields, and they also produce export files in different formats. 100% perfect mapping of data fields between a source file and E-Z Contact Book data fields is not always possible.

• Most significant data fields in Microsoft Outlook are mapped to the corresponding E-Z Contact Book data fields, but many less significant others (Outlook has too many of them) left aside.

• Import from Comma-separated text files (*.csv) is relatively lossless, as long as you properly map source and target fields before importing a file. You can verify this by exporting from E-Z Contact Book to a CSV file, then re-importing from that file. You should expect no differences.

• Import from vCard files (*.vcf) - images are not supported in E-Z Contact Book

Group type (Personal/Business) is not available in VCF files and most likely in CSV files, and should be set in E-Z Contact Book after the import. By default, all new imported groups are Personal.

Things to be aware if you want to transfer E-Z Contact Book data from one computer to another:

1. Some data elements proprietary to E-Z Contact Book cannot be mapped to a CSV or VCF file due to format limitations, and may be lost in transition:

   • Additional phone numbers/emails/web pages/addresses
   • Custom field labels
   • Reminders
   • Tags
2. Best transfer methods are:
   • Database Backup and Restore features (*.db files). This method is 100% lossless as it works with the same data structure.
   • Better yet, synchronize E-Z Contact Book data between two or more computers using Sync. This will save you the time on export/import operations.