Importing

You can import appointments, tasks, and contact data created in other applications into the groupware.

What data can be imported?

The following data is supported:

  • iCal

  • vCard

  • CSV

iCal data allows the standardized exchange of calendar data like appointments and tasks. The typical name extension of an iCal file is .ics.

vCard data allows the standardized exchange of contact data in the form of an electronic business card. The typical name extension of a vCard file is .vcf.

CSV data allows the exchange of text data in the form of a table. You can import contact data from a CSV file. The typical name extension is .csv.

Importing appointments and tasks in iCal format

Which iCal objects are imported?

A description of all iCal objects can be found in the document RFC2445.

The following table shows which iCal objects are imported in the groupware and which are not. The information in the columns "Appointments" and "Tasks" have the following meaning:

  • "X" means the object is imported. The object value is set in RFC2445.

  • A number like "255" means the object is imported. The number indicates the maximum number of characters.

  • The entry "unlimited" means the object is imported. There is no limit for the maximum number of characters.

  • The entry "-" means the object is not imported.

CategoryiCal objectAppointmentsTasks
Calendar PropertiesCALSCALE--
 METHOD--
 PRODIDXX
 VERSIONXX
Calendar ComponentsVALARMXX
 VEVENTXX
 VFREEBUSY--
 VJOURNAL--
 VTIMEZONEXX
 VTODOXX
Component PropertiesATTACH--
 ATTENDEEXX
 CATEGORIESXX
 CLASSXX
 COMMENT--
 COMPLETED-X
 CONTACT--
 CREATEDXX
 DESCRIPTIONUnlimitedUnlimited
 DTENDXX
 DTSTAMPXX
 DTSTARTXX
 DUEXX
 DURATIONXX
 EXDATEX-
 EXRULE--
 FREEBUSY--
 GEO--
 LAST-MODIFIED--
 LOCATION255-
 ORGANIZER--
 PERCENT-COMPLETE-X
 PRIORITY-X
 RDATE--
 RECURRENCE-ID--
 RELATED-TO--
 REPEAT--
 REQUEST-STATUS--
 RESOURCESX-
 RRULEXX
 SEQUENCE--
 STATUS-X
 SUMMARY255255
 TRANSP-X
 TRIGGERXX
 TZIDXX
 TZNAMEXX
 TZOFFSETFROMXX
 TZOFFSETTOXX
 TZURLXX
 UIDXX
 URL--
Property ParametersCUTYPEXX
 DELEGATED-FROM--
 DELEGATED-TO--
 DIR--
 ENCODINGXX
 FMTTYPE--
 FBTYPE--
 LANGUAGE--
 MEMBER--
 PARTSTAT--
 RANGE--
 RELATED--
 RELTYPE--
 ROLE--
 RSVP--
 SENT-BY--
 TZIDXX
 VALUEXX

Which iCal object properties are not supported?

The groupware supports appointments in the form "The last Sunday of a month".

The groupware does not support appointments with days counted from the end of the month ("The second last Sunday of a month", for example). If an appointments includes such information the appointment is not imported.

The groupware does not support alarm repetition. Example: "Remind me four times". If an appointment contains such information the information is ignored.

Accomplishing an iCal import

Note: Make sure the file that is to be imported contains correct iCal data.

How to import appointments or tasks in the iCal format:

  1. Click the Configuration icon in the module bar .

  2. Click on Import below Configuration in the folder tree. The available options for the import are displayed in the overview window.

  3. Select the iCal file type. Specify the data to be imported:

    • If you want to import appointments select Appointments in the drop-down field.

    • If you want to import tasks select Tasks in the drop-down field.

  4. Click on Folder. Select the target folder for the import.

  5. Click on Browse. Select the file to be imported. Close the file selection dialog window.

  6. In order to complete the data import click on the panel entry Import.

Result: The appointments or tasks are imported into the target folder.

Tip: You can also import appointments or tasks by right-clicking on a calendar or task folder and selecting Import from the Extended submenu.

Importing contacts in the vCard format

Note: Make sure the file that is to be imported contains correct vCard data.

How to import contacts in the vCard format:

  1. Click the Configuration icon in the module bar .

  2. Click on Import below the entry Configuration in the folder tree. The settings available for the import are displayed in the overview window.

  3. Select the file type vCard.

  4. Click on Folder. Select the target folder for the import.

  5. Click on Browse. Select the file to be imported. Close the file selection dialog window.

  6. In order to complete the data import click on the panel entry Import.

Result: The contacts are imported into the target folder.

Tip: You can also import contacts by right-clicking on a contact folder and selecting Import from the Extended submenu.

Importing contacts in the CSV format

The following CSV files are supported:

  • Standard CSV files with comma separated values

  • CSV files from Microsoft Outlook

What is the structure of a standard CSV file?

A standard CSV file contains contacts in the form of a table. The table has the following structure:

  • The first row contains the headers i.e., the names of the data fields.

  • Each of the following rows contains the data fields for a contact in the individual columns.

  • The data fields are comma separated.

  • The end of the line is indicated by a line wrap.

A CSV file can, for example, be created with spread sheet software or a text editor. When doing so you have to consider the following details.

  • If there are umlauts in the data fields of the CSV file, they have to be utf-8 encoded.

  • The first row of the CSV file has to contain at least one of the column titles mentioned below.

  • The column titles are case sensitive.

  • The columns can be in any order. The imported data will be assigned to the data fields in the Groupware.

  • The data fields are separated with commas.

  • If there is invalid data in a data field the respective contact will be skipped. Data is invalid if:

    • The number of characters is exceeded. The table below shows the allowed number of characters for each data field.

    • A data field has the wrong format.

  • The data fields have to have following format:

    • All E-Mail fields have to contain the "@" character.

    • The data fields have to be in a valid format.

    • All other data fields can contain any character.

    • The file can have an empty data field.

The first row of the CSV file has to contain one or more of the following column headers:

Display nameSur nameGiven nameMiddle name
SuffixTitleStreet homePostal code home
City homeState homeCountry homeMartial status
Number of childrenProfessionNicknameSpouse name
NoteCompanyDepartmentPosition
Room numberStreet businessPostal code businessCity business
State businessCountry businessNumber of employeeSales volume
Tax idCommercial registerBranchesManager's name
Assistant's nameStreet otherPostal code otherCity other
State otherCountry otherTelephone business 1Telephone business 2
FAX businessTelephone carTelephone companyTelephone home 1
Telephone home 2FAX homeCellular telephone 1Cellular telephone 2
Telephone otherFAX otherTelephone pagerTelephone telex
Telephone TTY/TDDInstantmessenger 1Instantmessenger 2Telephone IP
Email 1Email 2Email 3URL
CategoriesDynamic Field 1Dynamic Field 2Dynamic Field 3
Dynamic Field 4Dynamic Field 5Dynamic Field 6Dynamic Field 7
Dynamic Field 8Dynamic Field 9Dynamic Field 10Dynamic Field 11
Dynamic Field 12Dynamic Field 13Dynamic Field 14Dynamic Field 15
Dynamic Field 16Dynamic Field 17Dynamic Field 18Dynamic Field 19
Dynamic Field 20privateBirthdayAnniversary

How is the data mapping done for a standard CSV file?

During the import the data fields of the CSV file will be assigned to certain data fields in the Groupware. The following table shows the contact fields in the Groupware and the fields they are assigned to. The table also shows the maximum number of characters allowed for the data field.

Data fields in the contact dialog windowCSV data field
TabData fieldMax. chars
BusinessTitle64Title
 First name128Given name
 Middle name128Middle name
 Last name128Sur name
 Suffix64Suffix
 Display name64Display name
 Company512Company
 Street256Street business
 ZIP64Postal code business
 City128City business
 Country64Country business
 State64State business
 Department128Department
 Position128Position
 Room number64Room number
 Employee ID64Number of employee
 Phone (business)64Telephone business 1
 Phone (business 2)128Telephone business 2
 Fax (business)64FAX business
 Phone (company)64Telephone company
 Mobile64Cellular telephone 1
 URL128URL
 E-Mail (business)256Email 1
 IM (business)64Instantmessenger 1
 Tags1024Categories
 Type private
PrivateProfession64Profession
 Date of birth Birthday
 Street256Street home
 ZIP64Postal code home
 City64City home
 State64State home
 Country64Country home
 Nickname64Nickname
 Phone (private)64Telephone home 1
 Phone (private 2)64Telephone home 2
 Fax (private)64FAX home
 Mobile (private)64Cellular telephone 2
 IP-phone (private)64Telephone IP
 E-Mail (private)256Email 2
 Marital status64Martial status
 Anniversary Anniversary
 IM (private)64Instantmessenger 2
 Pager64Telephone pager
 Comments5680Note
AdditionalStreet (other)256Street other
 ZIP (other)64Postal code other
 City (other)64City other
 State (other)64State other
 Country (other)64Country other
 Phone (other)64Telephone other
 Fax (other)64FAX other
 E-Mail (other)256Email 3
 Phone (car)64Telephone car
 TTY/TDD64Telephone TTY/TDD
 Sales Volume64Sales volume
 TAX ID128Tax id
 Commercial Register64Commercial register
 Branches64Branches
 Manager64Manager's name
 Assistant64Assistant's name
 Telex64Telephone telex
 Spouse's name64Spouse name
 Children64Number of children
 Optional 1 .. 2064Dynamic Field 1 .. 20

How to create an MS Outlook CSV file?

To create a CSV file in MS Outlook that can be imported to the Groupware proceed as follows:

  1. Select the menu item File|Import/Export.

  2. In the dialog window Import/Export Wizard choose the entry Export to file. Click on Next.

  3. Choose the entry Comma separated values (Windows). Click Next.

  4. Select the contact folder to be exported. Click Next.

  5. Set the name and location for the output file. Click Next.

  6. To complete the export process click on Finish. Note: Leave the check box Export contacts from ... activated. Do not click on Assign fields. Leave the default assignment unchanged.

Result: The new CSV file contains all data fields for the exported contacts.

Which data fields from an MS Outlook CSV file are imported?

The following data fields are imported in the Groupware:

AccountAnniversaryAssistant's Name
BirthdayBusiness CityBusiness Country
Business FaxBusiness PhoneBusiness Phone 2
Business Postal CodeBusiness StateBusiness Street
Car PhoneCategoriesChildren
CompanyCompany Main PhoneDepartment
E-mail 2 AddressFirst NameHome City
Home CountryHome FaxHome Phone
Home Phone 2Home Postal CodeHome State
Home StreetLast NameManager's Name
Middle NameMobile PhoneNotes
Organizational ID NumberOther CityOther Country
Other FaxOther PhoneOther Postal Code
Other StateOther StreetPager
ProfessionSensitivitySpouse
SuffixTelexTitle
TTY/TDD PhoneWeb Page 

How is the data mapping done for an MS Outlook CSV file?

When importing, the data fields of the MS Outlook CSV file will be assigned to certain data fields in the Groupware. The following table shows the assignment by listing the data fields that are displayed when editing a contact in the Groupware. The table also shows the maximum number of characters for each data field.

Data fields in the Contacts dialog windowMS Outlook CSV data field
TabData fieldMax. chars.
BusinessTitle64Title
 First name128First name
 Middle name128Middle name
 Last name128Last name
 Suffix64Suffix
 Company512Company
 Street256Business Street
 ZIP64Business Postal Code
 City128Business City
 Country64Business Country
 State64Business State
 Department128Department
 Phone (business)64Business Phone
 Phone (business 2)128Business Phone 2
 Fax (business)64Business Fax
 Phone (company)64Company Main Phone
 Mobile64Mobile Phone
 URL128Web Page
 Email (business)256Account
 Tags1024Categories
 Type Sensitivity
PrivateProfession64Profession
 Date of birth Birthday
 Street256Home Street
 ZIP64Home Postal Code
 City64Home City
 State64Home State
 Country64Home Country
 Phone (private)64Home Phone
 Phone (private 2)64Home Phone 2
 Fax (private)64Home Fax
 Email (private)256E-mail 2 Address
 Anniversary Anniversary
 Pager64Pager
 Comment5680Notes
AdditionalStreet (other)256Other Street
 ZIP (other)64Other Postal Code
 City (other)64Other City
 State (other)64Other State
 Country (other)64Other Country
 Phone (other)64Other Phone
 Fax (other)64Other Fax
 E-Mail (other)64E-mail 3 Address
 Phone (car)64Car Phone
 TTY/TDD64TTY/TDD Phone
 Commercial Register64Organizational ID Number
 Manager64Manager's Name
 Assistant64Assistant's Name
 Telex64Telex
 Spouse's name64Spouse
 Children64Children

Importing a CSV file

Warning: If the data field for an import file exceeds the maximum number of allowed characters or contains invalid data the respective contact will be skipped during the import.

Note: Make sure to use valid import files. Please find some hints on valid import files in : What is the structure of a standard CSV file? and : How to create an MS Outlook CSV file?. There is no check for duplicate entries during the import. Contacts are entered as many times as they are imported.

To import contacts from a default CSV file or an MS Outlook file proceed as follows:

  1. Click the Options icon in the module bar .

  2. Click on Import below Configuration in the folder tree. The import settings are displayed in the overview window.

  3. Select CSV as file type.

  4. Select the CSV file format:

    • If the file contains data in the default CSV format select Comma separated.

    • If the file contains data in the MS Outlook CSV format, select Outlook file.

    • Click on Folder. Select the folder for the import.

  5. Click on Browse. Select the file to be imported. Close the file selection dialog.

  6. To execute the data import click on the panel entry Import.

Result: The contacts are imported into the target folder.

Tip: You can also import contacts by right-clicking on a contact folder and selecting Import from the Extended submenu.