Sharing address books: Difference between revisions

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==Copy the address book==
==Copy the address book==
One way to share address books is to store the user profiles on a file share and overwrite the addressbooks of each user with a simple "copy" command. However, this assumes all new entries or changes were in the copy thats being replicated. Its also error prone. You could avoid this by sharing a single copy.
One way to share address books is to store the user profiles on a file share and overwrite the addressbooks of each user with a simple "copy" command. However, this assumes all new entries or changes were in the copy thats being replicated. Its also error prone. You could avoid this by sharing a single copy.
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/2215/ SyncMab] extension is a usefull way to automate copying address books. You can configure it to sync one or more address books whenever you start and/or exit Thunderbird. However, there are reports it doesn't work correctly with 1.5 and 1.5.0.4 and there doesn't appear to be any way to contact the author except by email.


The [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/2533 Addressbooks Synchronizer] extension  
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/2533 Addressbooks Synchronizer] extension  
can copy address books from a local folder or file share, or use FTP , WebDAV, or IMAP to fetch the file.  
can copy address books from a local folder or file share, or use FTP , WebDAV, or IMAP to fetch the file. Its not a real synchronization tool, just an easier way to copy files.


==Share an address book on a file share==
==Share an address book on a file share==
Your personal address book is normally stored as a "abook.mab" file within the [[profile folder]]. This is specified in the [[prefs.js file]]:
Your personal address book is normally stored as a "abook.mab" file within the [[profile folder]]. This is specified in the [[prefs.js file]]. Early versions of Thunderbird let you replace the "abook.mab" filename with a full pathname to specify the address book was stored on a file share. That would let multiple users and/or machines use a single copy. However, that functionality [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=80706 no longer works].
 
If you're using Linux you could move a address book to another location (such as a file share) and then use a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_link symlink] to create a symbolic link to the file. As far as Thunderbird is concerned nothing has changed, the operating system hides the fact that the file is actually stored elsewhere. That works as long as you don't have a copy of the address book in the profile. The NTFS file system under Windows 2000 and XP supports an equivalent of a symlink called a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junction_point junction point]. It works fine with Thunderbird, but is too complex for most users.
 
==ActiveSync==
 
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/tzpush/ tzpush] add-on will sync your address books with Zentyal, Zarafa, Horde, outlook.com/hotmail and other Activesync providers.
 
==Funambol and SyncML servers==
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funambol Funambol] servers are provided by some free online calendar services primarily to synch your your contacts and calendar with [[Synchronizing_Windows_based_PDAs | phones and PDA's]]. However, you can also use Thunderbird with them. Typically you can use either a Funambol extension such as the [https://mozilla-plugin.forge.funambol.org/ Funambol Mozilla Plugin] or a SyncML extension such as the [http://www.topologilinux.com/syncml/ Tsync extension]. You don't have to have a calendar ([http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning/ Lightning extension]) if you just want to sync/share contacts.


user_pref("ldap_2.servers.pab.filename", "abook.mab");
[http://www.memotoo.com/ Memotoo], [https://www.mobical.net/mobical/main/ Mobical], [http://www.mobyko.com/Home.do Mobyko], [http://my.funambol.com/ MyFUNAMBOL] (its free but runs ads on some mobile phones) and [https://zyb.com/ Zyb] are examples of free services running Funambol servers. [http://www.memotoo.com/index.php?rub=infoAnnuaireLdap Memotoo] makes your contacts available using a LDAP server (directory server) . Thunderbird normally uses *.mab files to store an address book in your profile but it can also use a LDAP server as a address book.


Early versions of Thunderbird let you replace the "abook.mab" filename with a full pathname to specify the address book was stored on a file share. That would let multiple users and/or machines use a single copy. However, that functionality [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=80706 no longer works] and there is no indication that it will ever be restored. You can replace the filename to specify a relative pathname. For example:
See [https://help.forge.funambol.org/questions/answer7.html What if I have a BlackBerry device?] for information about using a Blackberry with myFUNAMBOL. Search the list of supported phones of the other providers to see if they support it. Mobyko for example currently lists 57 specific Blackberry models it supports.


user_pref("ldap_2.servers.pab.filename", "test\\abook.mab");
Tsync also works with SyncML servers such as [http://www.gsmsync.net/ GSMSync]. See the Wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SyncML SyncML] for a list of SyncML plugins, servers and services.


specifies that abook.mab is stored in a "test" subdirectory in my profile. So you could store it in any subdirectory below the profile. You can do the same thing with other address books. But it's not very useful.
===If the add-on doesn't support calendars===


If you're using Linux you could move a address book to another location (such as a file share) and then use a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_link symlink] to create a symbolic link to the file. As far as Thunderbird is concerned nothing has changed, the operating system hides the fact that the file is actually stored elsewhere. That works as long as you don't have a copy of the address book in the profile. The NTFS file system under Windows 2000 and XP supports an equivalent of a symlink called a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junction_point junction point]. It works fine with Thunderbird, but may be too complex for most users.
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/70768 Google Calendar Tab] add-on lets you use one Google calendar, and doesn't require Lightning. There are a lot of comments about it on [http://clarkbw.net/blog/2009/11/23/google-calendar-in-thunderbird-tabs/ this blog entry] by one of the Thunderbird 3.x developers.


==Funambol and SyncML servers==
If you need to sync both a calendar and contacts and have problems finding a Funambol/SyncML add-on that supports syncing both contacts and calendars that will work with a free online service, consider not using Lightning and using Google Calendar Tab plus an add-on that just syncs contacts (either with a Funambol/SyncMNL server or with Google Contacts) instead.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funambol Funambol] servers are provided by some free online calendar services primarily to synch your your contacts and calendar with [[Synchronizing_Windows_based_PDAs | phones and PDA's]]. However, you can also use Thunderbird with them. Typically you can use either a Funambol extension such as the [https://mozilla-plugin.forge.funambol.org/ Funambol Mozilla Plugin] or a SyncML extension such as the [http://www.topologilinux.com/syncml/ Tsync extension]. You don't have to have a calendar ([http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning/ Lightning extension]) if you just want to sync/share contacts.
 
==CardDAV==
 
Both the [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/thunderbird/addon/cardbook/ Cardbook] and the [http://freshmeat.net/projects/sogo-connector SoGo Connector] extensions support CardDAV, a protocol that supports remote address books. Some email providers let you store just your address books using CardDAV, while others require support for storing both your address books and your calendar using both CardDAV and CalDAV.  


[http://www.scheduleworld.com/tg/cal/day.jsp ScheduleWorld], [http://www.memotoo.com/ Memotoo], [https://www.mobical.net/mobical/main/ Mobical], and [https://zyb.com/ Zyb] are examples of free services running Funambol servers.
[https://fruux.com/ Fruux] (free and commercial plans), [http://www.memotoo.com/ Memotoo] (commercial) and [https://landmarks.skyrise.de/ Landmarks] (commercial) are examples of a service that that can be used to store your contacts and calendars using the CardDAV and CalDAV protocols if you install the Lightning and SoGo Connector add-ons. Its not always clear if you can use just the Cardbook add-on to store address books with one of these services due to the SoGo Connector being the only viable CardDAV add-on for so long.


[http://wiki.scheduleworld.com/wiki/Thunderbird_Configuration Scheduleworld] provides its own SyncML extension (called syncSW) that can also synch its calendar with Google Calendar . [http://www.memotoo.com/index.php?rub=infoAnnuaireLdap Memotoo] makes your contacts available using a LDAP server (directory server) . Thunderbird normally uses *.mab files to store an address book in your profile but it can also use a LDAP server as a address book.
Google Calendar supports CalDAV while Google Contacts supports CardDAV. It will fetch updates on the schedule you select in the Settings. Fastmail and Polarismail are examples of inexpensive commercial email providers that offer CalDAV and CardDAV support.  


Tsync also works with SyncML servers such as [http://www.gsmsync.net/ GSMSync]. See the Wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SyncML SyncML] for a list of SyncML plugins, servers and services.  
If you want to sync your address book between Thunderbird and Outlook using a email provider that supports CardDAV, [http://www.fieldstonsoftware.com/software/gsyncit4/index.shtml Gsync] (commercial product, unregistered version with limits is also available) and [https://sourceforge.net/projects/outlookcaldavsynchronizer/ Outlook CalDav Synchronizer] (free, open source) are examples of an Outlook plug-in to support CardDAV and CalDAV. Outlook currently doesn't have any built-in support for CardDAV or CalDAV.


==Plaxo==
===Sogo ===
[http://www.plaxo.com/ Plaxo] has a Thunderbird toolbar (an extension) that can synchronize a single address book with your Plaxo address book. There are similar toolbars for Outlook and Outlook Express though they [http://support.plaxo.com/bin/answer.py?answer=1046 map more fields].
The [https://sogo.nu/download.html#/frontends SoGo Connector] extension adds support for remote DAV address books, and features that are meant to be used with the Lightning extension (a calendar). It supports GroupDAV , CardDAV and WebDAV Sync. The [https://sogo.nu/download.html#/frontends SoGo Integrator] extension adds additional features such as remote administration of folder subscriptions, automatic propagation of updates to selected extensions from a local update server and automatic propagation of default settings that are useful when Thunderbird is used in an organization.


==Email provider specific add-on==
==Email provider specific add-on==


There are a couple of email provider specific add-ons that synchronize Thunderbird's address book with your webmail address book. The [http://www.zindus.com/faq-thunderbird-google/ Zindus Thunderbird contact sync with Google] , [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/7307 Google Contacts] and [http://gcontactsync.mozdev.org/index.html gcontactsync] add-ons are examples of this. Search [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Mozilla Add-ons (AMO)] and/or the [http://forum.addonsmirror.net/ Add-ons Mirror] (its a superset of AMO) to find others.
There are a couple of email provider specific add-ons that synchronize Thunderbird's address book with your webmail address book. The [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/7307 Google Contacts] and [http://gcontactsync.mozdev.org/index.html gcontactsync] add-ons are examples of this. Search [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Mozilla Add-ons (AMO)] to find others.
 
The [http://www.zindus.com/faq-thunderbird-google/ Zindus] add-on was a very popular add-on used to sync contacts with Google but it doesn't work with Thunderbird 24.0 and later because support for [https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/E4X e4x] was dropped in the [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Gecko Gecko layout engine].  


Some email providers provide synchronization programs (not add-ons) that will work with just their accounts. For example. Yahoo provides [http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/addressbook/autosync/ Yahoo AutoSync] and Google provides [http://www.google.com/mobile/blackberry/ Google Sync]. Unfortunately, neither currently supports Thunderbird.
Some email providers provide synchronization programs (not add-ons) that will work with just their accounts. For example. Yahoo provides [http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/addressbook/autosync/ Yahoo AutoSync] and Google provides [http://www.google.com/mobile/blackberry/ Google Sync]. Unfortunately, neither currently supports Thunderbird.
==vCard==
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/it/thunderbird/addon/thundersync/ ThunderSync] add-on exports the contents of address books as vCards, and can synchronize them. The [http://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/morecols-en.html MoreFunctionsForAddressBook] add-on also knows how to import and export vCards but it doesn't support synchronization.


==LDAP==
==LDAP==
Rather than using abook.mab to store the address book on your hard disk, you could use a LDAP server to share the address book. Unfortunately Thunderbird currently doesn't support editing entries on the LDAP server (this is [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=86405 bug 86405]) so its most useful in an environment where an admin maintains a corporate address book.
Rather than using abook.mab to store the address book on your hard disk, you could use a LDAP server to share the address book. Unfortunately Thunderbird currently doesn't support editing entries on the LDAP server (this is [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=86405 bug 86405]) so its most useful in an environment where an admin maintains a corporate address book.


==Sogo ==
[http://sourceforge.net/projects/ldapaddrbook/ LdapAddressBook] is a separate application which can be used with Thunderbird to provide full read/write access to an LDAP directory. Its written in Java.
The [http://www.scalableogo.org/about/overview.html SoGo Connector] extension adds support for remote DAV address books, and features that are meant to be used with the Lightning extension (a calendar). It supports GroupDAV and CardDAV. The [http://www.scalableogo.org/about/overview.html SoGo Integrator] extension adds additional features such as remote administration of folder subscriptions, automatic propagation of updates to selected extensions from a local update server and automatic propagation of default settings that are useful when Thunderbird is used in an organization.


==GCALDaemon: GMail contacts as pseudo-LDAP==
==IMAP specific==
This [http://gcaldaemon.sourceforge.net/usage4.html article] describes how to autocomplete email addresses that you type when composing a message with email addresses from your Gmail address book, without having to keep your Thunderbird address book in synch with the Gmail address book. [http://gcaldaemon.sourceforge.net/ GCALDaemon] has a built-in LDAP server that runs in the background to search your Gmail address book for addresses. It only supports autocompletion, you can't use it to access other other contact information or to modify any of the entries.
The [http://www.gargan.org/extensions/synckolab.html SyncKolab extension] synchronizes your contacts as well as events and todos (from the selected calendar) with a selected IMAP folder. You do not need a calendar if all you want to do is synchronize your address book. The extension prevents the display of the IMAP quota in the status bar. [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2308055]


== Virtual Appliance ==
If you want to share the address book with other users you could use a public folder. IMAP supports the concept of public folders, though not every e-mail provider supports them.
This [http://developer.novell.com/wiki/index.php/HOWTO:_Mozilla_Thunderbird_Address_Book article ] describes how to share address books by running a Miru directory server in a  [http://www.vmware.com/products/player/ VMware player] on one PC. Its basicly a preconfigured combination of a LDAP server with a web server to let you both add and update the address book entries, that runs as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_appliance virtual appliance]. You can also add entries within Thunderbird (using the miru directory server extension). This [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=463717 forum thread] has more information about the extension and some configuration issues.


==IMAP specific==
The [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/addressbooks-synchronizer/?src=cb-dl-mostpopular AddressBooks Synchronizer] add-on supports  FTP, Webdav and IMAP servers
If you have a [[IMAP]] account you might experiment with the [http://www.gargan.org/extensions/synckolab.html SyncKolab extension]. It loads all your contacts (from a selected address book) as well as events and todos (from the selected calendar), and synchronizes them with a selected IMAP folder. You do not need a calendar if all you want to do is share your address book.  
 
==Symbolic link==
 
Some file systems support creating links to individual files or folders which will appear to be at the specified location even though they are actually stored elsewhere. There are three types of file links supported in the NTFS file system: hard links, junction points and symbolic links (aka soft links). You would normally use a symbolic link (it only effects a file, not a directory like a junction point does) to fool your operating system into acting as if a *.mab file was still stored in your profile even though you had moved it to a folder in OneDrive or Dropbox. That way you could share the address books between multiple PCs. See [http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/ Complete Guide to Symbolic Links (symlinks) on Windows or Linux].
 
There are other tools to create a symbolic link such as the [http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/linkshellextension.html Link Shell Extension] and [http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/symlinker-create-symlink-hardlink-and-directory-junction-in-windows/ Symlinker]. Microsoft uses symbolic links and junction points in NTFS partitions to make the Windows folder structure to mimic what applications expected for older versions of Windows. You can use a utility like [http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ntfs_links_view.html NTFSLinksView] to see all of the symbolic links and junctions.
 
[https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-lpic1-104-6/ Learn Linux, 101: Create and change hard and symbolic links] and [http://osxdaily.com/2015/08/06/make-symbolic-links-command-line-mac-os-x/ How to Create Symbolic Links at Command Line of Mac OS X] explain how to create a symbolic link under Linux and OS X.


If you want to share the address book with other users you could use a public folder. IMAP supports the concept of public folders, though not every e-mail provider supports them.
If you want to use a symbolic link do some research first. The terminology is frequently inconsistent. Its recommended that you pick as mainstream as possible a solution.


==Share the OSX System's Address Book==
==Share the OSX System's Address Book==


Thunderbird 3.0 is supposed to be able to read from the OSX System address book. See [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=203927 this] bug report and [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=574251 this] forum thread for more information, including a download link for a modified version of Thunderbird 2.0.0.6. Eudora b4 (released Oct 31, 2008) defaults to enabling the OS X System address book.
Thunderbird 3.0 (and later) can display the contents of the OSX System address book. The menu wording ("File -> Use Mac OS X Address Book") is misleading, Thunderbird can't modify the contents of that address book.  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=203927] [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=391057]
 
==Integrate with a CRM==
 
Thunderbird doesn't support Extended MAPI so integration with a customer relationship manager (CRM) frequently requires an extension written specifically for Thunderbird.
 
* [http://www.vtiger.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=141 vtiger Thunderbird Extension]
* [http://www.sugarforge.org/projects/asertiva/ Asertiva Thunderbird Extension for Sugar]
* [http://www.wintouch.com/email-chat.htm Wintouch CRM 7.0 Integration]
 
Mozilla Add-ons has:
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/1356 vTiger]
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/3464 Archive mail in SuperOffice CRM software from Thunderbird]
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4883 civicrm mailing]
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/7693 WICE Thunderbird Connector]
 
Others solutions can be found via CRM to LDAP support, then connecting your Thunderbird on the LDAP. Some CRM does not provide in-house LDAP storage but you can find some plugins doing the job for you:
* [http://www.sugarforge.org/projects/ldapcontactsync/ SurgarCRM to LDAP synchronisation scripts] have good support for [https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Mozilla_LDAP_Address_Book_Schema Thunderbird LDAP schema]
 
Some of the add-ons on the Mozilla Add-ons web site are experimental or only support Thunderbird 2.x. Sometimes if you disable version checking per [[Updating add-ons]] that will let you use it with later versions of Thunderbird. It depends upon what API's the extension calls.
 
Some CRM's such as Maximizer prefer to use Extended MAPI but [http://maxtalk.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/132605203/m/380101078?f=132605203&a=tpc&m=380101078&s=817608272&cdra=Y can work with just SimpleMAPI support]. In that case you will only see the Inbox in the Maximizer's E-mail window but it will also log what you send in the contacts Documents tab. The main problem relying upon Thunderbird's [[MAPI_Support | SimpleMAPI]] support is it is poorly supported (still buggy and incomplete). Its safe to rely upon it working with Microsoft Office applications, anything else is a calculated risk. It might break when you upgrade.
 
Another possibility is that it can be integrated via a Funambol server. [http://www.opentaps.org/docs/index.php/Opentaps_Funambol_Setup This article] describes how to Synchronize Opentaps and Mozilla Thunderbird.
 
If your CRM doesn't integrate with Thunderbird you might try configuring it to automatically BCC your dropbox address etc. so that outgoing and incoming emails appear on the contact timeline as this article about [http://www.thisispearl.com/support/contacts-crm-and-email/email-integration-with-crm/thunderbird-integration-c-276_403_406_415_573_681.html  Pearl integration with Thunderbird]describes.
 
==Sync with a database==
 
[https://launchpad.net/hedera Hedera Contact Sync] syncs address books with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CouchDB CouchDB]. It currently supports Thunderbird 3.1 and has a status bar icon to show that that Hedera is loaded, an About dialog and a preferences dialog to allow you to toggle debug output to the Error Console at run time. [http://mikeconley.ca/blog/2011/03/17/prior-art-and-rdfd/]
 
==EDS==
 
Some versions of Linux install the [http://projects.gnome.org/evolution/arch.shtml Evolution Data Server] to provide a global address book, calendar and task list for the desktop environment. The [https://launchpad.net/thunderbird-eds-extension EDS Contact Integration] add-on lets you use and edit those address book contents from Thunderbird.
[https://launchpad.net/thunderbird-eds-extension]


==See also==
==See also==
Line 69: Line 123:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/3345 AddTo Miru Directory server] extension
* [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=34490 Mozillazine thread on using junction points]
* [http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=34490 Mozillazine thread on using junction points]
* [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx Junction - freeware to create junction points]
* [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx Junction - freeware to create junction points]
* [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc788097.aspx Create a hard link to a file using fsutil]
* [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc788097.aspx Create a hard link to a file using fsutil]
* [http://www.sudleyplace.com/LDAP Sharing an Address Book via an LDAP Server using Mozilla Thunderbird Versions 1.0 and 1.5RC2]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=143451 Changing "abook.mab" and "history.mab" file path locations bug report]
* Experimental [http://mozillalabs.com/messaging/thunderbird-contacts/ Contacts] add-on. Mozilla Messaging plans on eventually adding its functionality to Thunderbird after they've gotten enough feedback.
* [http://www.visophyte.org/blog/2010/11/01/thunderbuddy-weave-synchronized-thunderbird-contacts-on-android/ Thunderbuddy: Weave-synchronized Thunderbird contacts on Android]
===CardDAV specific===
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=546932 Add support for online address books using the CardDav format.]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=700237 Addressbook should support Apples iCloud]
* [http://carddav.calconnect.org/implementations/clients.html CardDAV clients]. This includes everything from add-ons/plug-ins, email clients with built-in support, and standalone utilities.
===LDAP specific===
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/70 Contacts Sidebar] add-on can also "Automatically populate LDAP address books with a user-defined search query"
* [http://www.wains.be/index.php/2006/04/01/an-openldap-directory-for-thunderbird/ An OpenLDAP addressbook/directory for Thunderbird]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=231965 LDAP address book download bugzilla bug report]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=231965 LDAP address book download bugzilla bug report]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=86405 Make LDAP entries editable bugzilla bug report]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=86405 Make LDAP entries editable bugzilla bug report]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Mozilla_LDAP_Address_Book_Schema Mozilla LDAP schema]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:LDAP_Address_Books MailNews:LDAP Address Books]
* [https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Thunderbird/LDAP_Support LDAP support - MDC] (includes LDAP schema table and how to enable listing LDAP attributes in auto-complete]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116692 Featuretracker on official Mozilla LDAP schema extension]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116692 Featuretracker on official Mozilla LDAP schema extension]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=143451 Changing "abook.mab" and "history.mab" file path locations bug report]
[[Category:Address Book (Thunderbird)]]
[[Category:Address Book (Thunderbird)]]

Latest revision as of 13:41, 11 December 2018

This article was written for Thunderbird but also applies to Mozilla Suite / SeaMonkey (though some menu sequences may differ).


Copy the address book

One way to share address books is to store the user profiles on a file share and overwrite the addressbooks of each user with a simple "copy" command. However, this assumes all new entries or changes were in the copy thats being replicated. Its also error prone. You could avoid this by sharing a single copy.

The Addressbooks Synchronizer extension can copy address books from a local folder or file share, or use FTP , WebDAV, or IMAP to fetch the file. Its not a real synchronization tool, just an easier way to copy files.

Share an address book on a file share

Your personal address book is normally stored as a "abook.mab" file within the profile folder. This is specified in the prefs.js file. Early versions of Thunderbird let you replace the "abook.mab" filename with a full pathname to specify the address book was stored on a file share. That would let multiple users and/or machines use a single copy. However, that functionality no longer works.

If you're using Linux you could move a address book to another location (such as a file share) and then use a symlink to create a symbolic link to the file. As far as Thunderbird is concerned nothing has changed, the operating system hides the fact that the file is actually stored elsewhere. That works as long as you don't have a copy of the address book in the profile. The NTFS file system under Windows 2000 and XP supports an equivalent of a symlink called a junction point. It works fine with Thunderbird, but is too complex for most users.

ActiveSync

The tzpush add-on will sync your address books with Zentyal, Zarafa, Horde, outlook.com/hotmail and other Activesync providers.

Funambol and SyncML servers

Funambol servers are provided by some free online calendar services primarily to synch your your contacts and calendar with phones and PDA's. However, you can also use Thunderbird with them. Typically you can use either a Funambol extension such as the Funambol Mozilla Plugin or a SyncML extension such as the Tsync extension. You don't have to have a calendar (Lightning extension) if you just want to sync/share contacts.

Memotoo, Mobical, Mobyko, MyFUNAMBOL (its free but runs ads on some mobile phones) and Zyb are examples of free services running Funambol servers. Memotoo makes your contacts available using a LDAP server (directory server) . Thunderbird normally uses *.mab files to store an address book in your profile but it can also use a LDAP server as a address book.

See What if I have a BlackBerry device? for information about using a Blackberry with myFUNAMBOL. Search the list of supported phones of the other providers to see if they support it. Mobyko for example currently lists 57 specific Blackberry models it supports.

Tsync also works with SyncML servers such as GSMSync. See the Wikipedia article on SyncML for a list of SyncML plugins, servers and services.

If the add-on doesn't support calendars

The Google Calendar Tab add-on lets you use one Google calendar, and doesn't require Lightning. There are a lot of comments about it on this blog entry by one of the Thunderbird 3.x developers.

If you need to sync both a calendar and contacts and have problems finding a Funambol/SyncML add-on that supports syncing both contacts and calendars that will work with a free online service, consider not using Lightning and using Google Calendar Tab plus an add-on that just syncs contacts (either with a Funambol/SyncMNL server or with Google Contacts) instead.

CardDAV

Both the Cardbook and the SoGo Connector extensions support CardDAV, a protocol that supports remote address books. Some email providers let you store just your address books using CardDAV, while others require support for storing both your address books and your calendar using both CardDAV and CalDAV.

Fruux (free and commercial plans), Memotoo (commercial) and Landmarks (commercial) are examples of a service that that can be used to store your contacts and calendars using the CardDAV and CalDAV protocols if you install the Lightning and SoGo Connector add-ons. Its not always clear if you can use just the Cardbook add-on to store address books with one of these services due to the SoGo Connector being the only viable CardDAV add-on for so long.

Google Calendar supports CalDAV while Google Contacts supports CardDAV. It will fetch updates on the schedule you select in the Settings. Fastmail and Polarismail are examples of inexpensive commercial email providers that offer CalDAV and CardDAV support.

If you want to sync your address book between Thunderbird and Outlook using a email provider that supports CardDAV, Gsync (commercial product, unregistered version with limits is also available) and Outlook CalDav Synchronizer (free, open source) are examples of an Outlook plug-in to support CardDAV and CalDAV. Outlook currently doesn't have any built-in support for CardDAV or CalDAV.

Sogo

The SoGo Connector extension adds support for remote DAV address books, and features that are meant to be used with the Lightning extension (a calendar). It supports GroupDAV , CardDAV and WebDAV Sync. The SoGo Integrator extension adds additional features such as remote administration of folder subscriptions, automatic propagation of updates to selected extensions from a local update server and automatic propagation of default settings that are useful when Thunderbird is used in an organization.

Email provider specific add-on

There are a couple of email provider specific add-ons that synchronize Thunderbird's address book with your webmail address book. The Google Contacts and gcontactsync add-ons are examples of this. Search Mozilla Add-ons (AMO) to find others.

The Zindus add-on was a very popular add-on used to sync contacts with Google but it doesn't work with Thunderbird 24.0 and later because support for e4x was dropped in the Gecko layout engine.

Some email providers provide synchronization programs (not add-ons) that will work with just their accounts. For example. Yahoo provides Yahoo AutoSync and Google provides Google Sync. Unfortunately, neither currently supports Thunderbird.

vCard

The ThunderSync add-on exports the contents of address books as vCards, and can synchronize them. The MoreFunctionsForAddressBook add-on also knows how to import and export vCards but it doesn't support synchronization.

LDAP

Rather than using abook.mab to store the address book on your hard disk, you could use a LDAP server to share the address book. Unfortunately Thunderbird currently doesn't support editing entries on the LDAP server (this is bug 86405) so its most useful in an environment where an admin maintains a corporate address book.

LdapAddressBook is a separate application which can be used with Thunderbird to provide full read/write access to an LDAP directory. Its written in Java.

IMAP specific

The SyncKolab extension synchronizes your contacts as well as events and todos (from the selected calendar) with a selected IMAP folder. You do not need a calendar if all you want to do is synchronize your address book. The extension prevents the display of the IMAP quota in the status bar. [1]

If you want to share the address book with other users you could use a public folder. IMAP supports the concept of public folders, though not every e-mail provider supports them.

The AddressBooks Synchronizer add-on supports FTP, Webdav and IMAP servers

Symbolic link

Some file systems support creating links to individual files or folders which will appear to be at the specified location even though they are actually stored elsewhere. There are three types of file links supported in the NTFS file system: hard links, junction points and symbolic links (aka soft links). You would normally use a symbolic link (it only effects a file, not a directory like a junction point does) to fool your operating system into acting as if a *.mab file was still stored in your profile even though you had moved it to a folder in OneDrive or Dropbox. That way you could share the address books between multiple PCs. See Complete Guide to Symbolic Links (symlinks) on Windows or Linux.

There are other tools to create a symbolic link such as the Link Shell Extension and Symlinker. Microsoft uses symbolic links and junction points in NTFS partitions to make the Windows folder structure to mimic what applications expected for older versions of Windows. You can use a utility like NTFSLinksView to see all of the symbolic links and junctions.

Learn Linux, 101: Create and change hard and symbolic links and How to Create Symbolic Links at Command Line of Mac OS X explain how to create a symbolic link under Linux and OS X.

If you want to use a symbolic link do some research first. The terminology is frequently inconsistent. Its recommended that you pick as mainstream as possible a solution.

Share the OSX System's Address Book

Thunderbird 3.0 (and later) can display the contents of the OSX System address book. The menu wording ("File -> Use Mac OS X Address Book") is misleading, Thunderbird can't modify the contents of that address book. [2] [3]

Integrate with a CRM

Thunderbird doesn't support Extended MAPI so integration with a customer relationship manager (CRM) frequently requires an extension written specifically for Thunderbird.

Mozilla Add-ons has:

Others solutions can be found via CRM to LDAP support, then connecting your Thunderbird on the LDAP. Some CRM does not provide in-house LDAP storage but you can find some plugins doing the job for you:

Some of the add-ons on the Mozilla Add-ons web site are experimental or only support Thunderbird 2.x. Sometimes if you disable version checking per Updating add-ons that will let you use it with later versions of Thunderbird. It depends upon what API's the extension calls.

Some CRM's such as Maximizer prefer to use Extended MAPI but can work with just SimpleMAPI support. In that case you will only see the Inbox in the Maximizer's E-mail window but it will also log what you send in the contacts Documents tab. The main problem relying upon Thunderbird's SimpleMAPI support is it is poorly supported (still buggy and incomplete). Its safe to rely upon it working with Microsoft Office applications, anything else is a calculated risk. It might break when you upgrade.

Another possibility is that it can be integrated via a Funambol server. This article describes how to Synchronize Opentaps and Mozilla Thunderbird.

If your CRM doesn't integrate with Thunderbird you might try configuring it to automatically BCC your dropbox address etc. so that outgoing and incoming emails appear on the contact timeline as this article about Pearl integration with Thunderbirddescribes.

Sync with a database

Hedera Contact Sync syncs address books with CouchDB. It currently supports Thunderbird 3.1 and has a status bar icon to show that that Hedera is loaded, an About dialog and a preferences dialog to allow you to toggle debug output to the Error Console at run time. [4]

EDS

Some versions of Linux install the Evolution Data Server to provide a global address book, calendar and task list for the desktop environment. The EDS Contact Integration add-on lets you use and edit those address book contents from Thunderbird. [5]

See also

External links

CardDAV specific

LDAP specific