Comments on: release 0.7.5 and Thunderbird Google address sync http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/ Contact sync for thunderbird and zimbra Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:29:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: Ivan Lujan http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-251 Ivan Lujan Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:48:40 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-251 Hello, I am very interested in syncing my Live Mail account with ThunderBird. Thank you for all your tech support. Be Well, Ivan Lujan Hello,

I am very interested in syncing my Live Mail account with ThunderBird. Thank you for all your tech support.

Be Well,
Ivan Lujan

]]> By: Zindus » Blog Archive » Thunderbird Google Postal Address sync - Part Two http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-104 Zindus » Blog Archive » Thunderbird Google Postal Address sync - Part Two Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:47:20 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-104 [...] earlier blog entry on postal addresses began by noting the underlying difficulty of syncing Thunderbird and Google [...] […] earlier blog entry on postal addresses began by noting the underlying difficulty of syncing Thunderbird and Google […]

]]> By: Eric http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-102 Eric Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:15:57 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-102 Shoot hit return too soon! Why not encode in the comment field what the format used for the address field was? This works fine as long as Google isn’t the source of the info. So for standard US addresses, you might have 1234 Main St. Shipping Dept. Anywhere, FL 123456 and in the comment field something like this Work Address: %A1 %N A%2 %N %CITY, %STATE %POSTAL (%N marks the new lines) Shoot hit return too soon!

Why not encode in the comment field what the format used for the address field was? This works fine as long as Google isn’t the source of the info. So for standard US addresses, you might have

1234 Main St.
Shipping Dept.
Anywhere, FL 123456

and in the comment field something like this

Work Address: %A1 %N A%2 %N %CITY, %STATE %POSTAL (%N marks the new lines)

]]> By: GmailとThunderbirdのアドレス帳を同期する | ふじゅんブログ http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-70 GmailとThunderbirdのアドレス帳を同期する | ふじゅんブログ Mon, 19 May 2008 15:48:21 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-70 [...] Thunderbirdのzindusというアドオンを利用すると，Thunderbirdのアドレス帳とGmailのアドレス帳を同期すること賀できます． [...] […] Thunderbirdのzindusというアドオンを利用すると，Thunderbirdのアドレス帳とGmailのアドレス帳を同期すること賀できます． […]

]]> By: leni http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-68 leni Mon, 12 May 2008 23:15:16 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-68 @DavidL - encoding the fields 1,2,3 makes the format brittle - there are new <a href="http://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Address_Book_Card_Fields" rel="nofollow">Thunderbird 3 address fields</a> in planning. @julien23 - I don't have a nokia phone so I couldn't test the extension you pointed to. From browsing the source code it doesn't look like it tackles this address-mapping issue? @nygamma - Thunderbird came first, Google came later, so the mismatch isn't necessarily Thunderbird's fault. Here is my take on the tradeoffs: Single fields (Google): - easy to capture (copy and paste) - easy to localize Differentiated fields (Thunderbird, Outlook, Yahoo): - fine-grain management - better data exchange with apps that expect differentiated fields Looking back over the suggestions around encoding format (including the original posting), there is a theme of trying to balance making the format both "machine readable" and "human friendly". To the extent that these are competing purposes, I now think a sync engine has to prioritize "machine readable". With that in mind, here is something that might be workable: <blockquote> Encode the thunderbird address as XML in the Google address field. Adapted from the <a href="http://www.docbook.org/tdg/en/html/address.html" rel="nofollow">Docbook address element</a>. <address xmlns='http://schemas.zindus.com/thunderbird/address/2008-05'> <street linenumber="1">Via Manzoni 12345</street> <city>Milan</city> <postcode>20100</postcode> <country>Italy</country> </address> </blockquote> Human-readability for English speakers isn't great, but it's legible to tech folks. To make it better, someone could write a greasemonkey script to twiddle Gmail's web interface to replace the single address field with differentiated fields (when that field contains XML). Localization could be handled there too. There is already a <a href="http://code.google.com/p/gmail-greasemonkey/" rel="nofollow">greasemonkey API and scripts</a> for use with Gmail. Assuming the feedback is positive, the plan is to roll this out as an "experimental" feature in the release after next. Enabling it will involve setting a preference in the same way that a small number of people like to twiddle the <a href="http://www.zindus.com/faq-thunderbird/#toc-what-is-auto-sync" rel="nofollow">sync frequency</a>. Eventually there might be an "advanced" button for this stuff. Thoughts? @DavidL - encoding the fields 1,2,3 makes the format brittle - there are new Thunderbird 3 address fields in planning.

@julien23 - I don’t have a nokia phone so I couldn’t test the extension you pointed to. From browsing the source code it doesn’t look like it tackles this address-mapping issue?

@nygamma - Thunderbird came first, Google came later, so the mismatch isn’t necessarily Thunderbird’s fault. Here is my take on the tradeoffs:

Single fields (Google):
- easy to capture (copy and paste)
- easy to localize

Differentiated fields (Thunderbird, Outlook, Yahoo):
- fine-grain management
- better data exchange with apps that expect differentiated fields

Looking back over the suggestions around encoding format (including the original posting), there is a theme of trying to balance making the format both “machine readable” and “human friendly”. To the extent that these are competing purposes, I now think a sync engine has to prioritize “machine readable”. With that in mind, here is something that might be workable:

Encode the thunderbird address as XML in the Google address field.

Adapted from the Docbook address element.

<address xmlns=’http://schemas.zindus.com/thunderbird/address/2008-05′>
<street linenumber=”1″>Via Manzoni 12345</street>
<city>Milan</city>
<postcode>20100</postcode>
<country>Italy</country>
</address>

Human-readability for English speakers isn’t great, but it’s legible to tech folks. To make it better, someone could write a greasemonkey script to twiddle Gmail’s web interface to replace the single address field with differentiated fields (when that field contains XML). Localization could be handled there too. There is already a greasemonkey API and scripts for use with Gmail.

Assuming the feedback is positive, the plan is to roll this out as an “experimental” feature in the release after next. Enabling it will involve setting a preference in the same way that a small number of people like to twiddle the sync frequency. Eventually there might be an “advanced” button for this stuff.

Thoughts?

]]> By: nygamma http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-67 nygamma Mon, 12 May 2008 10:29:57 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-67 This is not so much about Zindus, but about Thunderbird: why doesn't TB support address fields without lines, i.e. like Google? Wouldn't this be simpler for everyone? There are many different ways you can structure address information for different places, and when syncing from one application to another many fields are never correctly mapped. I think simple address fields (like the Notes field), are the best compromise, unless you have a specific reason for different line fields (tied, I suppose, to certain applications). This is not so much about Zindus, but about Thunderbird: why doesn’t TB support address fields without lines, i.e. like Google? Wouldn’t this be simpler for everyone? There are many different ways you can structure address information for different places, and when syncing from one application to another many fields are never correctly mapped. I think simple address fields (like the Notes field), are the best compromise, unless you have a specific reason for different line fields (tied, I suppose, to certain applications).

]]> By: Gotisch http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-66 Gotisch Mon, 12 May 2008 00:13:34 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-66 I agree with the intuitive map each line (without tags) approach. if the Google address field consists of exactly 6 lines try to synch it, if not user has to fix it :) or ignore it I agree with the intuitive map each line (without tags) approach. if the Google address field consists of exactly 6 lines try to synch it, if not user has to fix it :) or ignore it

]]> By: Robert http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-64 Robert Thu, 08 May 2008 12:49:16 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-64 For now, just make syncing address information a one way street. Sync addresses to Gmail but not the opposite. For now, just make syncing address information a one way street. Sync addresses to Gmail but not the opposite.

]]> By: julien23 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-63 julien23 Wed, 07 May 2008 11:38:53 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-63 oups... all GM[Address] will end in GM[Note] if I do nothing! ...then in my specific case (GMail priority, offline access, mémo printting & mobile sync), just map GM[Address] with TH[Note]. oups… all GM[Address] will end in GM[Note] if I do nothing!

…then in my specific case (GMail priority, offline access, mémo printting & mobile sync), just map GM[Address] with TH[Note].

]]> By: julien23 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-62 julien23 Wed, 07 May 2008 10:01:25 +0000 http://www.zindus.com/blog/2008/04/30/release-075-and-thunderbird-google-address-sync/#comment-62 What about : THUNDERBIRD to GMAIL : write TH[Address Line 1 , Address Line 2 , City , State , Zip/Postcode , Country] properly into GM[Address] anyway conflict is resolved in favour of Thunderbird. GMAIL to THUNDERBIRD : write GM[Address] into TH[NOTE] ps: have a look to noksync addon https://addons.mozilla.org/fr/thunderbird/addon/4075 What about :

THUNDERBIRD to GMAIL :
write TH[Address Line 1 , Address Line 2 , City , State , Zip/Postcode , Country] properly into GM[Address]
anyway conflict is resolved in favour of Thunderbird.

GMAIL to THUNDERBIRD :
write GM[Address] into TH[NOTE]

ps: have a look to noksync addon
https://addons.mozilla.org/fr/thunderbird/addon/4075

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