How to batch import vcards into Nokia E50

Added new tool nokia_e50_vcard.py to git – it converts vcard file for import into Nokia E50.
Technically nokia_e50_vcard.py splits a single vcard file file into multiple vcard files suitable for import into the Nokia E50 phone. Additionally it handles some conversion issues I found out during tests. It has been tested with kaddressbook, so I might have done some special assumptions on how the vcard file is built.

The background of this program is to have a possibility to regularly do a import of his addressbook or technically spoken a mirror. It is assumed that
the records on the phone are neither changed nor new records are added. Synchronisation is completely out of scope here.

Many PIM applications are capable of exporting their data base into a single large vcard file. Some – like KDE3 kaddressbook’s – use it even as their native data store format. But the Nokia E50 phone can import only single vcards – one vcard per file. Fourtunately the phone can import all vcards in a row if they are stored in a special sub-directoy with the magic name “Others/Contacts” on the memory card.

The particular steps to import your vcard (export file) from you PIM
application are:

• Call $ ./nokia_e50_vcard.py your_vcard_file directory_to_store_single_vcards
• Connect your phone to the computer (USB mass storage mode) and the content of copy directory_to_store_single_vcards to /yourphone/Others/Contacts
• Now you can unmount and disconnect the phone from the computer
• Go into “Contacts” menu
• Call “options – mark/unmark – Mark all”
• Call “options – delete” to delete the whole existing address book on the phone. This may take a while.
• Call “options – Copy – from memory card”. This will import all vcard files from the directory “Others/Contacts” on the memorycard. This may also take some time depending on how large your address database is.

Now you are done. Keep in mind that you use this script on your on risk. In case of doubt just read the source. 🙂