Importing addresses
Hello friends,
I'm club treasurer, and our members list changes every week. Members step down, members change their e-mails, and new members join us.
Surnames, given names and e-mail address' are stored in an xls-file.
How do I work Thunderbird best?
With about 100 members, I can't spend time doing this manually in Thunderbird.
When I have an updated list, I want it imported into Thunderbird:
- names not listed in the import list should be deleted from the address book
- names listed are left untouched or updated if something has changed
- new names and address' are imported
This way I have an updated mail-list at all times.
But I don't know how to do this.
Who can please help?
//
Chosen solution
I don't know of a way to synchronize an .xls file with a Thunderbird address book. I did a quick search for a Thunderbird add-on to do this, and a Google search, and came up with nothing.
You can export your spreadsheet to a .csv file, then import it into Thunderbird.
Save the list from spreadsheet to a .csv file, with the first row being the column names. See here for a list of field names that Thunderbird can import and their names: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Import_address_list_from_text_file
In Thunderbird, open the Address Book and click on "Tools" in the menu, then "Import".
Select "Address Books" and click "Next". Select "Text file (LDIF, .tab, .csv, .txt)" and click "Next".
In the "Select address book file" window, just above the "Open" and "Cancel" buttons on the bottom right, change the file type to "Comma Separated (*.csv)". Then navigate to where you saved the .csv file you exported from Excel, choose it, and click "Open".
Now you will get an "Import Address Book" window where you will need to match up Thunderbird address book fields with the fields that are in your .csv file. Check mark the fields you want, and move them up or down to match the fields in your .csv file. When done matching, click "OK".
That will create a new address book with the name of the .csv file.
Delete the old address book containing your Member's contact info.
Read this answer in context 👍 0All Replies (2)
Chosen Solution
I don't know of a way to synchronize an .xls file with a Thunderbird address book. I did a quick search for a Thunderbird add-on to do this, and a Google search, and came up with nothing.
You can export your spreadsheet to a .csv file, then import it into Thunderbird.
Save the list from spreadsheet to a .csv file, with the first row being the column names. See here for a list of field names that Thunderbird can import and their names: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Import_address_list_from_text_file
In Thunderbird, open the Address Book and click on "Tools" in the menu, then "Import".
Select "Address Books" and click "Next". Select "Text file (LDIF, .tab, .csv, .txt)" and click "Next".
In the "Select address book file" window, just above the "Open" and "Cancel" buttons on the bottom right, change the file type to "Comma Separated (*.csv)". Then navigate to where you saved the .csv file you exported from Excel, choose it, and click "Open".
Now you will get an "Import Address Book" window where you will need to match up Thunderbird address book fields with the fields that are in your .csv file. Check mark the fields you want, and move them up or down to match the fields in your .csv file. When done matching, click "OK".
That will create a new address book with the name of the .csv file.
Delete the old address book containing your Member's contact info.
Yikes, this is a bulky process.
Batch updates of hundreds of names should be a standard feature.
I've marked it as a solution, since it works.