gContactSync 0.3 Plans

[Josh Geenen]

Update September 20, 2009 There hasn't been any official notice from Google about structured postal addresses but this post gives some advice.  There are several threads in Google Groups asking about postal addresses.  I've collected a few of them and put links here.

This thread will contain my plans for gContactSync 0.3.  The purpose of gContactSync 0.3 is to use all the new fields and features of Google's newest API version and to take advantage of a few new fields in Thunderbird 3.

I don't have a tentative release date yet since this is just a hobby, not a job.

Supported Applications

• Thunderbird 2
• Thunderbird 3a1pre - 3.1a1 (includes the final release of Thunderbird 3 possibly with a patch or two if anything changes)
• Seamonkey 2

Features

• New Account dialog allowing custom control over each synchronized address book (each AB can be synced with one full account or just one group).
• Many global preferences can be changed for each synchronized address book
• Support for Google's new API
• Support for downloading contact photos*
• Synchronized birthday field**
• 'People' fields (Mother, Father, Coworker, etc.
• More phone number types

Potential Features

• The individual address fields may be synchronized instead of using the new address fields
• Support for adding, updating, and removing contact photos

*I am (among others) working on adding contact photos to the Address Book in Thunderbird 3.  gContactSync 0.3 and up will download photos but you'll have to use TB 3 to see them.  Thunderbird 3 Beta 4 and Seamonkey 2 should have a new Photo tab for contacts.
**I added a birthday field to the address book in Thunderbird 3.  If you use TB 2 the values are synchronized but not displayed.  Google also added a birthday field after the changes were made in Thunderbird.

[asjones]

I posted this as a comment on your blog then found the forum and thought it was more appropriate here based on the message board (sorry for double posting).

I am really excited about gContactSync.

I see some of your bugs are really things that need to be in Thunderbird and some it looks like you are trying to do others you look to just do them as an extension.

I think the photo option in Thunderbird is very important. What are the chances this will make it in Thunderbird 3.0? I know time is getting tight.

I also think that a few more Address Book fields and flexibility for Thunderbird over all is important not just as an extension. MS Outlook is not perfect by any means but Thunderbird should at least get to that level.

Will the additional fields etc that you are adding as part of the gContactSync work with Thunderbird’s other functions like import, export, etc?

I do think that dropping support for Thunderbird 2 after 3 is out would be fine even on day one of 3.0  It is a fairly new extension for a new product. 

thanks for your hard work.

Alan

[Josh Geenen]

Hello,

I'm fairly certain that contact photos will appear in Thunderbird 3.  It could happen as soon as beta 3, but my guess is beta 4 with some improvements for rc1.  You can watch the progress on the main photo bug here.  There are several other related bugs in the Blocks section.

There are bugs for a few of the new fields and types that gContactSync adds, but some backend work (labeled properties, n e-mail addresses/phone numbers/im addresses) has to be finished first.  Once those are finished I may start to add some of my changes to Thunderbird if nobody else does.

Right now gContactSync doesn't change import and export.  You can check on my progress here.

Thanks for your comments,

Josh

[asjones]

Glad to see you are working to get much of this in Thunderbird Core.   I am also glad you are spending time with the address book.  I have been disappointed there are not good options for open source contact managers out there other than building yourself.

Hopefully the back end work will get done soon and you can get more added.

thanks again for your hard work

alan

[Josh Geenen]

You're welcome, and I appreciate the comments.

Version 0.3 will not be released for an unknown amount of time because Google's address parsing is not complete yet.  I do not blame them as parsing partial or complete addresses in all kinds of formats is extremely difficult.

I wrote my brief thoughts here and you can see the questions asked by others here and here.

Edit: Other than the postal addresses, which I believe will work with some source I am about to checkin, version 0.3 is nearly ready to release.

[Josh Geenen]

The first alpha release is out, see this thread for details.