KAddressBook exports unusable vCard files

[dotancohen]

Binary package hint: kaddressbook

KAddressBook exports unusable vCard files due to these two upstream bugs:
http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=68350 (UTF-8 strings corruption upon vCard export)
http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=172764 (Vcard export: Windows newlines)

The first issue (UTF-8 strings corruption upon vCard export) is actually allowed by the vCard spec, however, no vCard-compliant device that I could test would parse these files properly (Nokia E71, Dell Axim x50v, MS Outlook 2003). The second issue (Vcard export: Windows newlines) is in fact making the files not compliant with the vCard spec, however, it was closed as WONTFIX because it is a Qt bug and not a KDE bug. I cannot file bugs with Qt as I am not a Trolltech developer.

This is a serious issue for an otherwise very usable PIM application. I hope that Ubuntu could either help solve the upstream bugs or pressure upstream to resolve the issues themselves. Thanks!

[Richard Birnie (rbirnie-deactivatedaccount)]

dotancohen,

thanks for chasing this upstream. I've closed the qt-x11 task based on the comments in the upstream bug. Looks like KDE and Nokia (as it us now) are playing pass the parcel with this one. Ultimately if they both say won't fix there's not a lot we can do

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

It seems they're going to rewrite the whole thing for KDE 4.4, so the fix is (or will be once they rewrite it) committed for KDE 4.4.x.

[wayward4now (wayward4now)]

Ho Ho! Dotan, you're the man!! Does this bug have anything to do with Kaddressbook telling me I have 1,643 records, but when I export a CVS style file, opening it in Open Office spreadsheet gives me only 1,400_ records?? Are records being lost? Does the flatfile need repairing? (deleted records leaving holes?) There doesn't seem to be any utility included to examine/repair the data. Might be a good thing. I'm raising ten kinds of Cain to get computers into prisons running Linux. This is making me look bad. Thanks for hanging in this thankless job. :) Ric

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

KDE 4.4 RC released to lucid.