.NET vCard API for creating and parsing vCards

Screenshot - NET_vCard_API.gif

Introduction

Here I will discuss a .NET vCard API for creating and parsing vCards. Basically, a vCard is an electronic business card that can store such elements as Name, Phones, Photo, Emails, etc. This article assumes that you already have a little knowledge about vCard. If not, then for detailed information about vCard see RFC 2426. There is nothing more to tell you. Just get started by launching the vCard viewer application. I have made a well-commented and clear example application that is available for download at the top of this article. I hope that you don't need any more. vCard code is part of the LumiSoft.Net library. The LumiSoft.Net.Mime.vCard namespace contains all vCard related classes. You can get latest here and join in discussions on the forum.

History

18 October, 2006 -- Original version posted
22 June, 2007 -- Article edited and moved to the main CodeProject.com article base

License

This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here

About the Author

Ivar Lumi

Estonia

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CardDav

qadirv

6:50 14 Mar '12

Hi Ivar, I saw your code, and you have implemented the vCard for all major protocols like smtp and http. Would you by chance have one that implements CardDav. I am Noob considering vCards, and I need to sync contacts between my web app and a Kerio mail server. Any ideas would be appreciated. Even if you could point me in some direction that would be helpful!! Thanks Qadir
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Re: CardDav

Ivar Lumi

19:42 14 Mar '12

Hi, Sorry CardDav not implemented ... You can access card dav by normal http by sending right requests, for more info check: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6352[^]
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Re: CardDav

qadirv

23:00 14 Mar '12

Hi ,

Thanks for your link... I am checking it right now! Very Useful.

I still havent researhced enough yet, but would the CODE you've written for http, work with the cardDav, considering you just told me that it could work?

The reason I ask this, is because I am unable to find any .NET code to do what I'm lookig for and yours seems to come the closest!! I have fund C++ and Java Libraries but nothing for .NET.

Thanks

Re: CardDav

Ivar Lumi

23:11 14 Mar '12

You can try to use general purpose WebDav_Client to send requests and to get responses.
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Re: CardDav

qadirv

0:07 15 Mar '12

Would you be able to help if I emailed you my requirements. Would highly appreciate the help! Qadir
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Re: CardDav

Ivar Lumi

0:12 15 Mar '12

What kind of help you need ?
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Re: CardDav

qadirv

0:24 15 Mar '12

Dont need you to code, Just provide an approach on how I may integrate contacts across my web application and an email server, supporting CardDav. I understand if you are unable to help...
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My vote of 3

amirHarirbafan

18:45 18 Nov '11

not enough description
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What are the terms of use to your vcard library

Gary Dryden

6:20 11 Mar '11

We need a copy of your licence terms on file. Can you please post it here. Thanks.
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Re: What are the terms of use to your vcard library

Ivar Lumi

21:00 11 Mar '11

Hi, In general as long as you don't rename class names and namespaces, there are no restrictions.
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bug report

pipiwei

20:46 7 Jan '10

PhoneNumber.cs internal static PhoneNumber Parse(Item item) { ... if(item.ParametersString.ToUpper().IndexOf("WORK") != -1){ type \|= PhoneNumberType_enum.Voice; <-- should be Work here } ... }
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Re: bug report

Ivar Lumi

21:20 7 Jan '10

Hi, Seems you use very old version. Get latest from: http://www.lumisoft.ee/lswww/download/downloads/[^] But thanks for reporting it, most users wont do it .. .
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cannot open vCards on mac?

MarkoKovacic

10:06 25 Nov '09

Hello

Respect for all the work in the component so far.
I've got a problem... created vcf files can't be read properly at my friends on mac. It displays the data properly, but not the labels... here is the screen shot of displaying the data on mac:
http://img.skitch.com/20091125-jidwn2gsba5d8jd6n6abxk2c28.jpg[^]
You can see that where it should say "tel" or "address" it says "other" and "work".

So I've looked into the file.. the one he sent me that works and the one created by the component are fairly different. His has "type=" before the types, I think this is the main difference with it. Can you help me with this?

His file data, working:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Kontin;Darko;;;
FN:Darko Kontin
EMAIL;type=INTERNET;type=HOME;type=pref:darko@kontin.info
TEL;type=CELL;type=pref:00385 98 504606
item1.ADR;type=HOME;type=pref:;;Prigorska 7;KriĹľevci;;48260;Croatia
item1.X-ABADR:hr
item2.URL;type=pref:http\://www.kontin.info
item2.X-ABLabel:_$!<HomePage>!$_
BDAY;value=date:1986-07-04
X-AIM;type=HOME;type=pref:darkokontin@me.com
X-ABUID:74079C4D-8835-4508-BEA2-6AB4FA737177\:ABPerson
END:VCARD

Component created file data, labels not working:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
UID:0d57e331-2804-4a35-a6a1-8e49a4467e3f
N:Ivana;Majdak;;;
ADR;Preferred:;;;;;;Croatia
EMAIL;INTERNET:ivana.majdak@gmail.com
TEL;PREF:09898989898
URL;HOME:
END:VCARD

Re: cannot open vCards on mac?

Ivar Lumi

19:34 25 Nov '09

Hi, Upper vcard has invalid syntax like: item1. .... item2. .... :_$!<HomePage>!$_ Latest version is: http://www.lumisoft.ee/lswww/download/downloads/Examples/[^]
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Re: cannot open vCards on mac?

MarkoKovacic

8:45 26 Nov '09

Hello,

Yes that may be invalid, but it is not the problem. The main problem itself is that vcards created by the component can't be read properly on mac. I've downloaded the vcard viewer from examples and created a vcard with all the data.. some aren't properly shown, as you can see on the screen shot:
http://img.skitch.com/20091126-835w4duqb6i78agntrjkm4u8g6.jpg[^]
Now question is does the mac address book has the correct standard or does the component? Please tell me what you think, this is the code for the vcard:

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
UID:d1fc570f-8421-49eb-8a5b-42bd43d19b84
EMAIL;INTERNET:kova1337@gmail.com
EMAIL;INTERNET,PREF:marko@3linije.hr
N;ENCODING=b;CHARSET=utf-8:S292YcSNacSHO01hcmtvOzttci47
FN;ENCODING=b;CHARSET=utf-8:TWFya28gIEtvdmHEjWnEhw==
NICKNAME:Kova
BDAY:19850211
ADR;HOME:;;SomeStreetAddres 99;SomeCity;SomeProvince;99999;SomeCountry
TEL;HOME,VOICE:385 1 1111111
TEL;HOME,VOICE:385 1 2222222
TEL;CELL:385 1 3333333
URL;HOME:http://www.3LinesSoftware.com
ADR;Work:;;SomeBusinessStreet;SomeBusinessCity;SomeBusinessState;22222;SomeBusinessCo
untry
ORG:3 Linije;SomeDepartment;SomeOffice
TITLE:Director
TEL;VOICE,WORK:385 2 1111111
TEL;FAX,WORK:385 2 2222222
TEL;PAGER:385 2 3333333
URL;WORK:http://www.3linije.hr
NOTE:SomeNotes
END:VCARD

bug when parsing vcard like this

andrey.shredder

17:31 4 Jun '09

`BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:2.1 N;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE;CHARSET=UTF-8:= =D0=A8=D0=B5=D0=BB=D0=B5=D0=B3=D0=B5=D0=B9=D0=BA=D0=BE;=D0=A2=D0=B0=D1=82= =D1=8C=D1=8F=D0=BD=D0=B0;;; TEL;CELL:+37529221212 END:VCARD` VCard.Name.LastName and VCard.Name.FirstName are empty
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Re: bug when parsing vcard like this

Ivar Lumi

20:20 4 Jun '09

Hi, This is version 2.1, i support 3.x only. I rember right, 3.x is always utf-8 .... . There is some discussion at the end of: http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc2426.txt[^]
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generating vcard problems with special caracters

Member 4540595

2:04 17 Oct '08

hello, i'm using your library for generating vcards and it works well. However, when the user have a name with special caracters like 'ê' or 'ë' for example, it generates something like this: N;ENCODING=b;CHARSET=utf-8:QkFMTEVZO05vw6tsOzs7 So when Outlook 2003 reads the Vcard it uses QkFMTEVZO05vw6tsOzs7 like the name... Have you an idea to resove my problem ? Thanks you
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Re: generating vcard problems with special caracters

Ivar Lumi

2:49 17 Oct '08

Hi, Email 1 example vcard file, i'll look what id oses with other clients. Do you use latest from: http://www.lumisoft.ee/lswww/download/downloads/Examples/[^]
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what's the license for this?

Adam Hurwitz

5:30 17 Apr '08

what's the license for using this library?
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Re: what's the license for this?

Ivar Lumi

5:50 17 Apr '08

Hi,

Something like this

General usage terms:

*) If you use/redistribute compiled binary, there are no restrictions.
You can use it in any project, commercial and no-commercial.

*) It's allowed to complile source code parts to your application,
but then you may not rename class names and namespaces.

*) Anything is possible, if special agreement between LumiSoft.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE,
ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Outlook 2007 and Phone Numbers

pooldimps

20:04 14 Apr '08

Hi mate, That's some good work. Really useful. I am having trouble with outlook 2007 vCards. It extracts home, phone and mobile numbers as same (the value of mobile number is assigned to all 3 numbers) into one number only. Is that happening to me only or it's a known issue? I can send a sample vCard to illustrate what I mean. Regards, Pool
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Re: Outlook 2007 and Phone Numbers

Ivar Lumi

19:45 15 Apr '08

Hi email vcard example.
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Re: Outlook 2007 and Phone Numbers

Ivar Lumi

21:14 20 Apr '08

Hi, There is 1 bug in it. All users ... get latest from: http://www.lumisoft.ee/lswww/download/downloads/Examples/[^]
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