[JLSchutt]

I am trying to transfer contact info from my PC to my Blackberry Curve using the Blackberry Desktop Manager's Synchronize feature with PC input from an ASCII text file. Because the BB doesn't contain any useful contacts at the moment that I can't easily replace from the PC, I've checked the box for Replace all data in the target application, and I've specified a one-way synch to the device. I've chosen the comma as a separator character and double quotes (although I'm not sure when they are needed, since multiple words seem to get transferred whether the quotes are present or not). My file looks like the following:

"First Name","Last Name","Home Phone","Mobile Phone","Work Phone","Email 1","Email 2"
Name,,,,800-222-4444
Another,Name,,,602-456-7890
"Yet Another",Name,602-432-8765
"Name with",Email,480-888-0001,480-999-7766,,"jim@someplace.com","jim@vzw.blackberry.net"
Another Email,Name,,,602-345-6789,john@noplace.net

The good news is that the transfer goes blazingly fast (with the BB connected to the PC via the USB cable). The bad news is that only the names and phone numbers are being transferred, and not the email addresses. What am I missing?

--Jim--

[JLSchutt]

I just went back and read the Help file more carefully and saw the statement, "Note: Quotation marks separated by commas represent blank fields." So I tried the two following forms in my ASCII file, but still no luck.

Another Email,Name,"","",602-345-6789,john@noplace.net

Another Email,Name," "," ",602-345-6789,john@noplace.net

--Jim--

[JSanders]

You don't come up with the easy questions, Jim.

Are your header names for the email correct? Is this something you have set in your mapping of the data from PC to Device?

[JLSchutt]

I got things to work through lots of trial and error, and the technique is pretty obscure. It turns out that I don't need to use any quotes at all. I changed the separator character to a semicolon, but I don't think that was required, and the comma probably would have worked just as well. I'm guessing that quotes are needed only if one of the field values contains the separator character. The file that now works looks like the following:

First Name;Last Name;Home Phone;Mobile Phone;Work Phone;User Defined 1;User Defined 2
Name;;;;800-222-4444
Another;Name;;;602-456-7890
Yet Another;Name;602-432-8765
Name with;Email;480-888-0001;480-999-7766;;jim@someplace.com;jim@vzw.blackberry.net
Another Email;Name;;;602-345-6789;john@noplace.net

Here is the secret: Change the last two column headings from Email 1 and Email 2 to User Defined 1 and User Defined 2. Then in the Blackberry Desktop Manager, click Synchronize, then the Configuration tab, then Configure synch..., then select just Address Book and click it, then click Setup..., then select ASCII Importer/Exporter and click Next>, then choose the options you want and click Next>, then click Options... and again choose your options and click OK, then specify the location of your ASCII input file on your PC and click Next>, then click Finish. Now click Advanced... and then Map Fields... Here's the key: Map the fields you want to import (designated by a left-pointing arrow between the Device column on the left and the ASCII Importer/Exporter column on the right. I mapped the field names First Name, Last Name, Work Phone, Home Phone, and Mobile Phone on the right to the same field names on the left. However, I mapped User Defined 1 and User Defined 2 on the right to Internet Address1 and Internet Address2 on the left. This mapping did indeed cause the fields I called User Defined 1 and User Defined 2 in my ASCII file to be imported into the Blackberry as email addresses. At least once I used the names Internet Address1 and Internet Address2 as headings in my ASCII file without doing the mixed-up field name mapping, but that didn't work. This was almost as bad as drilling for an oil well!

--Jim--