Java Address Book

JABook is a program I wrote when I first started using Linux. I had originally written my Yahoo! Address Book application in Visual Basic, so it ran only on Windows. I wrote JABook so that I could access my address book when working in Linux.

JABook is an address book program that was specifically designed to handle Yahoo! CSV (comma-separated value) files that you can export from a Yahoo! email account. This is written in Java, so you'll need a Java Runtime Environement (1.4 or higher) to run it. If you don't have one, you can download one for your platform from Sun's website at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp - just click on the "Download JRE" link and follow the instructions.

The software is packaged in a JAR (Java Archive) file, so once you get the JRE, you should be able to run the application just by double-clicking on the JAR file. Or, if you're a command-line person, you can run it by running "java -jar JABook.jar" from the command line.

Disclaimer

By downloading this software, you understand and agree that I provide absolutely no warranties (either express or implied) about the software. In no event will I or other contributors to the software be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages arising in any way out of the use of this software, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.

Download JABook.jar (27,990 bytes)

Download empty.csv (611 bytes)

Screenshot

JABook v3.1, screenshot taken on Mandrake 10.0/KDE, with Java 1.4's default Metal Look and Feel

Useful information

The address book is stored in a .csv file that you can specify. The default location for the file is in the ".jabook" subdirectory of your home directory. This would c:\windows on a Windows 98 machine, or C:\Documents and Settings\<your username> on a Windows 2K/XP machine. If you're using Linux, it's.. well, your home directory (/home/...). If there is a file called yahoo.csv in that folder, it will load that and continue. Otherwise, it will pop up a dialog box so that you can specify a .csv file to load. The default behavior can be overriden by specifying the location of the .csv file as a command-line parameter. For example, if you run "java -jar JABook.jar somefile.csv" it will try to open somefile.csv first. In order to use JABook, you must have a pre-existing Yahoo! CSV file (which is why I've provided an empty one to download above).

Using JABook

The interface is, for the most part, self-explanatory. The fields are in the tabbed part on the left, you can modify and change the values. When changing the distribution lists, separate each list name with a comma, leaving no spaces anywhere in between. So for a contact in lists "abc" and "def", the distribution list field should read "abc,def" The long list in the center is the list of all contacts; the one in the top right is of the contacts in the same category as the currently selected contact. The one the middle right is of the contacts in the same distribution list as the currently selected contact. In case of a contact belonging to multiple distribution lists, the first one is used as default. However, you can list any distribution list by choosing it from the combo box below that list. The list in the bottom right is the list of people that belong to BOTH the same category and the same distribution list as the contact currently selected (i.e., it is the list of contacts that are in both the top-right and the middle-right lists). The buttons on the bottom do what they say. The merge button asks you to choose another .csv file and loads that while keeping the old contacts in memory, essentially merging the two files. When you save the merged file, it will be saved to the SECOND file loaded (the first file is merged into the second).