--- name: "abookrc" section: "5" platform: "linux" package: "abook" version: "0.6.1-3+b1" release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/abookrc" --- # abookrc(5) configuration file for abook address book program ## NAME **$HOME/.abook/abookrc** - configuration file for abook address book program ## DESCRIPTION This manual page documents briefly the **abookrc** file.\ **abookrc** is the (optional) configuration file for use with the **[abook(1)](/abook/1.md)** address book program. **abookrc** is stored in a user's $HOME/.abook directory. It follows a format of “**set option=value**”. The following information lists each of these options and the values they may take. If a variable is not set in **abookrc** , a sensible default, as listed with the description below, will be used. Comments in **abookrc** are on lines beginning with '#'. ## COMMANDS - **set** *option* = *value* - **field** *identifier* = *human\_readable\_name* \[ , *type* \] Defines a new custom field. *type* can be one of 'string' (default) , 'emails', 'list', or 'date'. - **view** *view name* = *field1* \[ , *field2*, ... \] Defines a view/tab, with *fieldN* being the identifier of a field declared with the **field** command, or the identifier of a standard field. - Standard fields:\ \ name, email,\ \ address, address2, city, state, zip, country,\ \ phone, workphone, fax, mobile,\ \ nick, url, notes, anniversary - Note: if you don't define any view, abook will use a default display based on the above standard fields. ## VARIABLES - **autosave**=\[true\|false\] Defines whether the addressbook is automatically saved on exit. Default is true. - **preserve\_fields**=\[all\|standard\|none\] Specifies how fields not declared with the **field** command nor in a view should be preserved while loading an abook database. - **all** preserve any completely unknown field. - **standard** only preserve the standard fields (see a list in the\ description of the **view** command) and the legacy\ 'custom\[1-5\]' fields. - **none** discards any unknown field. - Default is *standard*. - **index\_format**=format\_string Defines the way entries are displayed in the main list. This is a string containing field names enclosed between braces, with an optional width limit specified by a number (right alignment if negative) after the field name and a colon, and an arbitrary number of alternative fields (first with non empty content is to be displayed) separated by vertical bars. For instance: - *{name:22}* displays the *name* field with a maximal width of 22 characters. - *{phone:-12\|workphone\|mobile}* displays (right aligned within a width of 13 characters), either the *phone*, *workphone* or *mobile* field, whichever being the first to be non-empty. - Default is *" {name:22} {email:40} {phone:12\|workphone\|mobile}"* - **show\_all\_emails**=\[true\|false\] Defines whether all email addresses for a contact are shown in the main list view. Default is true. - **emailpos** - **extra\_column** - **extra\_alternative** - **extrapos** Obsoleted by **index\_format**. - **mutt\_return\_all\_emails**=\[true\|false\] Defines whether to return all email addresses matching the search criteria to a mutt query. Default is true. - **print\_command**=command Defines the command to used when printing the addressbook. Default is "lpr". - **www\_command**=command Defines the command used to start the web browser to view a contact's URL. Default is "lynx". - **address\_style**=\[eu\|uk\|us\] Defines the style of address formatting to be used when exporting as text / printing the database (European, UK, or USA). Default is European ("eu"). - **use\_ascii\_only**=\[true\|false\] This option allows you to force Abook use only ASCII characters. This option is useful if your terminal doesn't support non-ASCII characters. Default is false. - **add\_email\_prevent\_duplicates**=\[true\|false\] Defines whether to avoid adding addresses already in data. Default is false. - **sort\_field**=field Defines the field to be used by the "sort by field" command. Default is "nick" (Nickname/Alias). - **show\_cursor**=\[true\|false\] Defines if the cursor is visible in main display. Default is false. - **use\_mouse**=\[true\|false\] Defines if navigation via the mouse is activated. Default is false. Most terminals can also inhibit ncurses mouse events at runtime by holding the Shift key (restoring mouse-selection behavior). - **scroll\_speed**=lines Defines the number of lines the address list is scrolled by on a mouse wheel action. This option only takes effect if use\_mouse is enabled. Default is 2. - **use\_colors**=\[true\|false\] Defines if the output of abook is colorized. Default is false. - Color settings: **color\_header\_fg**=color Foreground color for header bar **color\_header\_bg**=color Background color for header bar **color\_footer\_fg**=color Foreground color for footer bar **color\_footer\_bg**=color Background color for footer bar **color\_list\_even\_fg**=color Foreground color for normal list entries with even index in the list (starting with index 0) **color\_list\_even\_bg**=color Background color for normal list entries with even index in the list (starting with index 0) **color\_list\_odd\_fg**=color Foreground color for normal list entries with odd index in the list (starting with index 0) **color\_list\_odd\_bg**=color Background color for normal list entries with odd index in the list (starting with index 0) **color\_list\_header\_fg**=color Foreground color for the list header **color\_list\_header\_bg**=color Background color for the list header **color\_list\_highlight\_fg**=color Foreground color for highlighted list entries **color\_list\_highlight\_bg**=color Background color for highlighted list entries **color\_tab\_border\_fg**=color Foreground color for tab borders on details page **color\_tab\_border\_bg**=color Background color for tab borders on details page **color\_tab\_label\_fg**=color Foreground color for tab labes on details page **color\_tab\_label\_bg**=color Background color for tab labes on details page **color\_field\_name\_fg**=color Foreground color for field names on details page **color\_field\_name\_bg**=color Background color for field names on details page **color\_field\_value\_fg**=color Foreground color for field values on details page **color\_field\_value\_bg**=color Background color for field values on details page Where **color** can be: default, black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, white ## SAMPLE CONFIGURATION FILE ``` # sample abook configuration file # # Declare a few custom fields field pager = Pager field address_lines = Address, list field birthday = Birthday, date # Define how fields should be displayed in tabs view CONTACT = name, email view ADDRESS = address_lines, city, state, zip, country view PHONE = phone, workphone, pager, mobile, fax view OTHER = url, birthday # Preserve any unknown field while loading an abook database set preserve_fields=all # Automatically save database on exit set autosave=true # Format of entries lines in list set index_format=" {name:22} {email:40} {phone:12|workphone|mobile}" # Show all email addresses in list set show_all_emails=true # Command used to start mutt set mutt_command=mutt # Return all email addresses to a mutt query set mutt_return_all_emails=true # Command used to print set print_command=lpr # Command used to start the web browser set www_command=lynx # Address style [eu|us|uk] set address_style=eu # Use ASCII characters only set use_ascii_only=false # Prevent double entry set add_email_prevent_duplicates=false # Field to be used with "sort by field" command set sort_field=nick # Show cursor in main display set show_cursor=false ``` ## SEE ALSO [**abook**(1)](/abook/1.md).\ ## AUTHORS This manual page was written by Alan Ford \ and expanded by Cedric Duval \. **abook** was written by Jaakko Heinonen \