abook1

Usage

Overview

This manual page documents briefly the abook program. This manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution because the original program does not have a manual page.

abook is a text-based address book program. It contains Name, Email, Address and various Phone fields. It is designed for use with mutt, but can be equally useful on its own.

Options

-h --help

Show usage.

-C --config <filename>

Use an alternative configuration file (default is $HOME/.abook/abookrc).

--datafile <filename>

Use an alternative addressbook file (default is $HOME/.abook/addressbook).

--mutt-query <string> [ --outformat <outputformat> ]

Make a query for mutt (search the addressbook for <string>).
The --datafile option, as documented above, may be used BEFORE this option to search a different addressbook file.
Only a subset of the below <outputformat> are allowed: mutt (default), vcard and custom

--convert [ --informat <inputformat> ] [ --infile <inputfile> ] [ --outformat <outputformat> ] [ --outfile <outputfile> ]

Converts <inputfile> in <inputformat> to <outputfile> in <outputformat> (defaults are abook, stdin, text and stdout).

The following inputformats are supported:
- abook abook native format
- ldif ldif / Netscape addressbook
- mutt mutt alias
- pine pine addressbook
- csv comma separated values
- palmcsv Palm comma separated values
- vcard VCard addressbook

The following outputformats are supported:
- abook abook native format
- ldif ldif / Netscape addressbook (.4ld)
- mutt mutt alias
- html html document
- pine pine addressbook
- vcard VCard addressbook
- csv comma separated values
- palmcsv Palm comma separated values
- elm elm alias
- text plain text
- spruce Spruce address book
- wl Wanderlust address book
- bsdcal BSD calendar
- custom Custom output format, see below

--outformatstr <string>

Only used if --mutt-query or --convert is specified and --outformat=custom. <string> is a format string allowing placeholders.
A placeholder can be any of the standard fields names (see abookrc(5)) and must be encapsulated by curly brackets.
The default value is "{nick} ({name}): {mobile}"
If <string> starts with ! only entries whose all fields from <string> are non-NULL are included.

--add-email

Read an e-mail message from stdin and add the sender to the addressbook.

--add-email-quiet

Same as --add-email but doesn't confirm adding.

--formats

List available formats.

Commands during use

Press '?' during use to get a list of commands.