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Converting Address Books to Outlook

To Convert or Not to Convert?

If your current address book has more than 25 names in it, you will probably want to convert it; if it contains fewer names, however, it is probably easier to enter the names individually into Outlook's addressbook.

Working with Different Versions of Outlook

Microsoft makes two major versions of their email program, Outlook:

Outlook Express is free, and comes packaged with Internet Explorer. (If you do not already have Internet Explorer, you can download it from Microsoft. )
Outlook comes packaged with Microsoft Office. It comes in different varieties named for the year the program was released, so you might have Outlook 2000, 2002 (a.k.a. XP), 2003, and so on, into the foreseeable future.

This document provides instructions for converting address books to Outlook 2000 from Mulberry, Netscape, Pine, Siren, and Eudora.

Important Note about ITS and Addressbook Conversions

ITS provides this document to help you convert to Outlook from other email programs. Additional help from ITS resources, however, may not always be available for addressbook conversions, which are not officially supported.

Address Book Basics

If you are converting from Siren, you need to be familiar with the following terms:

Records: A record is the set of information stored for an individual or group in your address book.

Fields: Address books separate information about each record into fields. Generally, each piece of information constitutes a separate field, so that, for example, the Name field is separate from the Email field.

Delimiters: Keystrokes known as delimiters separate each field in your address book. Mulberry uses the tab character as its delimiter, but Siren and Outlook use other delimiters. To use one of these address books in Mulberry, you must change the delimiters, as explained later in this document.

Group Addresses: Most address books have an option to store group addresses, that is, one record that includes multiple addresses. A group address might include the addresses of all members of your book or bicycle club, for example.

Global Replacement of Characters

Global replacement refers to replacing one type of keystroke with another, and is especially useful in replacing one type of delimiter with another in a lengthy address book. To replace a character or string of characters globally in Microsoft Word, for example, select the Edit menu and then Replace. In the Find What field, type the character you wish to replace. In the Replace with field, type the new delimiter you wish to use. Select Replace All.

To find or replace most characters, you simply need to type the character itself in the appropriate field. The tab character and paragraph characters are different, however. They require you to type the character (usually found above the number 6 on your keyboard), followed by a keystroke. The character is , and the character is . Also keep in mind that, if you are instructed to replace a character with "nothing," make sure the Replace field is blank, and then click Replace All .

Converting from Mulberry to Outlook 2000

The first address from Mulberry will not be imported, and group addresses will be imported improperly. Therefore, after the conversion, add the first address and edit your group addresses in Outlook.

1. Start a word-processor such as Microsoft Word and open the Mulberry address book file, which is usually in C:\Program Files\Mulberry\Address Books , and has the file extension *.mba .

2. You don't need to make any change to the contents of the file, but save the file in Word as a text file. The file name should be in the format address.txt. Select convenient folders in which to store the address book file, save, and close it.

3. Open Outlook. From the menu, select . The first window of the Import and Export Wizard appears.

4. Select Import from another program or file and click Next .

5. Select Tab Separated Values (Windows), and then click Next .

6. In the next window, click Browse to select the file you want to import.

7. After selecting the file, choose an option for handling duplicate addresses that may already be in your Outlook address book. Then, click Next .

8. In the next window, select Contacts or one of its subfolders. Click Next.

9. Click the check box to the left of your file name to select it. The Map Custom Fields window appears.

10. The window is divided into two panes. Drag each Mulberry field from the left side to its matching Outlook field on the right side.

you will not be able to import the nickname field, but can add the nickname to Outlook after the import. Also, you can expand Outlook's Name field by clicking the plus sign (+) next to it. To make finding the Outlook email address field easier, click in the list of Outlook fields and type .

11. You need to map the fields for only one record. You can map the fields based on the first record, or, if you prefer, map another record in your old address book by clicking the Next or Previous button.

12. When you finish mapping the fields for one record, click OK to continue the importing process.

13. Click Finish . The address book is imported into your Contacts folder or a subfolder of it.

14. If you imported group addresses, you need to edit them in Outlook because they do not import properly.

Converting from Netscape 4 or lower to Outlook 2000

1. If the Netscape address book is open, close it.

2. Open Outlook 2000. From the menu, select .

3. The first window of the Import and Export Wizard appears. Scroll down the list of options and select Import Internet Mail and Addresses .

4. In the next window, select Netscape Mail 2.x, 3.x or Netscape Messenger (4.0x), as appropriate.

5. In the next window, select the check box next to Import address book.

6. Select an option for handling addresses that appear in both your existing Outlook address book and the file you are importing.

7. To complete the import, click Finish .

Converting from Netscape 4.5 or Higher to Outlook 2000

the first address from your Netscape address book will not be imported, and group addresses will be imported improperly. After the import, add the first address and edit your group addresses in Outlook.

1. Start Netscape, and from the menu, select . From the menu, select .

2. Select a convenient folder in which to store the address book, save it in the Comma Separated Values (csv) format, and then close it.

3. Open Outlook. From the menu, select .

4. The first window of the Import and Export Wizard appears. Select Import from another program or file and click Next .

5. In the next window, select Comma Separated Values (DOS) . Click Next .

6. In the next window, click Browse to select the Netscape file you saved earlier.

7. After selecting the file, choose an option for handling duplicate addresses that may already be in your Outlook address book. Then, click Next .

8. In the next window, select Contacts (or one of its subfolders) as the destination folder for the addresses. Click Next .

9. Click the check box next to the left of the Netscape file name to select it. The Map Custom Fields window appears.

10. The window is divided into two panes. Drag each Netscape field from the left side to its matching Outlook field on the right side. Tips: match Netscape???s name field with the Outlook Name field: you don't need to match the first and last name fields individually, because Outlook will take care of separating first, middle, and last names for you later. Also, to make finding the Outlook email address field easier, click in the list of Outlook fields and type .

11. You need to match or "map" the fields for only one record. You can map the fields based on the first record, or, if you prefer, map using another record in your old address book by clicking the Next or Previous button. When you finish mapping the fields for one record, click OK to continue the importing process.

12. Click Finish . The address book is imported into your Contacts folder or a subfolder of it.

13. Now you can add the first address from the old address book, which Outlook used as a heading row and did not import. In addition, if you imported group addresses, you need to edit them in Outlook because they do not import properly.

Converting from Pine to Outlook 2000

The first address from Pine will not be imported, and you will delete group addresses before importing the Pine address book into Outlook. Therefore, after the conversion, you will need to add the first address and edit your group addresses in Outlook.

1. Connect to the Internet and use an SFTP program such as Secure Shell to connect to isis.unc.edu and download the file .address book from your Isis home directory. For help using an SFTP program, see the document File Upload and Download (SFTP).

2. Start a word-processor such as Microsoft Word and open the .address book file.

3. If your Pine address book has group addresses, delete them or cut and paste them into a different file you can refer to later when you add them to Outlook (after the import). Group addresses appear in this format:

group_nickname My

                    Group  (kathysue@email.com,  joe@email.com,mr_smith@email.com)

4. Be sure to delete or cut each group entirely, from the nickname to the closing parenthesis.

5. In Word, save the file in a convenient folder as a text file, and delete the initial period in its name. The file name should be in the format addressbook.txt

6. Close the file.

7. Open Outlook. From the menu, select . The first window of the Import and Export Wizard appears.

8. Select Import from another program or file and click Next .

9. In the next window, you need to select the file type to import: Type the letter to speed your selection of Tab Separated Values(DOS). Click Next .

10. In the next window, click Browse . In the Open window, find and select the file addressbook.txt .

11. After selecting the file, choose an option for handling duplicate addresses that may already be in your Outlook address book. Then, click Next .

12. In the next window, select Contacts (or one of its subfolders) as the destination folder for the addresses. Click Next .

13. Click the check box next to the file name to select it. The Map Custom Fields window appears.

14. The window is divided into two panes. Drag each Pine field from the left side to its matching Outlook field on the right side.

to make finding the Outlook email address field easier, click in the list of Outlook fields and type .

You won't be able to import the alias field, but can add nicknames to Outlook after the import.

You need to match, or "map," the fields for only one record. You can match the fields based on the first record, or, if you prefer, map with another record in your old address book by clicking the Next or Previous button.

15. When you finish mapping the fields for one record, click OK to continue the importing process.

16. Click Finish . The address book is imported into your Contacts folder or a subfolder of it.

17. In Outlook, create a new contact for the first address from the Pine address book, which was not imported, and also create contacts for any group addresses you want to use.

Converting from Siren to Outlook 2000

1. Open Siren. If the address book window is not open, select the Utility menu and then Address Book. . (The command is not available if the address book is already open.)

2. Select Command , and then Export to ASCII file. Name the file and save it in a convenient location.

3. 3. In a word processing program such as Microsoft Word, open the exported address book. Although not every record may have information in each field, each record is in this format:

"First_Name";"Last_Name";"Company

                    Name";"Fax  Number";"Email_address";"Alias"

4. Fields in the Siren address book are separated by quotation marks and semi-colons. Outlook fields are separated only by commas. To prepare the Siren file for Outlook, first, all quotation marks (") with nothing, that is, delete anything in the Replace with field. Then, globally replace all semi-colons (;) with commas (,). (For help, see "Global Replacement of Characters," earlier in this document.

5. Save the file as a text file, but add the file extension .csv to indicate that it is a comma-separated value file. For example, you might name the fileaddress.txt.csv Close the file.

6. Open Outlook. From the menu, select .

7. The first window of the Import and Export Wizard appears. Select Import from another program or file and click Next .

8. Select Comma Separated Values (DOS) . Click Next .

9. Click Browse . In the Open window, find and open the Siren address book file you are importing.

10. After opening the file, choose an option for handling duplicate addresses that may already be in your Outlook address book. Then, click Next .

11. Select Contacts (or one of its subfolders) as the destination folder for the addresses. Click Next .

12. Click the check box next to the file name to select it. The Map Custom Fields window appears.

13. The window is divided into two panes. Drag each Siren field from the left side to its matching Outlook field on the right side.

you can match the Siren name field with the Outlook Name field. To make finding the Outlook email address field easier, click in the list of Outlook fields and type . You won???t be able to match the nickname field, but can add nicknames to Outlook after the import.

You need to match or "map" the fields for only one record. You can map the fields based on the first record, or, if you prefer, map with another record in your old address book by clicking the Next or Previous button. When you finish mapping the fields for one record, click OK to continue the importing process.

14. Click Finish . The address book is imported into your Contacts folder or a subfolder of it.

15. Now you can add the first address from the old address book, which Outlook used as a heading row and did not import.

Converting from Eudora to Outlook 2000

Eudora is not supported by ITS. For additional help with Eudora, visit the Eudora Web page at http://www.eudora.com/ .

1. If the Eudora address book file is open in any program, close it.

2. Open Outlook 2000. From the menu, select .

3. The first window of the Import and Export Wizard appears. Scroll down the list of options and select Import Internet Mail and Addresses . Click Next .

4. In the next window, select Eudora .

5. Select the destination folder and then an option for dealing with addresses from Eudora that may already be in your Outlook address book. Then click Next .