[Alpine-info] Using the address book

[lon at athenet.net]

> On Fri, 16 May 2008, lon at athenet.net wrote:

>

>> I had to resubscribe to this for some reason.

>>

>> If this is the wrong list for users questions.

>>

>> I have used pine for years but the address book mystifies me.

>>

>> I have a CVS file that I want to put in an address book.

>>

>> How do I do it:

>>

>> What I don't understand is making the address book and then

>> putting in the CVS file.

>

> I'm guessing that you probably mean to say CSV (Comma Separated Values).

> Pine/Alpine doesn't use CSV for the address book, because commas can be

> part of the address. Instead, it has Tab separated fields. If you want to

> try to create an address book from your data the format is

>

> nickname <TAB> fullname <TAB> address <TAB> Fcc <TAB> comment

>

> The Fcc and comment field are optional so it could just be

>

> nickname <TAB> fullname <TAB> address <TAB>

>

> It is usually far easier to use the Take Address command in pine/alpine to

> slowly build up your address book as you read messages.

>

> Steve


Steve I have done this back in the old days.  I've used Pine since the only
way to get mail was on a BBS.

I know the prcess isn't hard.  But it's completely obscure to me
not having looked at it.  Nothing I do _makes_ the address book file.

Compose To: assumes an address book it made and saved.

That's what I want to do.  Why is there no clear explanation of this after
all this time?



>