Script: Importing Address Books into Outlook

Last year the University decided to use Exchange as the campus calendaring solution. As you well know, Exchange is a collaboration suite and it is difficult to separate email and calendaring functionality. Thus we also had a large mail migration on our hands.

Migrating mail was simple enough using a combination of drag-and-drop methods of IMAP folders and the Aid4Mail application to migrate local folders to PST files. Migrating address books proved to be a little more difficult. All the documentation on the internet detailed a process of importing a LDIF file into Outlook Express; then converting the Outlook Express address book into Outlook contacts. We found this solution rather cumbersome and it didn’t always import contacts in the desired format.

To solve this problem I wrote a VBScript that would parse a LDIF file and create the associated Outlook contacts.

How it works

First, export your address book as an LDIF file from your old IMAP client. If you have multiple address books you will need to export each into its own LDIF file.

Second, run the ImportLDIF.vbs script from a command prompt using CScript.exe. The script will parse the specified LDIF file and import any contacts/distribution lists included. The script will actually parse the LDIF file twice. The first time it will import any user contacts and the second run will import distribution lists. The LDIF file is parsed twice to ensure that all the contact objects have been created before creating the distribution lists and adding the members.

The script accepts 2 parameters: 1) the LDIF file name and 2) an optional category for all the users/groups in the specified LDIF file. The category option was added for those instances where users previously had multiple address books.

cscript.exe ‹path›\ImportLdif.vbs ‹path›\‹exported file name›.ldif /Category:"Category Name"


When the script enters the distribution list import phase you may be prompted in Outlook to allow the script to access your e-mail address stored in Outlook. Grant the script access for 1 minute to complete the import process.

The Script

'# Author: Nick Smith 
'#      http://knicksmith.blogspot.com 
'# Script Name: ImportLDIF.vbs
'# Purpose: This script will parse a LDIF file and import user
'#  objects as contacts and groups as distribution lists.
    

'Create a shell object
Dim oShell
Set oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")

'Ensure the script is run with CScript
CheckForCScript

'Check arguments
If Wscript.Arguments.UnNamed.Count <> 1 then
  Wscript.Echo "Usage: cscript ImportLdif.vbs LdifFileName [/Category:""My Category Name""] "
  Wscript.Echo vbtab & "/Category" & vbtab & "Optional - Creates a category for the imported address book"
  Wscript.Quit
End If

Dim olApp
Dim olNS
Dim contact
Dim contactFolder
Dim contactCategory
Dim bMoveToFolder

Dim mainFSO
Dim objFile
Dim strLine

Const olContactItem = 2
Const olDistributionListItem = 7
Const olFolderContacts = 10

'Create Outlook object
Set olApp = CreateObject ("Outlook.Application")
Set olNS = olApp.GetNamespace("MAPI")

on error resume next

'Open LDIF file
Set mainfso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = mainFSO.OpenTextFile(Wscript.Arguments.Item(0), 1)
If Err.number <> 0 Then
  'Error Opening File.  Display Error info.
  wscript.echo "Unable to open file: " & Wscript.Arguments.Item(0)
  wscript.echo "Error Number: " & Err.number
  wscript.echo "Error Description: " & Err.Description
  Err.clear

  'No reason to continue script so quit
  Wscript.quit
End if

'Save the contacts in the default folder
Set contactFolder = olNS.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderContacts)

'Create category if needed
If (Wscript.Arguments.Named.Item("Category") <> "") Then
  contactCategory = Wscript.Arguments.Named.Item("Category")
Else
  contactCategory = ""
End if
on error goto 0
'*****************************************************************
' Add Contacts First
'*****************************************************************

Dim strSplit
Dim bContact
Dim bFullName

'Start parsing file
Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
  strLine=objFile.ReadLine
  
  'Create contact object
  Set contact = olApp.CreateItem(olContactItem)
  bContact = false
  bFullName = false
  Do Until ((Trim(strLine) = "") or (objFile.AtEndOfStream))
    strSplit = Split(Trim(strLine),":")
    select case Trim(Lcase(strSplit(0)))
      case "objectclass"
        if Trim(strSplit(1)) = "person" then
          bContact = true
        end if
      case "givenname"
        contact.FirstName = Trim(strSplit(1))
        bFullName = true
      case "sn"
        contact.LastName = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "cn"
        contact.FullName = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "mail"
        contact.Email1Address = Trim(strSplit(1))
        contact.Email1DisplayName = Trim(strSplit(1))
        'Save contact as email address if no name
        If bFullName <> True Then
          contact.FullName = Trim(strSplit(1))
          contact.FileAs = Trim (strSplit(1))
        End If
      case "telephonenumber"
        contact.BusinessTelephoneNumber = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "homephone"
        contact.HomeTelephoneNumber = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "facsimiletelephonenumber"
        contact.BusinessFaxNumber = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "homepostaladdress"
        contact.HomeAddressStreet = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "mozillahomelocalityname"
        contact.HomeAddressCity = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "mozillahomestate"
        contact.HomeAddressState = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "mozillahomepostalcode"
        contact.HomeAddressPostalCode = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "mozillahomecountryname"
        contact.HomeAddressCountry = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "postalAddress"
        contact.BusinessAddressStreet = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "l"
        contact.BusinessAddressCity = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "st"
        contact.BusinessAddressState = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "postalcode"
        contact.BusinessAddressPostalCode = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "c"
        contact.BusinessAddressCountry = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "title"
        contact.JobTitle = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "ou"
        contact.Department = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "o"
        contact.CompanyName = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "workurl"
        contact.BusinessHomePage = Replace(Trim(strSplit(2)),"//","")
      case "homeurl"
        contact.PersonalHomePage = Replace(Trim(strSplit(2)),"//","")
      case "description"
        contact.Body = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "xmozillanickname"
        contact.NickName = Trim(strSplit(1))
      'Template fo addistional attributes
      'case ""
      '  contact. = Trim(strSplit(1))
    end select
    strLine=objFile.ReadLine
  Loop
  
  'If this is a contact, save it
  If bContact Then
    contact.Categories = contactCategory
    contact.Save
    wscript.echo "Contact Created:" & contact.FullName
  End If
Loop

objFile.Close


'*****************************************************************
' Now Add Distribution Lists
'*****************************************************************

'Reopen file
Set objFile = mainFSO.OpenTextFile(Wscript.Arguments.Item(0), 1)

Dim subSplit
Dim bList
Dim list
Dim objRcpnt

'Start parsing file
Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
  strLine=objFile.ReadLine
  
  'Create a distributil list
  Set list = olApp.CreateItem(olDistributionListItem)
  bList = false
  bFullName = false
  Do Until ((Trim(strLine) = "") or (objFile.AtEndOfStream))
    strSplit = Split(Trim(strLine),":")
    select case Trim(Lcase(strSplit(0)))
      case "objectclass"
        if Trim(strSplit(1)) = "groupOfNames" then
          bList = true
        end if
      case "cn"
        list.DLName = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "description"
        'list.Description = Trim(strSplit(1))
      case "member"
        if (Ubound(strSplit) = 1 ) then
          subSplit = Split(strSplit(1),"mail=")
          if (Ubound(subSplit) = 1) then
            'Create recipient with email address
            set objRcpnt = olApp.Session.CreateRecipient(subSplit(1))
            objRcpnt.Resolve
            list.AddMember objRcpnt
          end if
        end if
    end select
    strLine=objFile.ReadLine
  Loop
  'If distribution list, save it
  If bList Then
    List.Categories = contactCategory
    List.Save
    wscript.echo "List Created:" & list.DLName
  End If
Loop

objFile.Close



Sub CheckForCScript()
  If Not Lcase(WScript.FullName) = Lcase(WScript.Path & "\cscript.exe") Then

  UsageString = "Please launch script using cscript.exe" & vbcrlf
  UsageString = UsageString & "Usage: cscript.exe ImportLdif.vbs LdifFileName [/Category:""My Category Name""] " & vbcrlf
  UsageString = UsageString & vbtab & "/Category" & vbtab & "Optional - Creates a category for the imported address book"
  oShell.Popup UsageString
  WScript.Quit 0
  End If
End Sub 

Download the script here.

--Nick