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New Features

 

Version 6.2.0

  • Upgrade the database engine from Firebird 2.1 to Firebird 2.5.
  • Default database file extension is now FDB rather than GDB.

 

Version 6.1.9

  • Bug fixed: Importing CSV might result in warning about buffer size.

Version 6.1.6

  • Minor changes to some keyboard shortcuts to avoid the use of the Alt keys.
  • When exporting XML, export unique ID for each contact.

Version 6.1.5

  • Bug fixed: when sending Email, the name and address might be corrupted.

Version 6.1.3

  • Some minor changes to hide some functions not applicable to portable applications, when Open Contacts is installed as a portable application.

Version 6.1.2

  • Integrate with SyncML Client for Open Contacts. Go to [Main Menu -> Tools -> Synchronize with SyncML Server]. This feature requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 or above.

Version 6.1

  • Restore the features of interacting with Skype. Skype had changed its way of being interacting with other programs through Windows messages, resulting in features broken. This was just fixed by using Skype4COM.
  • Bug fixed: When using SyncML for Open Contacts, if the server has contacts deleted, this bug will fail the sync. In addition, in some older version of SyncML for Open Contacts, if there are multiple contacts deleted, the progress bar could not reflect the progress accurately, though the sync is successful. V1.3.4 has this fixed.
  • Multiple relationships to a contact is represent by a link denoted by multiple tags separated by comma. If you try to create a new link upon an existing link to a contact, the relationship tags will be expanded. For example, if you defined John is Andy's manager, and then when you try to create define John is Andy's uncle, you will have the relationship tagged as "Manager, Uncle". Surely you may simple modify the relationship directly.
  • Batch processing: change a relationship tag of all contacts containing the tag.
  • In the Search Contacts window, you may search contacts of any of the selected categories.
  • When importing from CSV, the maximum length of each column imported could be up to 256 letters from previous 80, and for a notes field, the maximum length is 1024 letter.
  • Improve the handling of birthday reminder. If the birthday of a person is on 29th of February in a leap year, in the past the birthday was made 28th of February. Now the birthday is made the last day of February. Please note, Mozilla Sunbird v0.9 has wrong interpretation of the ByMonthDay attribute of the iCalendar standard; when importing the ics file, the birthday will become the last day of January. If you are using Sunbird, you may need to manually fix it.
  • A  category name may now has up to 128 letters.
  • Importing from XML can handle mail merge links now.

Version 6

  • A predefined dynamic field can support multi-line. When defining a predefined field, check the "multi-line" checkbox. The field may display 2 - 4 lines. If more lines were inputted, you need to scroll down. This multi-line is handy for fields like street and address.
  • When copying email addresses of selected contacts to Windows Clipboard, you may have the addresses separated by comma or semicolon.
  • In previous versions, if you have more than 1500 selected contacts, some operations may fail. These bugs are fixed.
  • The database structure was re-constructed and optimized, thus if you are using Open Contacts 5, a migration process will kick in.

Version 5.3.10

  • In a Birthday field, the date picker may popup with keyboard shortcut "Alt+Down", while in the past only when the field gets focused, the picker will popup.
  • Bug fixed: in Russian Windows, the "Convert to Angular" function could not generate the degree symbol properly.
  • Bug fixed: in Russian Windows, address in Russian could not be used in the map functions. This is fixed by using percent encoding.

Version 5.3.9

  • Fix a bug: when inserting a new section, and section order might be wrong in some scenarios.
  • Bug fixed: With Outlook 2007, Email could not be created when Outlook is not yet running.
  • Bug fixed: With Mozilla Thunderbird v2.0.0.20 or above, the installation location could not be found.

Version 5.3.8

  • For non-English users, language resources compressed in a zip file can be patched into Open Contacts. The function is located at [Main menu -> Tools -> Apply translation patch]. Translation patches are located in the additional download page.

Version 5.3.7

  • When importing from Microsoft Outlook 2003 and above, photos can be imported as well.

Version 5.3.6

  • Bug fixed: Simple report could not be printed properly.

Version 5.3.5

  • Better supports for mail merge. Multiple extadr and street fields are exported.
  • When selecting a category, contacts of the category and its subcategories will be listed by default. Existing users may check [Options -> General -> List contacts of categories recursively].

Version 5.3.4

  • Bug fixed: in a new Windows without default Email program defined, the program will popup an error message about Windows registry.

Version 5.3.3

  • No feature added. The database engine is changed from Firebird 2.0.3 to Firebird 2.1.1.

Version 5.3.2

  • The Birthday Reminder Helper now support customization on the Summary field and the Description field of vEvent of iCalendar.
  • Add better support for built-in Skype feature. Now you may define prefix for Skype phone call if you prefer using Skype to make phone call all the time. Please refer to Phone and Skype.
  • Provide an action plugin to support dialling a phone number via Skype. To enable the plugin programs, please go to [Options -> Applications -> Enable Action Plugin], and restart Open Contacts. This feature is good when you want to temporarily dial phone numbers via Skype.
  • Provide an action plugin to support Yahoo Maps and Microsoft Live Maps.

Version 5.3.1

  • Provide more methods for exporting selected contacts to different formats of HTML in order to publish some contact info to the Web. HTML with hCard embedded is also included.

Version 5.3

  • Face lifting. The command bar in the edit window is moved to the top.
  • Font name of edit boxes, categories and contact list can be configurated.
  • Create iCalendar file which may generate birthday reminders in any calendar program running on PC, Web or PDA. The new function is located in [Main menu -> Output -> Export to Birthday Reminder].
  • Some minor face lifts to the program UI.
  • Improve synchronizing for organizational contacts, along with SyncML Client for Open Contacts v1.0.3.
  • Bug fixing. On Vista, when creating shortcut for default Contacts directory, the program crashes. Fixed.

Version 5.2

  • Improve the way of change log management. From this version, you may use Open Contacts along with SyncML Client for Open Contacts to synchronize contact information with smart phones, PDA and other Web base address books.
  • The Initials Grid window is changed to a drop-down window in the Contact List window.
  • Some face lifts to GUI.

Version 5.1

  • Advanced postal address management for mail merge.
  • The drop down count of dynamic fields is adjustable from 8 to 36. With higher value, all predefined fields may be listed, so you will not need to scroll up and down to pick up one. This is configured in the Options.
  • When inputting birthday, it is acceptable to define month and day only without year. The format is MM-DD. In the Search Birthday window, the age of a contact won't be calculated if no year is defined.
  • When pasting multiple lines of text with predefined labels to create multiple fields, now the program can use only characters at the right end of the last TAB character if any.
  • Support advanced management of postal addresses. While each section of a record may have one postal address, you may appoint the postal address of one of the sections to be the postal address. In addition, if you prefer using a company's address, you may set the postal address to be the company's.
  • For the Quick View window, you may view postal address only after setting the Quick View style sheet to be "Postal address".
  • When inputting names of contacts, you may choose to have fields "Given name", "middle name" and "Surname" only while hiding the full name field, as you may prefer not to use automatic full name analysis. And for tolerating duplicated names, you may still amend the full name.
  • When exporting to XML with options, all categories (rather than categories of selected contacts) will be exported as well if option "Settings" is checked. Then when importing from such XML to another database, all categories will be restored.
  • Add the Communication template for the Quick View window. You may change the template of the Quick View through the Options-View. This template groups data fields of electronic communication by Email, phone, and instant messenger.

Version 5.0

  • Support change log which is dynamically generated. Thus, synchronization with Plaxo server and SyncML server has become possible. Open Contacts Plaxo Sync was developed. A companion program for SyncML server like Funambol will be coming soon.

Version 4.1.10

  • Quick search contacts modified between period.
  • Quick search contacts created between period.
  • Quick search contacts without category assigned. This function replaces two similar functions which were available in the Searches menu.

Version 4.1.8

  • In Batch Processing, you may convert all date fields into ISO date format (yyyy-mm-dd). This is handy for importing from CSV files which contain date in other date formats.

Version 4.1.7

  • Import from Windows Vista Contact files.
  • Add hCard.xsl in the Templates directory for transforming selected contact info to HTML with hCard tags.

Version 4.1.6

  • In Batch Processing, you may change field name of selected contacts.

Version 4.1.5

  • When exporting to XML, a new option is provided to export linked local photo to the XML file as embedded BASE64 data.
  • When import from XML with embedded BASE64 data, the data will be imported as a linked local file stored in the default Files directory.

Version 4.1.3

  • Add convenient ways of creating new address book for the same user or new users. A shortcut is created on the desktop for you to create new working directory of address book. In the Tools menu, you may run function "Create Address Book". You may create for current user, or all users.

Version 4.1.2

  • When exporting to XML, you may have an options to export settings, including predefined fields, predefine sections, layout profiles, and most settings in the Options window. Thus, you may exported almost everything in the GDB database into XML. When importing such XML file, existing settings in the database will be overwritten. This feature may be used as an alternative of backing up database. 

Version 4.1

  • In addition to built-in actions upon contact data, you as computer literate can develop custom actions using Web URL query, EXE program, Windows scripts or DLL programs. Please check the Developer pages for details.

Version 4.0

  • Importing from MS Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora and vCard becomes customizable through XML templates. With the basic templates provided, you may modify the XML files to change the mappings. Basically you can import almost all fields of the sources.
  • Be compatible with "Start PortableApps".
  • Batch processing of changing section names of selected contacts. This feature is useful to maintain consistency of section names.
  • For frequently used fields like City, State and Country, when you key-in data, you will have a dropdown list of historic items.  For example, after you have entered "Chatswood" into field city, next time when you key-in data in this field, and key-in letter "C", you will have "Chatswood" in the dropdown list. In addition, you can make any predefined field to remember a list of historic items. Obviously, some fields like "Phone" and "Email", historic items will not make sense for fast data entry. To enable this feature, you will need to enable this function in the Options window, and enable desired fields to have such feature in the Define Predefined Fields window.
  • When exporting selected contacts to XML, you will have more options. This will make the XML more informative in order to transform the XML to other data format using XSLT.
  • Support the concept of Myself in database. You may define one of the contacts to be yourself. When exporting to XML, "Myself" may be exported as well in a separated section.
  • If you have multiple address book databases to use, you may define a alias for each of these database, so you can be sure which database you are using. The alias is defined in the Database tab of the Options window.
  • Export data to XML with categories and linked contacts. And you can export both people and and companies in the same XML if you select contacts in a search window. Thus, this can be used for merging contact info to another address book database.
  • From imported XML, recovery categories and linked contacts.
  • Import from LDIF files exported from address book of Mozilla/Netscape/Thunderbird. Previous method of importing CSV is obsolete.
  • Import from LDIF files exported from other data sources. You will then need to define your own mappings saved in XML.
  • Share most settings with Contacts Express, so you may switch between Open Contacts and Contacts Express if installed.
  • The commands in the contact list window are presented as dropdown menu.

Version 3.9

  • Support importing vCard file with multiple vCards contained.
  • When pasting multiple lines of text to date fields, you may create a set of predefined labels (field names) along. This is handy when you paste lines of signature of someone's Email which often contains name, email address and phone number etc.
  • When searching for birthday, the age is counted against the end of the period, this year optionally. Previously the program count the age against today always.
  • Functions of importing are integrated into a window with options, in order to reduce dialogs of questions.
  • When importing a vCard, if the ORG value is equal to the Formatted Name value, the vCard will be imported into companies.
  • Improve the UI of the Search Birthday function, so people born on 29 Feb or other leap days will be taken care of. This also improve the performance of Birthday Reminder.
  • Improve the importing of MS Outlook, contact items without name but company name will be imported into companies.
  • Introduce compact UI to the main section. Optionally, you may hide the labels of name fields, so you will still have large space for editing names, while the Edit Contact window is small.
  • Support Birthday Reminder.
  • When importing from CSV, if the CSV fields contain no full name field, but surname and given name, the full name will be composed with these names.

Version 3.8

  • In quick search window, when starting typing the second character of keyword, the window will start showing results, with names and field values matched.
  • When defining categories for selected contacts, in the popup categories tree, those categories shared by all selected will be checked and bold, and those shared by some will be bold only.
  • In presenting selected contacts in HTML format, the memo fields will have line breaks.
  • In the Contact List window, quick search by name is supported. When inputting a character, contacts with initial matching the character will come up; when inputting more than one character, contacts containing the characters will come up. This feature may be enabled through the Options window.
  • Confirmation before deleting a category.
  • After changing a contact name, the new name will replace the old one, rather than be added to the end of the contact list.
  • Support default phone number prefix. You might have a lot phone numbers of local contacts without country/code. When traveling, you might need to dial extra area codes. You may use function "Call after modifying number" to compensate such change. In addition, this feature is handy for you to dial via Skype which requires country code all the time.
  • Highlight current field of the Edit Contact window.
  • Auto save. When a contact is modified and you want to quit the program or load another contact, the contact will be saved automatically. If you want to discard the changes, press Ctrl+Z.

Version 3.7

  • The basic info part of the contact edit window can adjust. the edit boxes when resizing the window.
  • Support the Geo field with latitude and longitude. The map service can be activated with this field. This feature is handy when you get friends living in the bush where the streets get no name.
  • Support relationships between people, and support multiple relationships between 2 contacts optionally.
  • Confirmation on exiting current session of modifying contact data.
  • Export selected contacts to vCard saved as a file or multiple files. You may optionally export multiple contacts into one vCard file.
  • When importing from MS Outlook, contacts in subfolders will be handled as well.

Version 3.6

  • Support Quick View in Google Desktop Open Contacts Plug-in.
  • Support Gmail and Gmail Notifier through Shell Mail function.
  • Search any field in the standard search window or the quick search window. In the standard search window, if a field value is defined without field name, the program will search any field with that value.
  • Support multiple users on the same computer using their own database, or sharing the same database.
  • Remember locations of  the Quick View window and the Photo Viewer.
  • You may decide whether to show  the Quick View window and the Photo Viewer at startup.
  • After deleting contacts in a contact list, the contact list will refresh and will keep current positions of items.
  • When linking an organization to a contact, you may define the name of the relationship, such as manager, CEO, director or owner etc.
  • Main menu replaces the top buttons with drop-down menus.
  • Through commands in the Searches menu, you may list contacts without category defined.

Version 3.5

  • Options to remember which category is accessed last time, and whether the access is recursive. This is handy if you want to access contacts of a category at startup.
  • For portable application, you may set a flag (DisableCOM) in the INI file to tell the program not to publish COM interfaces to the host machine.
  • In a contact Edit window, you may paste multiple lines of text to create new fields. This is handy when you copy/past multi-line address or other contact info from a text viewer like NotePad or Web browser.
  • Introduce field action types: "person" and "org". The field value of a field associated with action "person" will be assumed to be an individual contact in the database, and the action will be to locate and edit/view the contact. Likewise for action "org". This is handy for fields like "Assistant" who could also be a contact in the database.
  • When importing from MS Outlook, names in the Contacts field will also be imported
  • Quick search for phone fields, email fields and address fields.
  • The built-in Image Viewer was modal. Now it is a floating window, so you don't need to close it before navigating to next contact. And, if the next contact contains photos, the viewer will be updated with photos. In addition, if Quick View window is present, the Image Viewer will also be updated when clicking on next contact.
  • In the Quick View window with advanced style sheet,  you may edit current shown contact by clicking on the Edit link.
  • Default files folder. To centralize files with Open Contacts or better support portable applications, it will be handy to put files associated with contacts into a central location. When you drag a file from the default files folder to a contact's file/image field, the field value will be the relative path of the actual file path.
  • Export contacts or phones to HTML file or Internet Explorer. In addition, you can export with custom XSL in order to have your own custom HTML output.
  • In the Quick View window with advanced style sheet, you can view the associated categories of the contact. When clicking on a category link, either the People list or the Companies will refresh showing contacts of the category.

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