>I am so upset that I can no longer use my Classic system on my MacBook.
>I have 1976 addresses in the Late Mr Leitch's address book. I am
>dyslectic and do not understand what Baltwo means when he says
>export to your word processor.
I don't know the program, but I can help you with this, I think. It
is worth using Apple's address book, as many other applications can
read from it. That can be very convenient.
>HOW? I have Word and Appleworks. Then how does one do it?
>"Export your current Classic Address Book file to word processor,
1) In your old address book program, you need to find the "export"
command. It's often in the file menu, but not always. So, export the
data, and remember where you saved it. Quite out of your old program.
2) Make a copy of the exported file. Just in case. (command-d in the Finder)
3) Go into word, go to the file menu and select "open". Find and open
the file you saved/exported. You might need to choose "all readable
documents" from "Enabled:" popup menu.
> set line andfield delimiters to tab
You are going to do a find&replace stuff for this and the next step.
You are going to change the file so it can be understood when you
import it into Apple's Address Book.
The exported files will have all your data in it, and it also will
have some characters or something that indicate when something takes
more than one line, or how to separate a first name from a last name
from a phone number from a...from a...from a...
4) So, you need to visually scan the file and find what separate
different "fields." (A field is one type of data. First name is a
field. Zip code is probably a field. Each box that you fill in when
entering data is a field.) There will probably be something between
someone's first and last name, or between state and zip code. Find it
on screen, highlight and copy it. It might just look like a space or
some weird character(s).
5) Go to the Edit menu and choose "Replace". Paste into the "Find
what:" box whatever you had copied. (You might not be able to select
paste from the edit menu, but if you copied you will be able to use
command-v to paste.)
6) put the cursor in the "replace with:" box and type "^t" (without
quotes, of course). (The ^ symbol is shift-6.) "^t" means tab for
word in find and replace boxes. You can't just hit the tab key,
because that takes you to the next box, so you enter ^t instead.
7) Hit the "replace all" button.
8) Keep hitting "yes" and "ok" buttons until it stops popping up
dialog boxes and you just see the find and replace box you were
using. Hit the "cancel" button to make it go away.
> and set record delimiter to CR.
You are going to do the same thing again, but this time find what the
export files has between records (a record is a set of data, like
Bob's address book entry data, Sue's address books entry data or you
brother's address book entry data).
9) Visually scan the file to find the the end of a record/the
beginning of another. Highlight and copy whatever is between them.
10) Choose replace from the edit menu, again. Paste into the "find
what" box, again.
11) Put "^p" into the "replace with" box.
12) Hit "replace all."
13) Keep hitting "yes" and "ok" buttons until it stops popping up
dialog boxes and you just see the find and replace box you were
using. Hit the "cancel" button to make it go away.
14) Save your export file.
> Import the file as text into Apple's Address Book, clicking on each
>do not import item to set headers as desired"
15) Load Apple's address book program (in the applications folder. It
might even be in your dock (Brown, with a white
symbol).
16) Go to the File menu, go down to "import" and choose "text file..."
17) Choose the export file you saved from word.
Next is the only complicated step. The earlier stuff might seem
weird, but only because they are new to you. This next step makes me
slow way down each time I do it. Don't worry about it seeming
bizarre. In fact, the very fact that you are new to this might serve
you better, as you will be more careful automatically.
So, you should be looking at this weird dialog box. There's a whole
bunch of "Do not import" and some odd data. Address Book doesn't know
which field is which. So, it is showing you a complete record and
asking you what each field is. You will see a first name, last name,
and all that other stuff. In the middle of bottom of the dialog box,
there should be a pair of triangles pointing left and right. They
enable you to go to the next record, or back to the previous record,
like turning the page forward or back through each address book entry.
18) UN-check the ignore first card box.
19) For each field of data listed, click on the words "Do not import"
and select the type of data it is (which field it is). Make sure that
you do all of them, scrolling down if you need to.
20) Hit the right triangle to make sure that more records/pages look right.
21) Hit the OK button.
Ta-da!!
For an experienced person, five minutes, tops. For someone who is new
to this, less than 30.
Let me know if you have any problems. Nothing above can do permanent
damage. All of it can be undone or redone.
--
=alex hoffman
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