Where is Kontact contacts list

[joneall]

I have a bunch of contacts in my Kontact contacts list, so i want to back them up regularly. But, like many other folks, I cannot find the file. I have looked in ~/.kde/share/apps/kabc, but all I see there are a bunch of empty files.

So where the ... dickens does Kontact store this suff?

$ ll
total 12
drwx------ 3 jon jon 4096 2011-11-05 21:49 ./
drwx------ 40 jon jon 4096 2011-10-28 08:49 ../
drwx------ 2 jon jon 4096 2011-11-05 21:49 lock/
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-11-05 21:49 std.vcf
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-10-31 21:46 std.vcf_1
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-11-01 21:59 std.vcf_2
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-11-02 21:11 std.vcf_3
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-11-03 22:38 std.vcf_4
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-11-04 21:28 std.vcf_5
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-11-05 21:49 std.vcf_6
-rw-rw-r-- 1 jon jon 0 2011-10-30 21:19 std.vcf_7

Thanks in advance.

[sithlord48]

check your permissions on that folder i see a bit more then empty files in mine. most noteably is a "contactlist.xml" file.

[joneall]

check your permissions on that folder i see a bit more then empty files in mine. most noteably is a "contactlist.xml" file.


I have rwx on the kabc directory. Also, in my home

$ find .kde -name 'contact*'
.kde/share/config/kresources/contact

which is not it.

[wizard10000]

I don't use kontakt but doesn't akonadi store its stuff in a MySQL database?

[joneall]

I don't use kontakt but doesn't akonadi store its stuff in a MySQL database?


With more snooping around, I have found a directory ~/.local/share/akonadi/db_data/mysql with

$ ls
columns_priv.frm help_keyword.frm proc.frm time_zone_leap_second.MYI
columns_priv.MYD help_keyword.MYD proc.MYD time_zone.MYD
columns_priv.MYI help_keyword.MYI proc.MYI time_zone.MYI
db.frm help_relation.frm procs_priv.frm time_zone_name.frm
db.MYD help_relation.MYD procs_priv.MYD time_zone_name.MYD
db.MYI help_relation.MYI procs_priv.MYI time_zone_name.MYI
event.frm help_topic.frm servers.frm time_zone_transition.frm
event.MYD help_topic.MYD servers.MYD time_zone_transition.MYD
event.MYI help_topic.MYI servers.MYI time_zone_transition.MYI
func.frm host.frm slow_log.CSM time_zone_transition_type.frm
func.MYD host.MYD slow_log.CSV time_zone_transition_type.MYD
func.MYI host.MYI slow_log.frm time_zone_transition_type.MYI
general_log.CSM ndb_binlog_index.frm tables_priv.frm user.frm
general_log.CSV ndb_binlog_index.MYD tables_priv.MYD user.MYD
general_log.frm ndb_binlog_index.MYI tables_priv.MYI user.MYI
help_category.frm plugin.frm time_zone.frm
help_category.MYD plugin.MYD time_zone_leap_second.frm
help_category.MYI plugin.MYI time_zone_leap_second.MYD

I suspect this it, but (a) how to be sure and (b) how in the world to back it up? Is it adequate to just copy the files, hoping that akonadi is not doing anything with them?

[wizard10000]

I did a little digging and found that the akonadi database is a data cache, not a data store- the data itself hasn't moved. Check it out -

http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/PIM/Akonadi#Where_does_Akonadi_store_my_data.3F


Where does Akonadi store my data?

Akonadi merely acts as a cache for your data, the actual content stays where it has always been, .ics/.vcf/MBOX files, local maildirs, IMAP- and groupware servers. There is only a limited amount of data stored exclusively in Akonadi:

* Data not supported by the corresponding backends, such as email flags in case of maildir/mbox. This is comparable to KMail's binary index files stored alongside these files in pre-Akonadi times.

* Internal meta-data used by application or resources, such as information about the last synchronization with a backend or translated folder names.

*Data that has been changed while the corresponding backend has been offline and has not yet been uploaded.

[kubicle]

Check ~/.local/share/contacts/


EDIT: for backups, you could also export your contacts from kaddressbook (if you wish to save all your contacts in one vcf file, for example)

EDIT2: ~/.local/share/contacts/ is the default (I think), but you can check the settings of the "Personal Contacts" akonadi resource for the correct path if your contacts aren't in ~/.local/share/contacts/

[joneall]

Check ~/.local/share/contacts/


Aha, that directory contains 188 vcf files. I have about 110 contacts. Don't know what that means. In there, tho, is a file

$ cat .local/share/contacts/WARNING_README.txt
Important Warning!!!

Don't create or copy vCards inside this folder manually, they are managed by the Akonadi framework!

So copying this does not look like a good way to back up contacts. I could export the contacts from Kontact to, say, an ldif file, but that requires a manual intervention. I would prefer an automatic backup that I do not have to touch. Seems to me that is the least one can expect.

Btw, those of you who do not use Kontact to manage your calendar and contacts, what do you use?

[Snowhog]

Don't create or copy vCards inside this folder manually, they are managed by the Akonadi framework!

So copying this does not look like a good way to back up contacts.

No, you can backup this folder without any harm. What the warning is saying is not to create (new) or copy (new into) this folder manually.

[joneall]

Wizard10000, I checked out your reference

http://techbase.kde.org/Projects/PIM/Akonadi#Where_does_Akonadi_store_my_data.3F

which seems quite complete. But it does not give me much hope for being able to implement a programmed automatic backup.

Can anyone tell me why I have to use akonadi with a MySQL database? I have worked with databases professionaly before retirement, and I remember that we always just used a flat file to contain so small a number of simple entries. It would be nice if akonadi had that option. Seems like overkill to me.

[joneall]

Don't create or copy vCards inside this folder manually, they are managed by the Akonadi framework!

So copying this does not look like a good way to back up contacts.

No, you can backup this folder without any harm. What the warning is saying is not to create (new) or copy (new into) this folder manually.


But isn't that what I will be doing if I have to recover the data?

[joneall]

Anybody know if akonadi or kontact can be run manually from the command line to just export the data to ldif or such files?

[wizard10000]

Btw, those of you who do not use Kontact to manage your calendar and contacts, what do you use?


I use claws-mail with a vcalendar plugin - the calendar data's stored on Google Calendar.

[wizard10000]

Seems like overkill to me.


Which is why I don't use it ;D

[Snowhog]

But isn't that what I will be doing if I have to recover the data?

No. If you backup the folder and subsequently restore back to it, you haven't created any *new* entries.

[joneall]

But isn't that what I will be doing if I have to recover the data?

No. If you backup the folder and subsequently restore back to it, you haven't created any *new* entries.


Ok, good. I'll do that then ...

[sithlord48]

oh sorry about that it says kontact and i read it kopete.... ingore my previous post.