#!/bin/cat
$Id: FAQ.Contacts_Calendars.txt,v 1.7 2018/03/07 04:26:04 gilles Exp gilles $

This documentation is also at http://imapsync.lamiral.info/#doc

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   Imapsync issues about syncing Contacts & Calendars.
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Questions answered in this FAQ are:

Q. Can I copy or sync Calendar or Contacts with imapsync?
Q. How can I avoid copying Calendar or Contacts folders?
Q. How can I copy or synchronize Calendars or Contacts?


Now the questions again with their answers.

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Q. Can I copy or sync Calendar or Contacts with imapsync?

R. No, Imapsync can't migrate Contacts and Calendars. 
  It's because most IMAP servers don't get contacts and calendars 
  events via IMAP. In other words, messages synced by imapsync from 
  Calendars or Contacts folders are not used by email servers to set 
  or get the contacts or calendars. 
  No way via IMAP, no way via imapsync. 
  So it's a good idea to avoid syncing contacts and calendars.
  But see next question.

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Q. How can I avoid copying Calendar or Contacts folders?

R1. You can avoid synchronizing Calendar or Contacts folders with
  the --exclude option. First you have to search what is their
  exact name. The folders listing printed by imapsync at the
  beginning of a run will surely help to find their names. 
  Assuming their names are "Calendars" and "Contacts" use then:

    imapsync ... --exclude "Calendar" --exclude "Contacts" 

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Q. How can I copy or synchronize Calendars or Contacts?

R1. Synchronizing Calendars or Contacts can't be done with imapsync. 
    See the first question for detailed explanations.

R2. Synchronizing Calendars or Contacts can be done, not
    with imapsync, depending on the email server softwares used.

a) From Exchange to Exchange, export contacts and calendar to
   PST format files on host1 and import them on host2.

b) From Gmail to Gmail, export and import calendars in ical format, 
   extension for those files is .ics.
   Contacts can be copied using a csv file. See the help page
   http://support.google.com/mail/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=1669027

c) Etc. Search the web. There's also specific tools and paid services.
   There's no silver bullet to migrate Calendars and Contacts,
   if you find one, tell me!
   Also consider asking experts at Sumatra company 
   https://twitter.com/sumatra_dev
   http://sumatra.com/
   
d) I plan to make tools for that but so far nothing has began
   more than this discussion:
http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync_list/msg01797.html
http://www.linux-france.org/prj/imapsync_list/msg01811.html


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