I can't import my folders from Outlook into Evolution

Please read the already answered question from here: https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/evolution
and please look for outlook using the top left search field.

hope this helps

Hi,

No it does not answer my question.

I see there are several questions on the forum about successfully
importing data from Microsoft Outlook, and none of them have been
answered to the question askers satisfaction.
Each one tells the asker to save as a .psv file and then import.
It doesn't work.
All the data ends up jumbled into contacts.
This must be a common problem and for some people it will be the
deal-breaker stopping them from using Ubuntu and instead staying with
ghastly Microsoft XP or even worse Vista!

Rgds, Ian Holmes

On Sun, 2009-10-18 at 10:09 +0000, marcobra (Marco Braida) wrote:
> Your question #86209 on evolution in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/evolution/+question/86209
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> marcobra (Marco Braida) proposed the following answer:
> Please read the already answered question from here: https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/evolution
> and please look for outlook using the top left search field.
>
> hope this helps
>

What version of Ubuntu are you running? What version of Evolution are you running?

Thank you for this information.

This seems to be a known bug which I am linking now. For now you may just have to import it as a CSV file and import it as File>Import>Import a Single File. We're sorry for the inconvenience.

Hi Craig,

You'll have to bear with me here, because to a great degree I'm an
Ubuntu/Linux virgin. I've just dumped all my micro-cack stuff because
I'm sick of Bill Gates and co telling my computer what to download and
when.
I'm used to updates and such with downloading files etc but installing
from PPA's, phew!
That's a bit like asking me to go to a DIY store and buy enough stuff to
build a space shuttle.

I can see the files that need to be imported, but I've looked at them
every which way I can, and apart from right clicking on each one, I'm
floating in space without an air supply or a jet pack to get back to
earth.

So kim-o-sabby, howz it done?

Your humble servant,

Ian H.

On Sun, 2009-10-18 at 15:28 +0000, Craig Huffstetler wrote:
> Your question #86209 on evolution in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/evolution/+question/86209
>
> Linked to bug: #349312
> https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/bugs/349312
> "Evolution 2.26 does not support import of outlook .pst"
>

Importing Outlook PST folders into Evolution was only really released on Ubuntu on Karmic (9.10). This will not be backported to previous Ubuntu versions.

You *may* succeed by doing it by hand (on a terminal) if you are using 9.04 or earlier. You will need to install the 'readpst' package, then run it by hand.

Outlook importing doesn't work. The process goes fine, with various questions of which folders you want to import and into where. But then you get a window that asks you to import and then Evolution shuts down. Upon opening, I have found once where some contacts were imported minus all there addresses. Other times, absolutely nothing is imported, even when I choose just to import my inbox only. I'm using Outlook 2007.

By the way, I have Ubuntu 9.10

@chunnel: this really sounds like a bug. How comfortable are you on doing stuff on the command line (I will tell you exactly what to do)?

Working now. Problem was that halfway through importing the email's inbox, I would get another duplicate window asking if I wanted to import my data. Not knowing better, i clicked it which stopped everything because it already was importing the data. I've learned to not click on that window and let the process run. that being said, while the emails, calendars, tasks and memo's came over fine, the contacts are a mess.

I have 15 different contact folders with over 10,000 contacts. Each window is displayed differently to allow me to view the data as I feel comfortable with. In the import all the data is brought into something called CouchDB and into one file. This completely screws everything up for me to the point of making the import of my contacts worthless. Also, not all the data comes over. The notes section is fine, but little of the business address and/or mailing address is imported. Also the Title is missing.

If I create an address book and import a CSV file, then I get errors, such as in the notes section I see "Title: Mr." or "Gender:N/A". I can delete the import of Gender but I need the Title to come over so that when I mail merge the name is properly identified. So importing a CSV (windows) doesn't work properly either. And while CSV brings over much of the mailing info, it deletes all the notes section and replaces it with the info I stated above. I used the notes section a lot and that again destroys my data making it worthless.

I also have issues with displaying the data. You have the ability to Group and Sort which is great, but I can't Group or Sort by the Data I need to do it by. I need to Display the Flag Status in the File View and to Sort by that first and then by Last Name. I need to Group by Company and/or Business State or Mailing State. This info isn't available in the List view to add as a column or to Sort or Group by. I also need to Group by Country, since in Outlook this is known as Country / Region. I use this to separate areas of the U.S.

For example in one folder with over 5,000 contacts, I used Country/Region of Outlook to separate the country into regions, SOCAL, NOCAL, SE (Southeast), MW (Midwest), NOTX (North Texas), etc... This info does get imported, howevever I also use the Flag Status (completed) to show which are the HQ's of the group of businesses (this is where the mailer gets sent). This is not available on Evolution.

You probably can't follow everything I'm saying and this may not be the proper forum to discuss my needs if I'm going to use this program extensively. You are very close to making this a replacement for Outlook, but not yet. Who can I talk to in beta testing to add these abilities?

I'm trying to import a pst file into Evolution on Ubuntu 9.10.
It goes through all the dialog boxes until it tells me that Evolution is importing the pst file when Evolution just closes instantly. No error, nothing.