If I understand correctly, the implication is that there is no way
for me to get the public folder to synchronise to my Mac and iPhone.
Is that correct?
Nothing is built into Entourage to do that, so I believe the best answer
at this point is "no".
That's not to say someone hasn't devised a way to do it but I can't
think of any clean way of doing it.
Can I assume this public folder list is for contacts external to your
company? (Otherwise, the Global Address List would be the appropriate
place for everyone's information.)
It's taken a while to get everyone using the public folder rather
than having their individual contact lists and I don't want to give
up the benefits of a shared contacts list. So is there an alternative
approach that would provide a central contacts list and would work
for both my Windows/Outlook colleagues and allow me to sync to my
various Macs?
I think your efforts to collect all the data in the one location have
not been in vain but I don't think trying to sync a public folder
contacts list is the best approach.
First, what *will* work?
Entourage does not require that you sync your *default* Contacts. You
can actually sync your Entourage Address Book with Apple's Sync Services
(allowing you to copy to Apple's Address Book, MobileMe, iPhone, etc.).
You simply need to select "Address Book [On My Computer]".
Or you can sync a secondary Exchange Address Book that's *within* your
own account.
1. Switch to the Address Book in Entourage and select your Exchange
account on the left.
2. Choose File --> New --> Folder...
3. Select your Exchange account again in the Create New Folder window.
4. Notice that the Type drop down menu becomes active. You can now
select "Address Book". Give your new address book a name and click the
OK button.
Now you have another (empty) address book that you can choose to sync
with Sync Services. Keep in mind that this address book will sync to
your Exchange Server and your account storage will grow by the number of
contacts you're adding. If you're not using your "Address Book [On My
Computer]" then you may want to use it instead.
Second, how do you get the Contacts from your public folder contacts
list to this new address book or to your "Address Book [On My Computer]"?
You have to add that contacts list to your "Subscribed Public Folders"
as you've already done. It now appears under your Exchange account along
with all your other address books when you're in the Address Book view
in Entourage.
The next step can be simply to select your public folder address book to
view all the contacts, use Command-A to select all of them and drag them
into your address book that you've set up to sync.
(Incidentally, if you're syncing your iPhone to your Exchange Server via
ActiveSync then this extra Exchange address book appears as a new
address book on your iPhone too.)
Third, how do you get the public folder contacts list to stay in sync
with the address book that you're syncing?
This could possibly be done with an AppleScript but it would have to be
complex enough to compare differences between the two lists. If all
you're doing is a one-way copy from the public folder list to your
syncing address book then it could be a lot easier.
If anyone has already written an AppleScript to sync contacts between
two address books then the effort may have already been done. On this I
have no idea.
Hope this helps!
--
bill
William M. Smith, Microsoft Interop MVP - Mac/Windows
Entourage Help Page <
http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <
http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <
http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>
