Obsidian VCF Contacts Plugin

Introducing the Obsidian Contacts Plugin! With this plugin, you can easily organize and manage your contacts within Obsidian. Simply create a note within the contacts folder and use the plugin's features to quickly add to, search, link and sort through your contacts. Contacts plugin also helps you to organize, import, and export to for example email clients or google contacts, remember birthdays and more.

📌 Installation

🔄 Automatic (Community Plugins)

Open Obsidian Settings → Community Plugins
Disable Safe Mode if enabled
Click Browse, search for "VCF Contacts"
Click Install and then Enable

📥 Manual Installation

Download from github main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the Releases.
Create a folder in your Obsidian vault:
📂 <VaultFolder>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-vcf-contacts
Move the downloaded files into this folder.
Restart Obsidian and enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins.

🚀 Usage

Once enabled, the plugin allows you to import, export, and manage contacts within Obsidian. 🔹 Before You Start: Set Up a Contacts Folder

To keep your contacts organized, create a dedicated contacts folder and set it in the plugin settings:

Open Settings in Obsidian.
Navigate to the Contacts tab.
Set "Contacts Folder Location" to an existing folder.

📥 Importing a vCard or Contact Database

Open the Contacts sidebar from the left main dock.
The Contacts plugin interface will appear, displaying the main functions at the top.
Click "Import VCF" and load your .vcf file (single or database).
If your contact data is inconsistent (which is common 😉), you'll be prompted to enter:
    Given Name (First Name)
    Family Name (Last Name)
    These fields are required, as they are used as the main identifier within the plugin.

📤 Exporting a vCard

Click the "Export VCF" button in the Contacts plugin interface or on a single contact.
Choose where to save the .vcf file.
The file will be generated in vCard 4.0 format.

📞 Click-to-Call & Quick Copy

Click on a phone number or email address to initiate a call or open your email client.
Right-click on any displayed property and select "Copy to Clipboard" to quickly copy the value.

➕ Creating a New Contact from Scratch

Click the "Create Contact" button in the Contacts plugin interface.
Enter Given Name and Family Name (required).
Add additional contact details (phone, email, address, etc. etc.).
Your contact is now saved in Obsidian and can be exported as a .vcf file when needed.
Feel free to add more data as long as they match with the VCF schema patterns.
It's just another obsidian markdown file so link, write as you prefer.

🔎 Searching for Contacts

If you, like me, have more than a thousand contacts, a quick search is essential. Fortunately, Obsidian’s Quick Switcher makes finding contacts instant and effortless.

🔹 Using the Quick Switcher

Press Ctrl + O (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + O (Mac).
Start typing a part of the contact’s name.
Select the contact from the list and press Enter to open it.
The contacts overview will automatically scroll to the selected contact card.

This method ensures that you can quickly navigate to any contact without manually searching through your files. 🚀

📖 Understanding the vCard (VCF) Format

The vCard (VCF) format is a widely used standard for storing and exchanging contact information. It allows for structured data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, profile photos, and more.

For an in-depth explanation, refer to the official vCard 4.0 specification:
📜 RFC 6350

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📌 Example vCard Entry (Foo Bar)

Here’s an example vCard entry for Foo Bar, demonstrating fake yet recognizable data:

---
N.GN: Foo  # Given Name (First Name)
N.FN: Bar  # Family Name (Last Name)
EMAIL[HOME]: "foo.bar@example.com"  # Personal Email
EMAIL[WORK]: "foo.bar@corporate.fake"  # Work Email
TEL[CELL]: "+1234567890"  # Mobile Phone
TEL[HOME]: "+1987654321"  # Home Phone
TEL[WORK]: "+1098765432"  # Work Phone
BDAY: "1985-12-31"  # Birthday (YYYY-MM-DD)
URL[HOME]: "https://foobar.example.com"  # Personal Website
URL[WORK]: "https://company.fake/foobar"  # Work Website
PHOTO: "https://picsum.photos/200"  # Profile Picture URL
ADR[HOME].STREET: "123 Fake Street"  # Home Address - Street
ADR[HOME].LOCALITY: "Faketown"  # Home Address - City
ADR[HOME].POSTAL: "00000"  # Home Address - Postal Code
ADR[HOME].COUNTRY: "Nowhere Land"  # Home Address - Country
CATEGORIES: "Work, Club"  # Contact Categories
VERSION: "4.0"  # vCard Format Version
---
#### Notes  
Additional information about Foo Bar.

#Contact

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📌 Supported vCard Fields

Below are just a few of the supported vCard fields and their human-readable descriptions .

📞 Basic Contact Information

vCard Field	Readable Name	Format Example
VERSION	vCard Version	4.0
N.PREFIX	Name Prefix (e.g., Mr., Dr.)	Dr.
N.GN	Given Name (First Name)	Foo
N.MN	Middle Name	Middleton
N.FN	Family Name (Last Name)	Bar
N.SUFFIX	Name Suffix (e.g., Jr., Sr., III)	Jr.
FN	Full Name	Foo Bar
NICKNAME	Nickname	Foobar
EMAIL[HOME]	Personal Email	foo.bar@example.com
EMAIL[WORK]	Work Email	foo.bar@corporate.fake
TEL[CELL]	Mobile Phone Number	+1234567890
TEL[HOME]	Home Phone Number	+1987654321
TEL[WORK]	Work Phone Number	+1098765432
BDAY	Birthday Date	1985-12-31 (YYYY-MM-DD)
GENDER	Gender	M / F / X
ORG	Organization Name	FakeCorp Inc.
TITLE	Job Title	Senior Developer
ROLE	Job Role	Software Engineer

---

🏠 Address Fields

vCard Field	Readable Name	Format Example
ADR[HOME].STREET	Home Address - Street	123 Fake Street
ADR[HOME].LOCALITY	Home Address - City	Faketown
ADR[HOME].REGION	Home Address - State/Province	FakeState
ADR[HOME].POSTAL	Home Address - Postal Code	00000
ADR[HOME].COUNTRY	Home Address - Country	Nowhere Land
ADR[WORK].STREET	Work Address - Street	789 Corporate Ave
ADR[WORK].LOCALITY	Work Address - City	Business City
ADR[WORK].REGION	Work Address - State/Province	IndustryState
ADR[WORK].POSTAL	Work Address - Postal Code	99999
ADR[WORK].COUNTRY	Work Address - Country	Enterprise Land

---

🌐 Online Presence

vCard Field	Readable Name	Format Example
URL[HOME]	Personal Website URL	https://foobar.example.com
URL[WORK]	Work Website URL	https://company.fake/foobar
SOCIALPROFILE[facebook]	Facebook Profile	https://facebook.com/foobar
SOCIALPROFILE[twitter]	Twitter Profile	https://twitter.com/foobar
SOCIALPROFILE[linkedin]	LinkedIn Profile	https://linkedin.com/in/foobar

---

🖼️ Profile Photo

vCard Field	Readable Name	Format Example
PHOTO	Profile Picture URL	https://example.com/photos/foo-bar.jpg

---

🗂️ Categorization & Metadata

vCard Field	Readable Name	Format Example
CATEGORIES	Categories (Tags)	Work, Friends
CLASS	Classification (Privacy Level)	public / private
REV	Last Updated Timestamp	20240312T123456Z (ISO 8601)
SOURCE	vCard Source URL	https://example.com/foo-bar.vcf
UID	Unique Identifier	foo-bar-uuid-1234

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🚀 Why This Format and Why a Plugin for Obsidian.

For many of us, using Obsidian is like brewing a perfect cup of coffee—it kick-starts our productivity and fills our day with energy. Linking up the Obsidian knowledge vault with the people we meet or work with was always a pain point for me. To be honest, contact databases never seem to sync up as I want them to!

✔ vCard 4.0 ensures your contacts are as tidy as your favorite playlist.
✔ Effortlessly import/export contacts, making transitions smoother than your morning routine.
✔ Fully supports major vCard fields for a contact experience that's both fun and functional.
✔ Link up your knowledge vault with something extremely important: the people in our lives.
✔ Add a dash of joy to your everyday workflow—because organization brings productivity and happy routines!

Wishing you an inspiring journey with your enhanced contact experience. ** Start using the plugin today and share your thoughts in the community comments!**