Updating contacts to Gmail

[kbcadmin]

We are using gmail instead of Outlook.
I am having trouble exporting my contacts to gmail like I would have done with Outlook. Is there a way to accomplish this?

[NeilZ]

We are using gmail instead of Outlook.
I am having trouble exporting my contacts to gmail like I would have done with Outlook. Is there a way to accomplish this?

I don't believe so there is a direct way. I believe Powerchurch uses a Microsoft interface to directly update Outlook files. Gmail is a web-based system, thus there are no files locally to update.

That said, there are a few things you could do:

1. Use Outlook with Gmail. You can setup Gmail as a standard IMAP server with Outlook as a client. Instructions are here:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answ ... swer=75725

2. Create a CSV file using the Export DATA function either on the Family Mailing List or Personal Profile Level. This function will allow you to create the CSV file in the format expected by Gmail. You can then import the file. Instructions to do this are here:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answ ... swer=12119

3. A variation on 2, where you update your Outlook contacts, then export the file as a CSV file using Outlook's export function.

Hope this helps.

[Miles]

We ran into the same problem after our email system was changed over to gmail.

I had our bookeeper export the contacts from Powerchurch as an Excel file. Then I created an Excel file that linked to the exported Powerchurch file and on a seperate sheet, combined the address field, and labeled the fields in a way that I knew gmail would like(this was the hard part).

Finally I created a batch file that created a new google friendly CSV file from this new Excel sheet.

All I need to do now is run the batch file and import the newly created CSV file into the gmail contacts.

Feel free to email me and I can send you the files so you can see what I did.
Hope this helps fellow gmailers!
-Miles

[NeilZ]

I hate to say this, but if you have Outlook on your system, having PC+ update Outlook, then having Outlook create the CSV file would be much easier, and it eliminates a few steps.

[Miles]

We don't use Outlook anymore.

So, can you now combine the address field in PC+ when you update Outlook? Normally Outlook separates the address into the fields; street, city, state, zip. In order for the address field to be read properly in Gmail, it takes the entire address into one field. This allows a quick link to map their location with Google Maps. This can also work when linking your gmail contacts to your phone. One click on their address and you've got a map to their house.

In the past we exported the CSV from Outlook to Gmail and it threw their address into the notes field, which pretty much made that info worthless.

This was one of the reasons we went with the solution we did. If there is a way to combine the address field inside Outlook or PC+, please let me know.
Thanks!

[NeilZ]

We don't use Outlook anymore.

So, can you now combine the address field in PC+ when you update Outlook? Normally Outlook separates the address into the fields; street, city, state, zip. In order for the address field to be read properly in Gmail, it takes the entire address into one field. This allows a quick link to map their location with Google Maps. This can also work when linking your gmail contacts to your phone. One click on their address and you've got a map to their house.

In the past we exported the CSV from Outlook to Gmail and it threw their address into the notes field, which pretty much made that info worthless.

This was one of the reasons we went with the solution we did. If there is a way to combine the address field inside Outlook or PC+, please let me know.
Thanks!

Strange ... as Microsoft offers this procedure to export to Gmail:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlo ... 21033.aspx

And GMAIL basically says the same thing. You may have to verify what Outlook is exporting by using the MAP Custom Fields, but is it supposedly straightforward ... (famous last words) ...