Mapping Fields when Importing Contacts

[Superbonbon16]

I am trying to import contact files to Outlook from a CSV file (previously
created from Contacts in Windows Mail).
When I get to the mapping window, I cannot drag the items from my CSV files
to the Outlook fields on the right as required because the fields in the left
box (from the CSV file) are «stuck» in one field. This is what it looks like:
name;surname;fullname;email;...
field 2
field 3
field 4
I have tried everything, it seems, without any success, to seperate the
fields in the left box and finally be able to map my data.
Is there something I am missing?

 

[Karl Timmermans]

On first glance it appears that the CSV file was created on a system with
different regional settings then the one you are using to import the file.

MS Office (not absolutely sure about Win Mail) uses the "list separator"
assigned in the regional settings for CSV files (making the term <comma
separated values> somewhat of a misnomer in those cases - so my guess is
from looking at "name;surname;fullname........." is that the system used to
create the file was one set using the semi-colon as the list separator and
the one you are using to import the file is using a comma "," (or anything
other than a semi-colon). Not entirely sure what the field 2 / field 3 etc
is all about other than it being a multi-line field not correctly
"qualified". Without reviewing the CSV file itself - impossible to be
absolutely certain.

And if the above does not describe your scenario - then the answer is that
you don't have a properly constructed CSV file (comma separated values) -
what you in fact have is a "custom-delimited" file. In general, MS products
create perfect CSV files (with the anomaly of the list-separator character
and systems with different regional settings).

Karl
______________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer/DataPorter/Exporter/Toolkit
"Contact import/export/data management tools for Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP]]

From your description, it looks like the file is not comma-delimited at all,
but a mix of comma and semi-colon delimiters. You might try opening it in
Word or WordPad and doing a search-and-replace to replace the semi-colons
with commas.