This topic

Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 15:21:12 GMT

Imported database of phone numbers to Hub Manager. Would not import consistently records with more than one tel number. Ie home and mobile.

the moment you try the edit function on any phone it fails to update even thought it says saved and then corrupts the file such that many of the records disappear with error message.

result database is unusable.

BT Executive Office are saying you can’t import files, every one of the 500 capacity has to be entered MANUALLY!!!

anyone managed to get it work?

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

Anonymous — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 16:02:12 GMT

Have a look at this post, which suggests the VCF requires substantial editing before being uploaded.

Re: Digital Voice - make sure to back up your Contacts regularly...

crg511 — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 16:11:35 GMT

Thanks your suggestion makes sense but obviously time consuming.
It looks as if Apple are at fault in generating a faulty .vcf file?
I spoke to Apple because initially the file had hundreds of lines reflecting a photo for the contact, which didn’t disappear when the photo was deleted.
Maybe my vitriol at BT is unjust?

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

VeteranISPUser — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 16:14:46 GMT

Hi @crg511 I would enter a couple manually, including the home, work and mobile numbers and then export them to give you a template. I used Gmail contacts (over 150) and export to vCard to import in to the SH2. No changes required, but make sure there are no spaces or formatting in the telephone numbers. I.e. 01234567890 and not 01234 567890.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 18:56:00 GMT

Thanks appreciate the help, better than what you get from BT.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 08:06:23 GMT

Thanks……I will experiment………

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:47:46 GMT

I have opened then vcl file in Notes and corrected the TYPE and removed the space between the dealing code and the number. Now I'm in trouble!!!! How do I turn that Notes file into a vcl file?

Google suggests I import it into Contacts and then create a new vcl file but struggling with the importation....

Any suggestions please!!

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

VeteranISPUser — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:06:57 GMT

@crg511wrote:
I have opened then vcl file in Notes and corrected the TYPE and removed the space between the dealing code and the number. Now I'm in trouble!!!! How do I turn that Notes file into a vcl file?

Hi @crg511

Use Notepad or any other text editor. The .vcf (vCard) is just a simple text file. Simply edit it in Notepad, save and import to SH2. Export first, edit that file and import as it replaces everything in SH2.

I have one central contact list in Outlook, and that is the only contact list I maintain. It may sound complicated, but I export my contacts from outlook (default mapping) to .csv. Import the .csv to a temporary Gmail contact list. Export from Gmail to vCard. And then I used to import to SH2.

All my telephone numbers in Outlook have all their formatting and spaces removed.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:20:58 GMT

That's great...unfortunately my Outlook software stopped working years ago and I sort of migrated to Apple and so use their Contacts database. But it looks as if the only tel no format includes a space between the area and phone number. Having said that the number appears correctly on the phone. The trouble is that if the vcl file has more than number per person only one is appearing on the phone. Then if I try to edit the phone by adding a number it all crashes with just to contacts left!!!!! Nightmare and BT haven't a clue!!!!!

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

licquorice — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:27:40 GMT

Did you actually look at message 10 of the thread @Anonymous posted? It gives the syntax required.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-make-sure-to-back-up-your-Contacts-regularly/m-p/2387071#M97998

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 18:49:59 GMT

I did and I religiously corrected the vcf file opened in Apples Notes.
I’ve spoken to Apple but they’re not really able to help. I have a corrected Notes file, but I cannot see how to get those changes back into a vcf file. The Notes file is saved but how do you get converted into a vcf file. Goggle says import into Apples Contacts file and then export that as a vcf, but I can’t see how to do the importation. I’m also concerned about the space between the area code and the number, Apple defaults to creating the space.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

licquorice — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 19:26:45 GMT

No idea about Apple devices, they do things differently to everyone else.

Editing in notepad with Windows is a doddle and just works. Save the file with .vcf extension.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 19:38:56 GMT

Thanks, I still have a Windows machine. I’ll see if I can navigate as you’ve suggested. Thanks again!

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

licquorice — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:10:46 GMT

I've just checked my contacts in notepad.

Not sure of the relevance of the semi colons (;) after the surname, but I only have 3 rather than the 4 shown in the other thread.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:17:50 GMT

Well although I tried to remove the space between the numbers, the vcf imported the numbers WITH the space OK and appeared correctly in the phone listing, although I’ve yet to actually dial a number using the database. As I’ve said already it’s the editing that fouls everything up! Hey Hoy

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

licquorice — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:26:17 GMT

When I created my contacts list on moving to Digital Voice, I created the first contact using the supplied DV handset and then simply used that as a template, editing it with all the rest of my contacts in Notepad.

The syntax is exactly the same as that posted with the exception of the number of semi colons as previously described.

Are you sure you are using colons rather than semi colons in this part TYPE=home:tel:home_tel

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 20:34:12 GMT

Thanks…..I’ll take another look tomorrow afternoon using my old windows machine……

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 17:26:05 GMT

Update:

was able to correct and save the files as indicated using the Windows machine. Checked that the corrections had been saved. Imported to BT hub.
some of the records included more than ONE telephone number but, as before, only ONE appeared in the directory.

only improvement: although the edit record still didn’t work, this time it didn’t crash the database.

solution: just have one number per person???!!

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:41:00 GMT

Just as amazing..,,,,tried to edit one contact by adding a second number and it correctly added it.

but when I immediately tried a second contact it reverted to saying it was saved but no second number appeared.

Re: Contacts Database of Phone Numbers

crg511 — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 20:28:11 GMT

Having had exhausted conversations with BT Executives Office, I’m wondering just how many users of an imported cvf, created telephone number database on a BT Digital Voice Hub, have managed to import multiple numbers per person and carried out successful editing?