View source for MailNews:Address Book Native Formats

Address Book currently uses the MailNews mork format (*.mab). This has its limitations and we are considering rewriting the storage system for local address books to an improved format.

Here are some possibilities (from what I've seen in bugs and discussions on IRC):

* sqlite
* vcard based
* xml based
** I vote for xml based format. It is simply to wait and easily expandable (also with a simple text editor). --[[User:Griffin|Griffin]] 00:17, 8 Oct 2005 (GMT+01:00)

In due course we want to have the pros and cons for each of the formats and why some may be more suitable than others. So if you can think of a suitable format (for local storage), please add it to the list. Note that interfacing formats can be found under [[MailNews:Address Book Interface Formats]].

--[[User:Standard8|Standard8]] 14:09, 8 Sep 2005 (PDT)

The items below are my first attempt and are still WIP. --[[User:Standard8|Standard8]] 05:19, 28 Dec 2005 (PST)

== Mork (mdb) ==

Advantages

* We already use it ;-)

Disadvantages

*

== Sqlite ==

Advantages

* Proper database format and facilities. This should provide faster searching and better management.
* Mozilla code base already has an implementation
* Database locking already in place (?)
* Follows the [[Mozilla2:Unified Storage]] suggestions

Disadvantages

* File format isn't readable by humans - is this really a problem?

== VCard & XML Based ==

Advantages

* Readable by humans/others.

Disadvantages

* Readable by humans/others - how do we deal with file locking issues? what happens if something changes the file underneath us?
* Slower processing - these formats typically take longer to process.
* Doesn't follow the [[Mozilla2:Unified Storage]] suggestions