JSContact: Converting from and to vCard IIT-CNR/Registro.it
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art calext JSON contacts vCard jCard This document defines how to convert contact information between the JSContact and vCard data formats. It defines conversion rules for every JSContact and vCard element registered at IANA at the time of publication. It also defines new JSContact properties as well as vCard properties and parameters, to support converting arbitrary or unknown JSContact and vCard elements.
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Table of Contents
  • .  Introduction
    • .  Motivation
    • .  Notational Conventions
    • .  ABNF Notations
  • .  Converting vCard to JSContact
    • .  General Rules
      • .  The Card uid Property
      • .  Choosing Identifiers
    • .  vCard Value Data Types
      • .  BOOLEAN
      • .  DATE, TIME, DATE-TIME, DATE-AND-OR-TIME, and TIMESTAMP
      • .  INTEGER
      • .  FLOAT
      • .  LANGUAGE-TAG
      • .  TEXT
      • .  URI
      • .  UTC-OFFSET
    • .  vCard Parameters
      • .  ALTID
      • .  AUTHOR
      • .  AUTHOR-NAME
      • .  CALSCALE
      • .  CC
      • .  CREATED
      • .  DERIVED
      • .  GEO
      • .  GROUP
      • . INDEX
      • . LANGUAGE
      • . LABEL
      • . LEVEL
      • . MEDIATYPE
      • . PHONETIC
      • . PID
      • . PREF
      • . PROP-ID
      • . SCRIPT
      • . SERVICE-TYPE
      • . SORT-AS
      • . TYPE
      • . TZ
      • . USERNAME
      • . VALUE
    • .  General Properties
      • .  BEGIN and END
      • .  KIND
      • .  SOURCE
      • .  XML
    • .  Identification Properties
      • .  ANNIVERSARY, BDAY, BIRTHPLACE, DEATHDATE, and DEATHPLACE
      • .  FN
      • .  GENDER
      • .  GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS
      • .  N
      • .  NICKNAME
      • .  PHOTO
    • .  Delivery Addressing Properties
      • .  ADR
    • .  Communications Properties
      • .  EMAIL
      • .  IMPP
      • .  LANG
      • .  LANGUAGE
      • .  SOCIALPROFILE
      • .  TEL
    • .  Geographical Properties
      • .  GEO
      • .  TZ
      • .  Combining Geographical Properties
    • .  Organizational Properties
      • .  CONTACT-URI
      • .  LOGO
      • .  MEMBER
      • .  ORG
      • .  RELATED
      • .  TITLE and ROLE
    • . Personal Information Properties
      • .  EXPERTISE
      • .  HOBBY
      • .  INTEREST
      • .  ORG-DIRECTORY
    • . Explanatory Properties
      • .  CATEGORIES
      • .  CLIENTPIDMAP
      • .  CREATED
      • .  NOTE
      • .  PRODID
      • .  REV
      • .  SOUND
      • .  UID
      • .  URL
      • . VERSION
      • . X-ABLabel
    • . Security Properties
      • .  KEY
    • . Calendar Properties
      • .  CALADRURI
      • .  CALURI
      • .  FBURL
    • . Extended Properties and Parameters
    • . New JSContact Properties
      • .  vCardProps
      • .  vCardParams
      • .  vCardName
  • .  Converting JSContact to vCard
    • .  Conversion Rules
      • .  Converting Unknown Properties
    • .  New vCard Properties
      • .  JSPROP
    • .  New vCard Parameters
      • .  JSCOMPS
      • .  JSPTR
  • .  Security Considerations
  • .  IANA Considerations
    • .  New vCard Property
    • .  New vCard Parameter
    • .  New JSContact Properties
    • .  New JSContact Type
  • .  References
    • .  Normative References
    • .  Informative References
  • .  Reverse Rules of Converting a vCard to a JSContact Card
  • Acknowledgements
  • Authors' Addresses
Introduction
Motivation The JSContact data model and format aims to be an alternative to the widely used vCard standard and jCard format . While applications might prefer JSContact to exchange contact card data with other systems, they are likely to interoperate with services and clients that only support vCard or jCard. Similarly, existing contact data providers and consumers already using vCard or jCard might also want to represent their contact data in JSContact. To achieve this, this document defines standard rules to convert contact data between JSContact and vCard (and consequently jCard).
Notational Conventions The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.
ABNF Notations The ABNF definitions in this document use the notations of . ABNF rules not defined in this document are defined in either (such as the ABNF for CRLF, WSP, DQUOTE, VCHAR, ALPHA, and DIGIT) or .
Converting vCard to JSContact This section contains the conversion rules from the vCard to the JSContact Card. It follows the same structure as vCard v4 . Properties and parameters of vCard extension RFCs, including those described in "vCard Format Extension for JSContact" , have been added to the appropriate subsections.
General Rules
The Card uid Property The UID property () in vCard is optional, but the Card object's uid property () is mandatory. Implementations that convert a vCard without a UID property MUST generate a unique identifier as value for the uid property. This value SHOULD be the same when converting the same vCard multiple times, but how to achieve this is implementation-specific.
Choosing Identifiers Multivalued properties in JSContact are typically represented as a JSON object where the object keys are of the Id type () and the object values are the converted vCard property. In the absence of the PROP-ID parameter (see ), implementations are free to choose any identifier as key for such entries. Whatever identifier generation scheme implementations use, they MUST generate values that are valid according to the definition of the Id type in . For example, this could be an incrementing number across all identifier keys in the Card object or only unique within one JSON object.
vCard Value Data Types
BOOLEAN The BOOLEAN type () converts to the JSContact Boolean type ().
DATE, TIME, DATE-TIME, DATE-AND-OR-TIME, and TIMESTAMP The TIMESTAMP type () converts to the UTCDateTime type (), except for anniversaries. For anniversaries, it converts to the Timestamp type (). The DATE type () converts to a PartialDate object () when used for an anniversary, unless the DATE value only contains a month or a day (but not both). The following temporal types do not convert to a JSContact datetime type. Instead, vCard properties or parameters having such value types convert as defined in .
  • TIME ()
  • DATE-TIME ()
  • DATE-AND-OR-TIME ()
  • DATE type values that only define a month or day (but not both)
INTEGER The INTEGER type () converts to the JSContact Int and UnsignedInt types ().
FLOAT The FLOAT type () converts to the JSContact Number type ().
LANGUAGE-TAG The LANGUAGE-TAG type () converts to the JSContact String type (). The value MUST be a language tag as defined in .
TEXT The TEXT type () converts to the JSContact String type ().
URI The URI type () converts to the JSContact String type (). The value MUST be a URI as defined in
UTC-OFFSET The UTC-OFFSET type () either converts to a String value containing an IANA Time Zone Database entry name (see ) or does not convert to any JSContact type. For the latter, vCard properties or parameters having such values convert as defined in .
vCard Parameters This section contains the conversion rules for vCard parameters. A rule typically applies only for specific vCard properties. To convert a vCard parameter on an arbitrary vCard property, see .
ALTID The ALTID parameter () does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact, but several conversion rules make use of this parameter to combine multiple vCard properties into a single JSContact object instance. For an example of this, see . To preserve the verbatim value of the ALTID parameter, set the JSContact properties defined in .
AUTHOR The AUTHOR parameter () on a NOTE property converts to the Author object's uri property (). That Author object is set as the value of the Note object's author property ().
AUTHOR-NAME The AUTHOR-NAME parameter () on a NOTE property converts to the Author object's name property (). That Author object is set as the value of the Note object's author property.
CALSCALE The CALSCALE parameter () set on a BDAY, DEATHDATE, or ANNIVERSARY property converts to the PartialDate object's calendarScale property ().
CC The CC parameter () on an ADR property converts to the Address object's countryCode property ().
CREATED The CREATED parameter () on a NOTE property converts to the Note object's created property ().
DERIVED The DERIVED parameter () does not convert to JSContact. If the DERIVED parameter is set to "true" on a vCard property, then implementations MAY choose not to convert that property.
GEO The GEO parameter () set on an ADR property converts to the Address object's coordinates property ().
GROUP The GROUP parameter () does not convert to JSContact. It exclusively is for use in jCard and MUST NOT be set in a vCard. Preserving the exact group name when converting from vCard to JSContact and back to vCard is not necessary. Any group identifiers will do, as long as the resulting vCard groups its properties equally to the original vCard. Implementations that still wish to preserve the exact property group name of a vCard property MAY set the jCard "group" parameter in the JSContact properties vCardProps or vCardParams as defined in .
Example of How to Preserve the Group Name in vCardParams during Conversion item1.TEL;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 "phones": { "p1": { "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555", "vCardParams" : { "group" : "item1" } } }
Example of How to Preserve the Group Name in vCardProps during Conversion item2.X-FOO:bar "vCardProps": [ ["x-foo", { "group": "item2" }, "unknown", "bar"] ]
INDEX The INDEX parameter () set on the EXPERTISE, HOBBY, INTEREST, and ORG-DIRECTORY properties converts to the PersonalInfo () and Directory () objects' listAs property.
LANGUAGE The LANGUAGE parameter () converts to an entry in the Card object's localizations property () for that vCard property on which this parameter is set on. The value of the LANGUAGE parameter defines the language tag key in the localizations property. This specification does not define a single standard conversion rule for how to convert the property values. Instead, building the localizations value is implementation-specific. Two options to populate the localizations property are:
  • One Patch per Property: For each vCard property with a LANGUAGE parameter, set the complete path in the PatchObject to the JSContact property that the vCard property converts to. The value of the patch is the converted property value. This is simple to process and adequate if the vCard only contains a few properties with the LANGUAGE parameter.
  • Bundle Patches by Parent: If a PatchObject contains multiple paths that have the same parent paths, then it might be possible to combine these patches into one patch that patches the parent property. This is possible if the property in the Card is patched in its entirety.
Generally, localizations only localize properties that are present in the non-localized version of this Card. illustrates this.
LANGUAGE Conversion Example: One Dominant Language FN;LANGUAGE=EN:John Doe TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=EN:Boss TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron "language": "en", "name": { "full": "John Doe" }, "titles": { "t1": { "name": "Boss" } }, "localizations": { "fr": { "titles/t1/name": "Patron" } }
As a special case, if one or more vCard properties of the same type do not have the LANGUAGE parameter set, add them to the non-localized Card. Convert any with LANGUAGE parameters to the localizations property. illustrates this.
LANGUAGE Conversion Example: Property without Language FN:John Doe TITLE;ALTID=1:Boss TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron "name": { "full": "John Doe" }, "titles": { "t1": { "name": "Boss" } }, "localizations": { "fr": { "titles/t1/name": "Patron" } }
LABEL The LABEL parameter () on an ADR property converts to the Address object's full property ().
LEVEL The LEVEL parameter () converts to the PersonalInfo object's level property (). If this parameter is set on the EXPERTISE property, then its values convert as follows:
  • "beginner" converts to "low";
  • "average" converts to "medium"; and
  • "expert" converts to "high".
In all other cases, the values convert verbatim, but lowercase MUST be used for the JSContact value.
MEDIATYPE The MEDIATYPE parameter () converts to the Resource object's mediaType property ().
PHONETIC The PHONETIC parameter () converts to the Name () and Address () objects' phoneticSystem property unless the parameter value is "script", in which case the phoneticSystem property is not set. The value of the SCRIPT parameter converts to the phoneticScript property (see ). The related N or ADR property is defined by the vCard ALTID parameter. The conversion rules for the N and ADR properties define how the vCard components convert to JSContact. The component values of the property on which the PHONETIC parameter is set convert to the respective NameComponent or AddressComponent objects' phonetic properties. If more than one property has the PHONETIC parameter set and relates to the same property, then they convert to the Card object's localizations property according to their LANGUAGE parameter values as outlined in .
PHONETIC Conversion Example LANGUAGE=zh-Hant N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=zh-Hant:孫;中山;文,逸仙;; N;ALTID=1;PHONETIC=jyut; SCRIPT=Latn;LANGUAGE=yue:syun1;zung1saan1;man4,jat6sin1;; "language": "zh-Hant", "name": { "components": [ { "kind": "surname", "value": "孫" }, { "kind": "given", "value": "中山" }, { "kind": "given2", "value": "文" }, { "kind": "given2", "value": "逸仙" } ] }, "localizations": { "yue": { "name/phoneticSystem": "jyut", "name/phoneticScript": "Latn", "name/components/0/phonetic": "syun1", "name/components/1/phonetic": "zung1saan1", "name/components/2/phonetic": "man4", "name/components/3/phonetic": "jat6sin1" } }
PID The PID parameter () converts to the vCardParams property; see .
PREF The PREF parameter () converts to the pref property of the derived JSContact object.
PROP-ID The PROP-ID parameter () converts to the Id-typed key of the derived JSContact object.
PROP-ID Conversion Example TEL;PROP-ID=PHONE-A;VALUE=uri;PREF=1;TYPE="voice,home" :tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555 TEL;PROP-ID=PHONE-B;VALUE=uri;TYPE=home :tel:+33-01-23-45-67 "phones": { "PHONE-A": { "contexts": { "private": true }, "features": { "voice": true }, "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555", "pref": 1 }, "PHONE-B": { "contexts": { "private": true }, "number": "tel:+33-01-23-45-67" } }
SCRIPT The SCRIPT parameter () converts to the Name () or Address () objects' phoneticScript property. Also see .
SERVICE-TYPE The SERVICE-TYPE parameter () converts to the OnlineService object's service property ().
SORT-AS The SORT-AS parameter () converts to the Name, Organization, and OrgUnit objects' sortAs properties.
TYPE The TYPE parameter () converts to either the contexts property or the kind property, as defined in later sections. If not otherwise specified, the vCard "home" and "work" parameter values convert to the JSContact "private" and "work" contexts, respectively.
TZ The TZ parameter () on an ADR property converts to the Address object's timeZone property (). Also see the conversion of the TZ property in .
USERNAME The USERNAME parameter () converts to the OnlineService object's user property ().
VALUE The VALUE parameter () does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact. To preserve properties with experimental values, see Sections and .
General Properties
BEGIN and END The BEGIN and END properties do not convert to IANA-registered properties in JSContact.
KIND The KIND property () converts to the kind property (). Allowed values are those described in and extended with the values declared in and .
KIND Conversion Example KIND:individual "kind": "individual"
SOURCE The SOURCE property () converts to a Directory object () in the Card object's directories property (). The Directory object's kind property is set to "entry". The uri property is set to the SOURCE property value. The PREF and MEDIATYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
SOURCE Conversion Example SOURCE:https://dir.example.com/addrbook/jdoe/Jean%20Dupont.vcf "directories": { "ENTRY-1": { "kind": "entry", "uri": "https://dir.example.com/addrbook/jdoe/Jean%20Dupont.vcf" } }
XML The XML property () converts to the vCardProps property; see .
Identification Properties
ANNIVERSARY, BDAY, BIRTHPLACE, DEATHDATE, and DEATHPLACE The following properties all convert to Anniversary objects in the Card object's anniversaries property ():
  • ANNIVERSARY ()
  • BDAY ()
  • BIRTHPLACE ()
  • DEATHDATE ()
  • DEATHPLACE ()
BDAY and BIRTHPLACE convert to an Anniversary object () having the date and place properties set. The kind property is set to "birth". DEATHDATE and DEATHPLACE convert to an Anniversary object having the date and place properties set. The Anniversary object's kind property is set to "death". ANNIVERSARY converts to the Anniversary object's date property. The Anniversary object's kind property is set to "wedding". If the BIRTHPLACE or DEATHPLACE property value is of type URI using the "geo:" URI scheme, then it converts to the Address object's coordinates property. If the value type is TEXT, then it converts to the Address object's full property. Otherwise, it converts to the vCardProps property; see . The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters of both the BIRTHPLACE and DEATHPLACE properties convert according to the rules defined in .
ANNIVERSARY, BDAY, BIRTHPLACE, DEATHDATE, and DEATHPLACE Conversion Example BDAY:19531015T231000Z BIRTHPLACE: 123 Main Street\nAny Town, CA 91921-1234\nU.S.A. DEATHDATE:19960415 DEATHPLACE: 5 Court Street\nNew England, ND 58647\nU.S.A. ANNIVERSARY:19860201 "anniversaries": { "ANNIVERSARY-1" : { "kind": "birth", "date": { "@type": "Timestamp", "utc": "1953-10-15T23:10:00Z" }, "place": { "full": "123 Main Street\nAny Town, CA 91921-1234\nU.S.A." } }, "ANNIVERSARY-2" : { "kind": "death", "date": { "year": 1996, "month": 4, "year": 15 }, "place": { "full": "5 Court Street\nNew England, ND 58647\nU.S.A." } }, "ANNIVERSARY-3" : { "kind": "wedding", "date": { "year": 1986, "month": 2, "day": 1 } } }
FN The FN property () converts to the Name object's full property (). If the LANGUAGE parameter is set, then the FN property converts as outlined in . In the unexpected case where the vCard contains more than one FN property without the LANGUAGE parameter, convert the FN property that has the least parameters. If multiple such FN properties are present, choose any of them. All other FN properties convert to the vCardProps property.
FN Conversion Example FN:John Q. Public, Esq. "name": { "full": "John Q. Public, Esq." }
GENDER The GENDER property () does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact. To convert this property, see . Alternatively, the Card object's speakToAs property defines how to address and refer to an individual represented by the Card, as do the newly defined vCard GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS properties of .
GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS The GRAMGENDER property () converts to the SpeakToAs object's grammaticalGender property (). The PRONOUNS property () converts to the SpeakToAs object's pronouns property ().
GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS Conversion Example GRAMGENDER:NEUTER PRONOUNS;PREF=2:they/them PRONOUNS;PREF=1:xe/xir "speakToAs": { "grammaticalGender": "neuter", "pronouns": { "PRONOUNS-1": { "pronouns": "they/them", "pref": 2 }, "PRONOUNS-2": { "pronouns": "xe/xir", "pref": 1 } } }
N The N property () converts to a Name object () in the Card object's name property. Each component in the N property structured value converts to a NameComponent in the Name object's components property. The following table shows this relation: N Components Conversion
N component NameComponent kind Remarks
Family name surname To vCard: add any "surname2" NameComponent to the Family name component, after all "surname" values.
From vCard: ignore any value that also occurs in the Secondary surname component.
Given name given
Additional name given2
Honorific prefix title
Honorific suffix credential To vCard: add any "generation" NameComponent to the Honorific suffix component.
From vCard: ignore any value that also occurs in the Generation component.
Secondary surname surname2
Generation generation
If the JSCOMPS parameter is set, then the Name object's isOrdered property value is "true", and the defaultSeparator property and any "separator" NameComponent objects are set according to the parameter value. The order in the components property MUST adhere to the order of the JSCOMPS parameter value. If the JSCOMPS parameter is not set, then the Name object's isOrdered property value is "false", and the defaultSeparator property MUST NOT be set. The order in the components property MUST follow the order of values in the N structured value when read from left to right. If the SORT-AS parameter is set, then its structured value converts to the Name object's sortAs property according to . An empty or non-existent component value indicates that no sort is defined for this kind.
N Conversion Example N;SORT-AS="Stevenson,John Philip": Stevenson;John;Philip,Paul;Dr.;Jr.,M.D.,A.C.P.;;Jr. "name": { "components":[ { "kind": "surname", "value": "Stevenson" }, { "kind": "given", "value": "John" }, { "kind": "given2", "value": "Philip" }, { "kind": "given2", "value": "Paul" }, { "kind": "title", "value": "Dr." }, { "kind": "credential", "value": "M.D." }, { "kind": "credential", "value": "A.C.P." }, { "kind": "generation", "value": "Jr." } ], "sortAs": { "surname": "Stevenson", "given": "John Philip" } }
See for examples of using the JSCOMPS parameter for vCard-structured property values.
NICKNAME The NICKNAME property () converts to a Nickname object () in the Card object's nicknames property (). The name property is set to the NICKNAME property value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
NICKNAME Conversion Example NICKNAME:Johnny "nicknames": { "NICK-1": { "name": "Johnny" } }
PHOTO The PHOTO property () converts to a Media object () in the Card object's media property (). The Media object's kind property is set to "photo" and the uri property is set to the PHOTO value. The PREF and MEDIATYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
PHOTO Conversion Example PHOTO:https://www.example.com/pub/photos/jqpublic.gif "media": { "PHOTO-1": { "kind": "photo", "uri": "https://www.example.com/pub/photos/jqpublic.gif" } }
Delivery Addressing Properties
ADR The ADR property () converts to an Address object () in the Card object's addresses property. Each component in the ADR-structured property value converts to an AddressComponent in the Address object's components property. defines new components for the ADR property. Implementations SHOULD set these new components, even if all their values are the empty string. The following table shows how the ADR component and AddressComponent kind relate: ADR Components Conversion
ADR component AddressComponent kind Remarks
post office box postOfficeBox recommends that this component not be set, but this is now disputable given the new components. Instead, set this component and use the new ADR value format defined in .
extended address apartment To vCard: set the values of the following components:
  • room
  • floor
  • apartment
  • building
From vCard: ignore if the ADR structured value is of the format defined in . Otherwise, convert to "apartment".
street address name To vCard: set the values of the following components:
  • number
  • name
  • block
  • direction
  • landmark
  • subdistrict
  • district
From vCard: ignore if the ADR structured value is of the format defined in . Otherwise, convert to "name".
locality locality
region region
postal code postcode
apartment apartment Defined in .
block block Defined in .
building building Defined in .
direction direction Defined in .
district district Defined in .
floor floor Defined in .
landmark landmark Defined in .
room room Defined in .
street number number Defined in .
subdistrict subdistrict Defined in .
If the JSCOMPS parameter is set, then the Address object's isOrdered property value is "true", and the defaultSeparator property and any separator name components are set according to the parameter value. The order in the components property MUST adhere to the order of the JSCOMPS parameter value. If the JSCOMPS parameter is not set, then the Address object's isOrdered property value is "false", and the defaultSeparator property MUST NOT be set. The order in the components property MUST follow the order of values in the ADR structured value when read from left to right.
  • The LABEL parameter converts to the Address object's full property.
  • The GEO parameter converts to the Address object's coordinates property.
  • The TZ parameter converts to the Address object's timeZone property.
  • The CC parameter converts to the Address object's countryCode property.
The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in . The ADR-specific values of the TYPE parameter defined in Sections and of convert to the corresponding entries of the contexts property as defined in . The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules defined in . Each possible language-dependent alternative converts to an entry of the PatchObject where the key references the full property.
ADR Conversion Example ADR;TYPE=work;CC=US: ;;54321 Oak St;Reston;VA;20190;USA;;;;54321;Oak St;;;;;; "addresses": { "ADDR-1" : { "contexts": { "work": true }, "components": [ { "kind": "number", "value": "54321" }, { "kind": "name", "value": "Oak St" }, { "kind": "locality", "value": "Reston" }, { "kind": "region", "value": "VA" }, { "kind": "postcode", "value": "20190" }, { "kind": "country", "value": "USA" } ], "countryCode": "US" } }
See for examples of using the JSCOMPS parameter for vCard-structured property values.
Communications Properties
EMAIL The EMAIL property () converts to an EmailAddress object () in the Card object's emails property (). The EmailAddress object's address property is set to the EMAIL value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
EMAIL Conversion Example EMAIL;TYPE=work:jqpublic@xyz.example.com EMAIL;PREF=1:jane_doe@example.com "emails": { "EMAIL-1": { "contexts": { "work": true }, "address": "jqpublic@xyz.example.com" }, "EMAIL-2": { "address": "jane_doe@example.com", "pref": 1 } }
IMPP The IMPP property () converts to an OnlineService object () in the Card object's onlineServices property (). The vCardName property is set to "impp", and the uri property is set to the IMPP value. The SERVICE-TYPE, USERNAME, PREF, and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
IMPP Conversion Example IMPP;PREF=1:xmpp:alice@example.com "onlineServices": { "OS-1": { "uri": "xmpp:alice@example.com", "pref": 1, "vCardName": "impp" } }
LANG The LANG property () converts to a LanguagePref object () in the Card object's preferredLanguages property (). The LANG property value converts to the LanguagePref object's language property value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
LANG Conversion Example LANG;TYPE=work;PREF=1:en LANG;TYPE=work;PREF=2:fr LANG;TYPE=home:fr "preferredLanguages": { "LANG-1": { "language": "en", "contexts": { "work": true }, "pref": 1 }, "LANG-2": { "language": "fr", "contexts": { "work": true }, "pref": 2 }, "LANG-3": { "language": "fr", "contexts": { "private": true } } }
LANGUAGE The LANGUAGE property () converts to the Card object's language property ().
LANGUAGE Conversion Example LANGUAGE:de-AT "language": "de-AT"
SOCIALPROFILE The SOCIALPROFILE property () converts to an OnlineService object () in the Card object's onlineServices property (). The vCardName property is set to "socialprofile", or it can be omitted. If the SOCIALPROFILE property value is of type URI, then the OnlineService object's uri property is set; otherwise, the user property is set. The SERVICE-TYPE, USERNAME, PREF, and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
SOCIALPROFILE Conversion Example SOCIALPROFILE;SERVICE-TYPE=Mastodon:https://example.com/@foo "onlineServices": { ... "OS-1": { "service": "Mastodon", "uri": "https://example.com/@foo" } }
TEL The TEL property () converts to a Phone object () in the Card object's phones property (). The TEL-specific values of the TYPE parameter convert to the features property keys as outlined in . Note that defines the default type to be "voice", but the default Phone features property is absent by default. Accordingly, an implementation SHOULD only set the Phone object's features property if the TEL property actually has a TEL-specific TYPE parameter set. TEL TYPE Conversion
TYPE value Phone feature
cell mobile
fax fax
main-number main-number
pager pager
text text
textphone textphone
video video
voice voice
The value of the TEL property converts to the Phone object's number property. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
TEL Conversion Example TEL;VALUE=uri;PREF=1;TYPE="voice,home":tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555 TEL;VALUE=uri;TYPE=home:tel:+33-01-23-45-67 "phones": { "PHONE-1": { "contexts": { "private": true }, "features": { "voice": true }, "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555", "pref": 1 }, "PHONE-2": { "contexts": { "private": true }, "number": "tel:+33-01-23-45-67" } }
Geographical Properties
GEO The GEO property () converts to the Address object's coordinates property (). Also see to determine which Address object instance to convert to.
TZ The TZ property () converts an Address object () in the Card object's addresses property. A value of type TEXT converts to the Address object's timeZone property. A value of type UTC-OFFSET converts to the Address object's timeZone property if the offset has zero minutes and the hour offset is between -12 and +14, both inclusively. Note that:
  • If the hour offset is zero, use the time zone name "Etc/UTC".
  • Otherwise, construct the time zone name with "Etc/GMT" suffixed with the string representation of the reversed sign hour offset, including the sign but excluding leading zeros and minutes. For example, the UTC offset value "-0500" converts to "Etc/GMT+5".
For such property values, also see to determine which Address object instance to convert to. Any other value of type UTC-OFFSET or URI does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact. To convert such property, see .
Combining Geographical Properties In vCard, the properties ADR, GEO, and TZ occur independently of each other. In JSContact, they all convert to properties of an Address object. It is implementation-specific if these vCard properties convert to separate address instances in JSContact or if some or all of them convert to the same address. That being said, implementations MUST convert the properties to the same address for the following cases:
  • The GROUP parameter values of the properties match.
  • The GROUP parameters are not set, but they are set on any other ADR, GEO, and TZ properties.
Organizational Properties
CONTACT-URI The CONTACT-URI property () converts to a Link object () in the Card object's links property (). The Link object's kind property is set to "contact" and the uri property is set to the CONTACT-URI property value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
CONTACT-URI Conversion Example CONTACT-URI;PREF=1:mailto:contact@example.com "links": { "CONTACT-1": { "kind": "contact", "uri": "mailto:contact@example.com", "pref": 1 } }
LOGO The LOGO property () converts to a Media object () in the Card object's media property (). The Media object's kind property is set to "logo" and the uri property is set to the LOGO property value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
LOGO Conversion Example LOGO:https://www.example.com/pub/logos/abccorp.jpg "media": { "LOGO-1": { "kind": "logo", "uri": "https://www.example.com/pub/logos/abccorp.jpg" } }
MEMBER The MEMBER property () converts to the Card object's members property (). Each MEMBER property value is a key in the members property. The PREF parameter () does not convert to JSContact.
Group Example KIND:group FN:The Doe family MEMBER:urn:uuid:03a0e51f-d1aa-4385-8a53-e29025acd8af MEMBER:urn:uuid:b8767877-b4a1-4c70-9acc-505d3819e519 "kind": "group", "name": { "full": "The Doe family" }, "uid": "urn:uuid:ab4310aa-fa43-11e9-8f0b-362b9e155667", "members": { "urn:uuid:03a0e51f-d1aa-4385-8a53-e29025acd8af": true, "urn:uuid:b8767877-b4a1-4c70-9acc-505d3819e519": true }
ORG The ORG property () converts to an Organization object () in the Card object's organizations property (). The Organization object's name property is set to the ORG property organizational name component. The Organization object's units property is an array of OrgUnit objects that each contain an organizational unit name component value of the ORG property value. Implementations MAY allow representation of organizational units without the organizational name. In this case, the first component of the ORG value MUST be an empty string (e.g., ORG:;DepartmentA). The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules defined in . The first item of the comma-separated SORT-AS parameter value converts to the sortAs property of the Organization object. The subsequent items convert to the sortAs property of the corresponding OrgUnit object. The TYPE parameter converts according to the rules defined in .
ORG Conversion Example ORG;SORT-AS="ABC":ABC\, Inc.;North American Division;Marketing "organizations": { "ORG-1": { "name": "ABC, Inc.", "units":[ { "name": "North American Division" }, { "name": "Marketing" } ], "sortAs": "ABC" } }
RELATED The RELATED property () converts to the Card object's relatedTo property (). The property value converts to the key in the relatedTo property. The TYPE parameters convert to the Relation object's relation property (). Any other parameters convert as defined in .
RELATED Conversion Example RELATED;TYPE=friend:urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6 RELATED;TYPE=contact:https://example.com/directory/john.vcf RELATED;VALUE=text:Please contact my deputy John for any inquiries. "relatedTo" : { "urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6" : { "relation" : { "friend" : true } }, "https://example.com/directory/john.vcf" : { "relation" : { "contact" : true } }, "Please contact my deputy John for any inquiries." : { "relation" : { } } }
TITLE and ROLE The TITLE () and ROLE () properties convert to a Title object () in the Card object's titles property (). The Title object's kind property is set to "title" or "role" for the TITLE and ROLE vCard properties, respectively. The name property is set to the vCard property value. The value of the organizationId property can be derived if the TITLE or ROLE property is a member of a vCard property group and if exactly one other ORG property is also a part of that group. The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
TITLE and ROLE Conversion Example TITLE:Research Scientist group1.ROLE:Project Leader group1.ORG:ABC, Inc. "titles": { "TITLE-1": { "kind": "title", "name": "Research Scientist" }, "TITLE-2": { "kind": "role", "name": "Project Leader", "organizationId": "ORG-1" } }, "organizations": { "ORG-1": { "name": "ABC, Inc." } }
Personal Information Properties
EXPERTISE The EXPERTISE property () converts to a PersonalInfo object () in the Card object's personalInfo property (). The PersonalInfo object's kind property is set to "expertise". The INDEX and LEVEL parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
EXPERTISE Conversion Example EXPERTISE;LEVEL=beginner;INDEX=2:Chinese literature EXPERTISE;INDEX=1;LEVEL=expert:chemistry "personalInfo": { "PERSINFO-1" : { "kind": "expertise", "value": "Chinese literature", "level": "low", "listAs": 2 }, "PERSINFO-2" : { "kind": "expertise", "value": "chemistry", "level": "high", "listAs": 1 } }
HOBBY The HOBBY property () converts to a PersonalInfo object () in the Card object's personalInfo property (). The PersonalInfo object's kind property is set to "hobby". The INDEX and LEVEL parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
HOBBY Conversion Example HOBBY;INDEX=1;LEVEL=high:reading HOBBY;INDEX=2;LEVEL=high:sewing "personalInfo": { "PERSINFO-1" : { "kind": "hobby", "value": "reading", "level": "high", "listAs": 1 }, "PERSINFO-2" : { "kind": "hobby", "value": "sewing", "level": "high", "listAs": 2 } }
INTEREST The INTEREST property () converts to a PersonalInfo object () in the Card object's personalInfo property (). The PersonalInfo object's kind property is set to "interest". The INDEX and LEVEL parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
INTEREST Conversion Example INTEREST;INDEX=1;LEVEL=medium:r&b music INTEREST;INDEX=2;LEVEL=high:rock&roll music "personalInfo": { "PERSINFO-1" : { "kind": "interest", "value": "r&b music", "level": "medium", "listAs": 1 }, "PERSINFO-2" : { "kind": "interest", "value": "rock&roll music", "level": "high", "listAs": 2 } }
ORG-DIRECTORY The ORG-DIRECTORY property () converts to a Directory object () in the Card object's directories property (). The Directory object's kind property is set to "directory". The uri property is set to the ORG-DIRECTORY property value. The INDEX, PREF, and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
ORG-DIRECTORY Conversion Example ORG-DIRECTORY;INDEX=1:https://directory.mycompany.example.com ORG-DIRECTORY;PREF=1:ldap://ldap.tech.example/o=Tech,ou=Engineering "directories": { "DIRECTORY-1": { "kind": "directory", "uri": "https://directory.mycompany.example.com", "listAs": 1 }, "DIRECTORY-2": { "kind": "directory", "uri": "ldap://ldap.tech.example/o=Tech,ou=Engineering", "pref": 1 } }
Explanatory Properties
CATEGORIES The CATEGORIES property () converts to a set of entries of the Card object's keywords property (). The keys are the comma-separated text values of the CATEGORIES property. In this case, the PREF parameter does not have a JSContact counterpart; however, the implementors MAY insert the entries by order of preference.
CATEGORIES Conversion Example CATEGORIES:internet,IETF,Industry,Information Technology "keywords": { "internet": true, "IETF": true, "Industry": true, "Information Technology": true }
CLIENTPIDMAP The CLIENTPIDMAP property () converts to the vCardProps property.
CREATED The CREATED property () converts to the Card object's created property ().
CREATED Conversion Example CREATED:19940930T143510Z "created": "1994-09-30T14:35:10Z"
NOTE The NOTE property () converts to a Note object () in the Card object's notes property (). The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
NOTE Conversion Example NOTE;CREATED=20221123T150132Z;AUTHOR-NAME="John": Office hours are from 0800 to 1715 EST\, Mon-Fri. "notes": { "NOTE-1" : { "note": "Office hours are from 0800 to 1715 EST, Mon-Fri.", "created": "2022-11-23T15:01:32Z", "author": { "name": "John" } } }
PRODID The PRODID property () converts to the Card object's prodId property ().
PRODID Conversion Example PRODID:ACME Contacts App version 1.23.5 "prodId": "ACME Contacts App version 1.23.5"
REV The REV property () converts to the Card object's updated property ().
REV Conversion Example REV:19951031T222710Z "updated": "1995-10-31T22:27:10Z"
SOUND The SOUND property () converts to a Media object () in the Card object's media property (). The Media object's kind property is set to "sound" and the uri property is set to the SOUND value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
SOUND Conversion Example SOUND:CID:JOHNQPUBLIC.19960229T080000.xyzMail@example.com "media": { ... "SOUND-1": { "kind": "sound", "uri": "CID:JOHNQPUBLIC.19960229T080000.xyzMail@example.com" } }
UID The UID property () converts to the Card object's uid property ().
UID Conversion Example UID:urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6 "uid": "urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6"
URL The URL property () converts to a Link object () in the Card object's links property (). The Link object's uri property is set to the URL value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
URL Conversion Example URL:https://example.org/restaurant.french/~chezchic.html "links": { "LINK-1": { "uri": "https://example.org/restaurant.french/~chezchic.html" } }
VERSION The VERSION property () converts to the vCardProps property.
X-ABLabel The X-ABLabel property is experimental but widely in use in existing vCard data. It converts to the label property of a JSContact object. The X-ABLabel property is preceded by a vCard property group name, and the label converts to the JSContact object, which was converted from a vCard property of the same group. The group name is not preserved; implementations are free to choose any unique group name when converting back to vCard. For an example on how to preserve the group name, see .
X-ABLabel Conversion Example item1.TEL;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 item1.X-ABLabel:foo "phones": { "p1": { "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555", "label": "foo" } }
Security Properties
KEY The KEY property () converts to a CryptoKey object () in the Card object's cryptoKeys property (). The CryptoKey object's uri property is set to the KEY property value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
KEY Conversion Example KEY:https://www.example.com/keys/jdoe.cer "cryptoKeys": { "KEY-1": { "uri": "https://www.example.com/keys/jdoe.cer" } }
Calendar Properties
CALADRURI The CALADRURI property () converts to a SchedulingAddress object () in the Card object's schedulingAddresses property (). The SchedulingAddress object's uri property is set to the CALADRURI value. The PREF parameter () converts according to the rules defined in .
CALADRURI Conversion Example CALADRURI;PREF=1:mailto:janedoe@example.com CALADRURI:https://example.com/calendar/jdoe "schedulingAddresses": { "SCHEDULING-1": { "uri": "mailto:janedoe@example.com", "pref": 1 }, "SCHEDULING-2": { "uri": "https://example.com/calendar/jdoe" } }
CALURI The CALURI property () converts to a Calendar object () in the Card object's calendars property (). The Calendar object's kind property is set to "calendar" and the uri property is set to the CALURI value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
CALURI Conversion Example CALURI;PREF=1:https://cal.example.com/calA CALURI;MEDIATYPE=text/calendar:https://ftp.example.com/calA.ics "calendars": { "CAL-1": { "kind": "calendar", "uri": "https://cal.example.com/calA", "pref": 1 }, "CAL-2": { "kind": "calendar", "uri": "https://ftp.example.com/calA.ics", "mediaType": "text/calendar" } }
FBURL The FBURL property () converts to a Calendar object () in the Card object's calendars property (). The Calendar object's kind property is set to "freeBusy" and the uri property is set to the FBURL value. The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules defined in .
FBURL Conversion Example FBURL;PREF=1:https://www.example.com/busy/janedoe FBURL;MEDIATYPE=text/calendar:https://example.com/busy/project-a.ifb "calendars": { "FBURL-1": { "kind": "freeBusy", "uri": "https://www.example.com/busy/janedoe", "pref": 1 }, "FBURL-2": { "kind": "freeBusy", "uri": "https://example.com/busy/project-a.ifb", "mediaType": "text/calendar" } }
Extended Properties and Parameters Extended properties and parameters convert as specified in .
New JSContact Properties vCards may contain properties or parameters for which no IANA-registered JSContact property is defined. For example, a vCard may contain properties and parameters of which the semantics or purposes are unknown to the implementation; see . This section defines JSContact properties by which such vCard properties and parameters MAY be represented in JSContact. Implementations MAY choose to convert differently if they deem that more appropriate.
vCardProps
vCardProps: JCardProp[] (optional).
Contains vCard properties that are set in the vCard represented by this JSContact object. The JCardProp type denotes a jCard-encoded vCard property as defined in .
Example:
This illustrates how to convert a vCard extension property:
JSContact vCardProps Example item1.X-FOO;X-BAR=Hello:World! "vCardProps": [ ["x-foo", { "x-bar": "Hello", "group": "item1" }, "unknown", "World!"] ]
vCardParams
vCardParams: String[String|String[]] (optional).
Contains vCard parameters that are set on the vCard property represented by this JSContact object. The value MUST be a JSON object containing vCard property parameters as defined in . Each entry represents a parameter of the vCard property that converts to the JSContact object.
Example:
This illustrates how to convert a vCard extension parameter:
JSContact vCardParams Example EMAIL;X-FOO=Bar:jane_doe@example.com "emails": { "email1": { "address": "jane_doe@example.com", "vCardParams": { "x-foo": "Bar" } } }
vCardName
vCardName: String (optional).
Contains the name of the vCard element that is represented by this JSContact object. For example, this allows to preserve the name of a vCard property when multiple vCard properties convert the same JSContact type. The case-insensitive value MUST be valid according to the "name" ABNF defined in .
Example:
Both vCard IMPP and SOCIALPROFILE convert to an OnlineService object () in JSContact. The vCardName property value indicates that the vCard source element was IMPP as follows:
JSContact vCardName Example IMPP:xmpp:alice@example.com "onlineServices": { "os1": { "uri": "xmpp:alice@example.com", "vCardName": "impp" }, }
Converting JSContact to vCard
Conversion Rules A Card object converts to vCard by applying the reverse rules of converting vCard to JSContact. In addition to those listed in , the following rules apply:
  • Multivalued JSContact properties convert to separate instances of their equivalent vCard property, and each of the PROP-ID parameters MUST be set to the Id-typed key of the converted value (see ).
  • The full property of the name property in JSContact is optional, but the FN property is mandatory in vCard. The following rules apply:
    • If the Name object's full property is set, then implementations MUST use its value for the vCard FN property.
    • If the Name object's full property is not set, then implementations SHOULD derive the full name from the Name object's components property values. If the isOrdered property is "true", then this can be done by concatenating the name component values. Otherwise, or alternatively, an implementation can choose any other heuristic to generate the full name from its components such as . Implementations MUST set the DERIVED parameter on the FN property.
    • Otherwise, the FN property MUST be set to the empty value.
  • Vendor-specific and unknown properties convert to vCard as outlined in .
Converting Unknown Properties JSContact objects may contain properties for which no IANA-registered vCard property is defined. For example, a JSContact object may contain vendor-specific properties of which the semantics or purpose are unknown. This specification defines the new JSPROP vCard property and JSPTR vCard parameter by which such JSContact properties MAY be represented in vCard. Implementations MAY choose to convert differently if they deem that more appropriate.
New vCard Properties
JSPROP
Property name:
JSPROP
Purpose:
Represents a JSContact property in vCard.
Value type:
TEXT; also see "Format definition" below for value restrictions.
Conformance:
Can be specified multiple times in a vCard.
Property parameters:
The JSPTR parameter MUST be set for this property. Other IANA-registered and experimental property parameters can be specified on this property.
Description:
This property converts an arbitrary JSContact property from and to vCard. The vCard property value is the JSON-encoded value of the JSContact property, represented as a TEXT value. The format of the JSON value MUST be compact, e.g., without insignificant whitespace as defined in . The value of the JSPTR parameter points to the JSContact property within the Card. The root of the JSON pointer is always the Card object that this vCard converts to, irrespective if the JSON pointer starts with the SOLIDUS (U+002F) character. The pointer MUST NOT reference into an array. All JSPROP properties in a vCard together form a PatchObject as defined in . The value of its JSPTR parameter corresponds to a key in the PatchObject; the value of the JSPROP property corresponds to the value for that key. When converting from vCard to JSContact, the PatchObject MUST only be applied after all other vCard properties have already been converted. The PatchObject MUST be valid, including the restriction that an invalid PatchObject MUST NOT be applied.
Format definition:
This property is defined by the following notation: jsprop = "JSPROP" jsprop-param ":" TEXT jsprop-param = *( ; The following are REQUIRED and MUST NOT ; occur more than once ( ";" jsptr-param ) / ; see next section ( ";" "VALUE" "=" "TEXT") ; ; The following is OPTIONAL ; and MAY occur more than once. ; (";" other-param) ; )
Example(s):
This illustrates how to convert a property at the top level in a Card object that is unknown to the implementation.
Unknown Property Example "someUnknownProperty": true JSPROP;JSPTR="someUnknownProperty":true
This illustrates how to convert a vendor-specific property at the top level of a Card object. Note the required use of quoted string for the JSPTR value, which allows the path to include the COLON (U+003A) character.
Vendor-Specific Property Conversion Example "example.com:foo": { "bar": 1234 } JSPROP;JSPTR="example.com:foo":{"bar":1234}
This illustrates how to convert a vendor-specific property at a nested level in a Card object using a path relative to the Card object. Although not recommended, the property name includes the SOLIDUS (U+002F) character, which requires escaping in the JSON pointer.
Nested Vendor-Specific Property Example with a Path Relative to Card "phones": { "phone1": { "number": "tel:+33-01-23-45-67", "example.com:foo/bar": "tux hux" } } TEL:tel:+33-01-23-45-67 JSPROP;JSPTR="phones/phone1/example.com:foo~1bar": "tux hux"
New vCard Parameters
JSCOMPS
Parameter name:
JSCOMPS
Purpose:
Defines the order and separators for the elements of a structured property value.
Description:
The JSCOMPS parameter value facilitates converting name and address components between JSContact and vCard. It preserves the order of the components of the JSContact property and contains the verbatim values of separator components. If this parameter is set and its value is valid (see later), then implementations MUST set the isOrdered property of the Name or Address object to "true". Otherwise, they MUST set the isOrdered property value to "false". The JSCOMPS parameter value is a structured type value. Its value MUST be quoted. The parameter value consists of a sequence of entries, separated by the SEMICOLON character (U+003B). The first entry defines the value of the defaultSeparator property. If it is the empty string, then no default separator is defined. Otherwise, the first entry MUST be a separator entry. All following entries processed in order result in an ordered list of JSContact components and MUST be one of the following two kinds:
  1. A positional. This refers to a component value in the vCard structured value. A position consists of the numeric index of a component in the structured value, optionally followed by a COMMA (U+002C) character and the non-zero index of a value within that component. The zero index selects the first component or value, respectively. The second index is zero by default, in which case it MUST be omitted (as well as the leading COMMA). The resulting JSContact component is formed by determining its kind by the position in the vCard structured value. The component value is the verbatim value of the vCard component. Figures and illustrate this by example.
  2. A separator. This contains the verbatim value of a separator component. It starts with the LATIN SMALL LETTER S (U+0073) character, followed by the COMMA (U+002C) character, followed by zero or more "param-value" characters (see ), where the COMMA (U+002C) and SEMICOLON (U+003B) characters MUST be escaped according to the rules defined in . illustrates this by example. The resulting JSContact component is formed by setting its kind to "separator" and its value to the verbatim value of the entry.
A JSCOMPS parameter value is valid if and only if:
  • All indexes in the positional entries refer to an existing component value in the vCard property value.
  • The count of positional entries equals the count of deduplicated component values. Deduplication is required because some values may occur in both their designated and backwards-compatible components in the vCard property value:
    • A value that occurs in both the N property secondary surname component and the family name component only counts once.
    • A value that occurs in both the N property generation component and the honorific suffix component only counts once.
    • A value in the ADR property street address component does not count if the ADR property value contains a value in one of the new components defined in .
    • All other values count once each.
Format definition:
jscomps-param = "JSCOMPS" "=" DQUOTE [jscomps-entry-sep ] ";" jscomps-entrylist DQUOTE jscomps-entrylist = jscomps-entry *(";" jscomps-entry) jscomps-entry = jscomps-entry-pos / jscomps-entry-sep jscomps-entry-pos = 1*DIGIT [ "," 1*DIGIT ] jscomps-entry-sep = "s" "," jscomps-entry-verb jscomps-entry-verb = *QSAFE-CHAR ; encode according to RFC 6868
Example(s):
The following example demonstrates the use of positional entries for the name "Jane Doe". The given name is ordered before the surname. No secondary index is required for either positional because both are zero.
Example of a Secondary Positional Index "name": { "components": [ { "kind": "given", "value": "Jane" }, { "kind": "surname", "value": "Doe" } ], "isOrdered": true } N;JSCOMPS=";1;0":Doe;Jane;;;;;; FN;DERIVED=TRUE:Jane Doe
The following example demonstrates a secondary positional index. The "Jr." generation marker only counts once because it occurs in both the designated generation component and the backwards-compatible honorific suffixes component.
Example of Positional Entries "name": { "components": [ { "kind": "given", "value": "John" }, { "kind": "given2", "value": "Philip" }, { "kind": "given2", "value": "Paul" }, { "kind": "surname", "value": "Stevenson" }, { "kind": "generation", "value": "Jr." }, { "kind": "credential", "value": "M.D." } ], "isOrdered": true } N;JSCOMPS=";1;2;2,1;0;6;4,1": Stevenson;John;Philip,Paul;;Jr.,M.D.;;Jr.
The following example demonstrates the use of separator entries for the (shortened for brevity) address "54321 Oak St, Reston". The first entry defines the default separator to be ", ". The second and fourth positional entries are separated with the separator value " ". For backwards compatibility, the street address component of the ADR property contains both the street number and name, but it is not referred to in the JSCOMPS parameter and does not contribute to the count of values.
Example of Separator Entries "addresses": { "a1": { "components": [ { "kind": "number", "value": "54321" }, { "kind": "separator", "value": " " }, { "kind": "name", "value": "Oak St" }, { "kind": "locality", "value": "Reston" } ], "defaultSeparator": ", ", "isOrdered": true } } ADR;JSCOMPS="s,\, ;11;s, ;10;3": ;;54321 Oak St;Reston;;;;;;;Oak St;54321;;;;;;
JSPTR
Parameter name:
JSPTR
Purpose:
This parameter is set on a JSPROP property. Its value is a JSON pointer that points to the JSContact property that has the value of the JSPROP property.
Description:
This parameter has a single value that MUST be a valid JSON pointer as defined in . Note that the value MUST be quoted according to the "param-value" ABNF in .
Format definition:
jsptr-param = "JSPTR" "=" param-value ; also see param-value in RFC 6350, Section 3.3
Example(s):
This illustrates a simple example. For further examples, see . JSPROP;JSPTR="example.com:foo":"bar"
Security Considerations This specification defines how to convert between the JSContact and vCard formats. The security considerations for parsing and formatting such data apply and are outlined in and .
IANA Considerations
New vCard Property IANA has added the following entry to the "vCard Properties" registry, as defined in . New vCard Property
Namespace Property Reference
JSPROP RFC 9555,
New vCard Parameter IANA has added the following entry to the "vCard Parameters" registry, as defined in . New vCard Parameter
Namespace Parameter Reference
JSPTR RFC 9555,
New JSContact Properties IANA has added the following entries to the "JSContact Properties" registry. Note that the Since Version is 1.0, the Until Version is not set, and the Change Controller is IETF for all of these properties. JSContact Properties Registry
Property Name Property Type Property Context Intended Usage Reference/Description
vCardName String Any JSContact object common RFC 9555,
vCardParams String[String|String[]] Any JSContact object common RFC 9555,
vCardProps JCardProp[] Card common RFC 9555,
New JSContact Type IANA has added the following entry to the "JSContact Types" registry. Note that the Since Version is 1.0, the Until Version is not set, and the Change Controller is IETF for this type. JSContact Types Registry
Type Name Intended Usage Reference/Description
JCardProp common RFC 9555,
References Normative References Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels In many standards track documents several words are used to signify the requirements in the specification. These words are often capitalized. This document defines these words as they should be interpreted in IETF documents. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of characters that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This specification defines the generic URI syntax and a process for resolving URI references that might be in relative form, along with guidelines and security considerations for the use of URIs on the Internet. The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all valid URIs, allowing an implementation to parse the common components of a URI reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements of every possible identifier. This specification does not define a generative grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual specifications of each URI scheme. [STANDARDS-TRACK] Augmented BNF for Syntax Specifications: ABNF Internet technical specifications often need to define a formal syntax. Over the years, a modified version of Backus-Naur Form (BNF), called Augmented BNF (ABNF), has been popular among many Internet specifications. The current specification documents ABNF. It balances compactness and simplicity with reasonable representational power. The differences between standard BNF and ABNF involve naming rules, repetition, alternatives, order-independence, and value ranges. This specification also supplies additional rule definitions and encoding for a core lexical analyzer of the type common to several Internet specifications. [STANDARDS-TRACK] Tags for Identifying Languages This document describes the structure, content, construction, and semantics of language tags for use in cases where it is desirable to indicate the language used in an information object. It also describes how to register values for use in language tags and the creation of user-defined extensions for private interchange. This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. vCard Format Specification This document defines the vCard data format for representing and exchanging a variety of information about individuals and other entities (e.g., formatted and structured name and delivery addresses, email address, multiple telephone numbers, photograph, logo, audio clips, etc.). This document obsoletes RFCs 2425, 2426, and 4770, and updates RFC 2739. [STANDARDS-TRACK] vCard KIND:application This document defines a value of "application" for the vCard KIND property so that vCards can be used to represent software applications. [STANDARDS-TRACK] vCard Format Extensions: Place of Birth, Place and Date of Death The base vCard 4.0 specification defines a large number of properties, including date of birth. This specification adds three new properties to vCard 4.0: place of birth, place of death, and date of death. [STANDARDS-TRACK] vCard Format Extensions: Representing vCard Extensions Defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Converged Address Book (CAB) Group This document defines extensions to the vCard data format for representing and exchanging certain contact information. The properties covered here have been defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Converged Address Book group, in order to synchronize, using OMA Data Synchronization, contact fields that were not already defined in the base vCard 4.0 specification. [STANDARDS-TRACK] vCard KIND:device This document defines a value of "device" for the vCard KIND property so that the vCard format can be used to represent computing devices such as appliances, computers, or network elements (e.g., a server, router, switch, printer, sensor, or phone). [STANDARDS-TRACK] JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Pointer JSON Pointer defines a string syntax for identifying a specific value within a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) document. jCard: The JSON Format for vCard This specification defines "jCard", a JSON format for vCard data. The vCard data format is a text format for representing and exchanging information about individuals and other entities, for example, telephone numbers, email addresses, structured names, and delivery addresses. JSON is a lightweight, text-based, language- independent data interchange format commonly used in Internet applications. Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words RFC 2119 specifies common key words that may be used in protocol specifications. This document aims to reduce the ambiguity by clarifying that only UPPERCASE usage of the key words have the defined special meanings. The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a lightweight, text-based, language-independent data interchange format. It was derived from the ECMAScript Programming Language Standard. JSON defines a small set of formatting rules for the portable representation of structured data. This document removes inconsistencies with other specifications of JSON, repairs specification errors, and offers experience-based interoperability guidance. JSContact: A JSON Representation of Contact Data vCard Format Extensions for JSContact Fastmail IIT-CNR Informative References Unicode Locale Data Markup Language (LDML) Part 8: Person Names other CLDR committee members vCard Format Extensions: ICANN Extensions for the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) This document defines extensions to the vCard data format for representing and exchanging contact information used to implement the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) operational profile for the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP). The property and parameter defined here are used to add values to RDAP responses that are consistent with ICANN policies. vObject Internationalization Ribose Ribose Spherical Cow Group Work in Progress
Reverse Rules of Converting a vCard to a JSContact Card lists the relevant document sections for each JSContact type and property. Conversion Rules for JSContact Types and Properties
JSContact Type Property Name Relevant Section(s)
Address @type not applicable
Address components Sections and
Address contexts
Address coordinates Sections and
Address country
Address countryCode
Address defaultSeparator Sections and
Address full
Address isOrdered Sections and
Address locality
Address phoneticScript Sections and
Address phoneticSystem
Address postcode
Address pref
Address region
Address timeZone Sections and
AddressComponent phonetic
Anniversary @type not applicable
Anniversary date
Anniversary kind
Anniversary place
Author @type not applicable
Author name
Author uri
Calendar @type not applicable
Calendar contexts
Calendar kind Sections and
Calendar label
Calendar mediaType
Calendar pref
Calendar uri Sections and
Card @type not applicable
Card @version not applicable
Card addresses
Card anniversaries
Card calendars Sections and
Card created
Card directories Sections and
Card emails
Card keywords
Card kind
Card language
Card links Sections and
Card localizations
Card media Sections , , and
Card members
Card name
Card nicknames
Card notes
Card onlineServices
Card organizations
Card personalInfo Sections , , and
Card phones
Card preferredLanguages
Card prodId
Card relatedTo
Card schedulingAddresses
Card speakToAs
Card titles
Card uid
Card updated
CryptoKey @type not applicable
CryptoKey contexts
CryptoKey kind not applicable
CryptoKey label
CryptoKey mediaType
CryptoKey pref
CryptoKey uri
Directory @type not applicable
Directory contexts
Directory kind Sections and
Directory label
Directory listAs
Directory mediaType
Directory pref
Directory uri Sections and
EmailAddress @type not applicable
EmailAddress address
EmailAddress contexts
EmailAddress label
EmailAddress pref
LanguagePref @type not applicable
LanguagePref contexts
LanguagePref pref
Link @type not applicable
Link contexts
Link kind
Link label
Link mediaType
Link pref
Link uri Sections and
Media @type not applicable
Media contexts
Media kind Sections , , and
Media label
Media mediaType
Media pref
Media uri Sections , , and
Name @type not applicable
Name components Sections and
Name defaultSeparator Sections and
Name full
Name phoneticScript Sections and
Name phoneticSystem
Name isOrdered Sections and
Name sortAs
NameComponent @type not applicable
NameComponent kind
NameComponent phonetic
NameComponent value
Nickname @type not applicable
Nickname contexts
Nickname name
Nickname pref
Note @type not applicable
Note author Sections and
Note created
Note note
OnlineService @type not applicable
OnlineService contexts
OnlineService label
OnlineService pref
OnlineService service
OnlineService uri Sections and
OnlineService user
OrgUnit @type not applicable
OrgUnit name
OrgUnit sortAs
Organization @type not applicable
Organization contexts
Organization name
Organization sortAs
Organization units
PartialDate @type not applicable
PartialDate calendarScale
PartialDate day
PartialDate month
PartialDate year
PatchObject @type not applicable
PersonalInfo @type not applicable
PersonalInfo kind Sections , , and
PersonalInfo listAs
PersonalInfo level
PersonalInfo value Sections , , and
Phone @type not applicable
Phone contexts
Phone features
Phone label
Phone number
Phone pref
Pronouns @type not applicable
Pronouns contexts
Pronouns pref
Pronouns pronouns
Relation @type not applicable
Relation relation
Resource @type not applicable
SchedulingAddress @type not applicable
SchedulingAddress contexts
SchedulingAddress label
SchedulingAddress pref
SchedulingAddress uri
SpeakToAs @type not applicable
SpeakToAs grammaticalGender
SpeakToAs pronouns
AddressComponent @type not applicable
AddressComponent kind
AddressComponent value
Timestamp @type not applicable
Timestamp utc
Title @type not applicable
Title kind
Title name
Title organizationId
Acknowledgements The definition and examples of the PHONETIC and SCRIPT parameters are based on the initial draft version of .
Authors' Addresses IIT-CNR/Registro.it
Via Moruzzi, 1 Pisa Italy 56124 mario.loffredo@iit.cnr.it https://www.iit.cnr.it
Fastmail
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