link to abook.mab stored on NAS
I have installed Thunderbird (flatpak) on my elementary OS machine. All works fine except address book. I keep my local mail and address book on NAS, and usually just create a link in the profile to point to abook.mab kept on NAS. It works fine on my other machines, but for some reason the link I have created doesn't seem to work for Thunderbird on this particular linux (elementary os) machine?
Thunderbird is located: /home/user/.local/share/flatpak/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird
and profile is located: /home/user/.var/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird
All this is different from standard help offered here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data
since I guess this does not include https://flathub.org/home apps...?
BTW - the link created in profile works fine as a link (when I open it is all fine and OK - it just doesn't appear in Thunderbird)
So the question is - can anybody help with some advice, please?
later edit: just to confirm, that what I am trying to do (see symbolic link paragraph): http://kb.mozillazine.org/Sharing_address_books
It has worked OK many times before :-(
BTW I have removed the symlink and replaced it with the copy of abook.mab I am trying to link and all is fine,
so it sounds like I have a problem with my symlink?
I have used ln -s command (as before) to create the symlink.
Modified by bambukouk
الحل المُختار
I doubt nas sharing will ever be supported. Technologies like LDAP are meant for contact sharing, and there is nothing to stop you running an ldap server on your nas to that end.
Given the trend to synchronizing with online providers shows no sign of slowing I would expect easier setup of that with major players like Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook et. al. and a more mature ldap implementation.
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (7)
Thunderbird no longer uses the mab files for the address book starting with V78. They are now SQLite files. If registered in the prefs mab files are found, they are automatically imported as SQLITE into the profile folder. V91 to be released shortly will have an address book import export option as native files.
Thunderbird when installed uses the same location to store data regardless of the installation method. My understanding of Linux and flatpac is you can execute the program from the installation media, but it does not work correctly unless it is actually installed. It is not a "live" product.
The answer to where your profile is located is to open the troubleshooting information on the help menu, click on the open button beside profile and let the operating system tell you where it is by opening it's file manager in the location.
Hi Matt, Thank you for the explanation about mab and V78. I guess it works OK in my other setups because it was done quite some time before...
Having said this - why is that if I copu abook.map into the profile it works fine, yet when I use symlink it doesn't (it always used to work fine)...
My question is not about "importing" but about "sharing address book, across different hardaware. I will have to try to investigate prefs, unless someone can point me in the right direction?
Questions about flatpak - I have managed to work out myself, thank you. For anybody interested: app is located: /home/user/.local/share/flatpak/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird profiles are located: /home/user/.var/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird
So... the question remains - how to share address book (stored either on NAS or some other file share) across different pieces of hardware with Tunderbird installed. Until recently I knew how to do it, but how do I do it in the new Thunderbird versions V78+ ?? Help, please :-)
Modified by bambukouk
Hi Matt, thank you for the explanation about V78, however... My problem is that if I copy abook.mab into profile it works fine, but if I use symlink it doesn't work (and yet symlink works fine in my other two machines with V78). I don't want to copy or import - I want to share.
V91 doesn't solve my problem, because I do not want to "import", I want to "share" (using address book stored either on NAS or on some other file share)
I found the locations for flatpak in Linux, if anybody is interested, see below. app is located: /home/user/.local/share/flatpak/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird profile is located: /home/user/.var/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird
So the question remains: how do I share address book between two or more Thunderbird installs?
I have no idea why it no longer works, other than to tell you the address book code has basically had a complete rewrite and it is a process that is continuing.
Some very recent discussion here https://thunderbird.topicbox.com/groups/daily/T7bd9432d860edccd/just-landed-new-address-book-ui
Thank you for the link (and sorry for a duplicate reply...) Sounds like I am going to have to wait until development is finished :-( let's hope that sharing of address book is part of this?
الحل المُختار
I doubt nas sharing will ever be supported. Technologies like LDAP are meant for contact sharing, and there is nothing to stop you running an ldap server on your nas to that end.
Given the trend to synchronizing with online providers shows no sign of slowing I would expect easier setup of that with major players like Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook et. al. and a more mature ldap implementation.
LDAP it is! Thank you Matt