CounterPath Bria 3.1 Administrator Guide - Manual (Page 20)

CounterPath Corporation
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2.3 Setting up Contacts
Typically, users will want to create contacts in order to easily make phone calls. In addition, in order to send
IMs, shared online information and transfer files, contacts are required.
Contact Storage Method
You can set up Bria so that contacts are stored in one of these ways:
• Locally on each user’s computer.
• Remotely on a WebDAV or XCAP server
• In the user’s Microsoft® Outlook® address book. In this case, users are actually using their Outlook
contacts from within Bria; nothing is saved in Bria.
• In the user’s Mac Address book. In this case, the Bria contact list and Mac Address book are synchronized:
changes in one are automatically copied to the other.
See page 46.
Populating the Contact List
You may want to provide an initial contact list for users who are using Bria for Windows. You can:
• Provide a file that users can import. See below.
This option makes sense if users will be set up to store their contacts locally or on a WebDAV or XCAP
server. It cannot be used if users will be set up to use the Outlook address book for contacts.
• Create an LDAP directory or Microsoft Active Directory® and set up users to connect to this directory.
Bria for Mac users can only connect to an LDAP directory.
Once Bria is connected to the directory, the directory contents appear in the Directory tab (alongside the
Contacts and History tabs) and users can choose to create a contact from any entry.
This option makes sense for all storage methods: local, remote server, Outlook and Mac Address book.
See page 42.
Importing Contacts
You can provide a file (for example, the company contact list) that each user can import as desired. The import
file can be:
• A comma-separated file. Use this method to import from a Microsoft® Excel® file. You will first have to
set up the file; see below.
• A vCard file (*.vcf file). A vCard is an electronic business card that is often attached to an email.
• A Microsoft® Outlook® or Microsoft® Exchange contact list (a *.pst file). Bria for Windows only.
• The Mac Address book. Bria for Mac only.
Setting up an Excel File for Import
1. Remove any introductory text or headings from the top of the file. (You can keep text at the end of the file;
it will be ignored during the import.)
2. Insert a blank row as the first row. In this row, type the headings that Bria will use to interpret the meaning
of each column. The columns can be in any order. Key headings are: