Problems Moving from Entourage 2004 to an All-Apple System

[Kevin-or-Ash]

Hello,

As I have a new iPhone, and the Mac-native stuff has improved
considerably, there seemed to be no reason to stay with Entourage.

Leaving has been a bit of a problem: I have written the author of a
bunch of scripts, but here is my situation:

I run 10.4.11, and had a Treo 650, and was using Entourage directly,
NOT the Palm Desktop.

NOT using the scripts referenced here...

http://www.versiontracker.com/developer/8537/Paul+Berkowitz+AppleScripts

.... I exported everything, and found that all of the categories in
Entourage were not preserved (I assume the equivalent is "groups" in
Address Book), and that Entourage's notes have no where to go on the
iPhone.

So if I use these scripts:

a) which of these or other scripts can I do to get things re-
categorized/grouped, and will that simply result in duplicate records
that Address Book will correctly merge (including all the changes I've
made within it in the last week since exporting/importing) (I have
about 2k contacts)

&

b) Which script to I do to export Entourage's notes, and will they be
correctly titled, and in a useful place on the iPhone? (I have about
400 notes)

- OR -

Is there another way to get what I want? (Chiefly, correctly
categorized/grouped contacts; Notes (with titles in right place, also
by category), and gee.....

.....keeping all my filters/rules would be great, too.

Thanks folks in advance.

k

 

[Barry Wainwright]

Hello,

As I have a new iPhone, and the Mac-native stuff has improved
considerably, there seemed to be no reason to stay with Entourage.

Leaving has been a bit of a problem: I have written the author of a
bunch of scripts, but here is my situation:

I run 10.4.11, and had a Treo 650, and was using Entourage directly,
NOT the Palm Desktop.

NOT using the scripts referenced here...

http://www.versiontracker.com/developer/8537/Paul+Berkowitz+AppleScripts

those scripts are about the best you can do. the problem with categories
is not a straightforward one - in Entourage, categories are elements of
items (events, messages, contacts etc). Each item can have none, one or
many categories. The categories themselves are elements of the overall
category class.

in the iApps, things are handled differently. In mail, any item can be
marked with one (and only one) colour. It is possible to match the
primary (entourage) category to a particular colour in mail, but that
will cause the loss of all the other categories that may have been
assigned to that message in Entourage. In iCal, each event can belong to
one (and only one) calendar. Same problem as with colouring messages,
but there is another, subtle difference. Remember how in Entourage the
categories were elements of the event class? Well, in iCal, events are
elements of the calendar they belong to. It's completely the other way
round. Similar issues surround the implementation of groups in Address Book.

If MS hacked together some work-round to map the primary category to
iCal's calendars (as Paul's scripts do, they would be wide open to an
improvement in iCal breaking their functionality. Yes, that is always a
risk (there was a time when the "import from Mail" script that shipped
with Entourage stopped working due to a change in mail.app), but relying
on a 'fudge' to keep working is a bigger risk that they wanted to take,
I guess.

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

Hi Barry,

Though I appreciate that you wrote the note, could you answer my
questions point by point? I'm looking for a very pointed answer to a
very pointed question.

Thanks in advance,
km

 

[Diane Ross]

Though I appreciate that you wrote the note, could you answer my
questions point by point? I'm looking for a very pointed answer to a
very pointed question.

We know how to get mail into Entourage but not as familiar with moving out.
I would ask on an Apple Mail list or one of the Apple discussions lists.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

notes, and will they be
correctly titled, and in a useful place on the iPhone? (I have about
400 notes)

I'm fairly sure that regardless of whether Notes come out of Entourage
or out of Mail, there is no good way to get them onto the iPhone. Also,
you are trying to combine two separate issues here:
1) get your data out of entourage
2) get your data onto the iPhone

 

[Barry Wainwright]

Hi Barry,

Though I appreciate that you wrote the note, could you answer my
questions point by point? I'm looking for a very pointed answer to a
very pointed question.

Thanks in advance,
km

the bit you are looking for is "those scripts are th ebest you can do".

the scripts come with full instructions - work through those step by step.

If you are still uncertain about how to use something, please email the
author of the scripts, but be prepare to wait a couple of days - I know
that Paul is a very busy person!

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

I patiently await the reply of the Zeus of the scripts.

Thank you all for your kind efforts to share what you know with
strangers.

Cheers,
km

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

the scripts come with full instructions - work through those step by step.

Barry Wainwright
Microsoft MVP

Would, but not sure which ones to use, as again, I've already
imported.

Sync? Just export?

Thanks Again,
km

 

[Barry Wainwright]

Would, but not sure which ones to use, as again, I've already
imported.

Sync? Just export?

Thanks Again,
km

sine I don't use the scripts I am not the best one to advise you here.
You are better off waiting for Paul's reply.

 

[William Smith [MVP]]

b) Which script to I do to export Entourage's notes, and will they be
correctly titled, and in a useful place on the iPhone? (I have about
400 notes)

I have an iPhone but I know of nothing that syncs with the Notes
application on the iPhone. Not even Apple's own Mail application nor
MobileMe will sync with Notes on the iPhone.

Apple backpedaled back in October 2007 from an earlier comment that it
would sync notes. As of the iPhone 2.0.1 release, notes still don't sync.

You'll find several note-taking and note-keeping applications like
Evernote <http://www.evernote.com> but they are all their own
applications and don't sync with others. Getting your Entourage notes
into another note-keeping application may not be easy if not impossible
without a lot of copy/paste. Even then the formats may not match and you
could lose data or have to redo data.

Hope this helps!

--

bill

Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>
Twitter: follow <http://twitter.com/meck>

 

[Mickey Stevens]

I have an iPhone but I know of nothing that syncs with the Notes
application on the iPhone. Not even Apple's own Mail application nor
MobileMe will sync with Notes on the iPhone.

Missing Sync for iPhone from Mark/Space claims to be able to do that. I
haven't tried it though.
<http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_iphone.php>

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

Here are my needs, better articulated (and awaiting Paul Berkowitz's
response!)

a) Can these scripts re-export/merge Contacts such that
categorized/grouped are preserved? This is of great importance.

b) Will it export Entourage's notes, and will they be
correctly titled, and in a useful place on the iPhone? (I have about
400 notes), again categorized?

c) Any way to export my Entourage filters/rules to Apple's Mail?

d) Any way to export the large mailing lists (groups) I had in
Entourage to Apple's Mail?

Thanks,
km

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

Regarding Mark/Space: no dice.

Here's their response (after several inquiries).

km

* * *

La'Keith
Posted On: 14 Aug 2008 03:13 PM
Hello

Answers are below:

a) Can your product re-export/merge Contacts such that
categorized/grouped are preserved? This is of great importance.

-No. iTunes syncs the contacts.

b) Will it export Entourage's notes, and will they be
correctly titled, and in a useful place on the iPhone? (I have about
400 notes), again categorized?

-No. The missing sync for iPhone does not transfer notes from the mac
to the iPhone.
It only transfers notes from the iphone to the mac and archives them
in the
Markspace notes application.

c) Any way to export my Entourage filters/rules to Apple's Mail?

-No. This is not supported by the Missing Sync for iPhone.

d) Any way to export the large mailing lists (groups) I had in
Entourage to Apple's Mail?

-Please see answer above.
Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you. Have
a great day.

Best regards,

La'Keith
Mark/Space Inc.
Sales Representative
http://store.markspace.com/

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

Hi Folks,

I've figured out how to export all of Entourage Date (except for rules/
filters & signatures) INCLUDING categories to the All-Apple System.

It took 30 hours of research, and nothing I found here, at MarkSpace,
nor Microsoft's folks was what did it.

I figured it out. I am annoyed, but triumphant.

: )

I will now await lucrative offers from frustrated Treo Owners trying
to get their data fully, correctly exported. Hint: don't throw out
that phone.

Cheers,
k

 

[Diane Ross]

Our job is to help you use Entourage NOT get your data out for use in
another application.

 

[Kevin-or-Ash]

Hi Diane,

I don't mean to argue, but that's not quite fair: in another post
today, you explicitly tell people how to export data, right?

Well, Entourage Notes don't export.

Nope, not going to share it. MS was too cheap to pay a script writer
to export their software as other products of their export; maybe they
can pay me for my elaborate, hard-won work-around. MarkSpace doesn't
know how to work their own products.

Or a yacht. I'll take a small one, IF it's in good repair.



k

 

[Diane Ross]

Nope, not going to share it. MS was too cheap to pay a script writer
to export their software as other products of their export; maybe they
can pay me for my elaborate, hard-won work-around.

I've never received a dime from Microsoft for all the answers and work I've
provided.

Gloat that you found a way, but are unwilling to share. Don't expect anyone
to like it.

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

I've figured out how to export all of Entourage Date (except for rules/
filters & signatures) INCLUDING categories to the All-Apple System.

Well if you are talking about categories for contacts and events, it has
been published here a number of times....
You can use Paul Berkowtiz's script, or you can run scripts to save the
categories to the Notes (only works for the default account: chose
between Excahnge and Local) and use that in the system Address Book or
iCal to restore categories.

It took 30 hours of research, and nothing I found here, at MarkSpace,
nor Microsoft's folks was what did it.

It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes in Google ;-)

I figured it out. I am annoyed, but triumphant.
: )

I will now await lucrative offers from frustrated Treo Owners trying
to get their data fully, correctly exported. Hint: don't throw out
that phone.

Paul's scripts are shareware (but nice and comprehensive). Mine is free
(but more than rudimental).

Corentin

PS: I figured out a way to win the lottery. I'm patiently awaiting
lucrative offers. Give me a million $ and I'll help you win $500,000 :->

 

[William Smith [MVP]]

I don't mean to argue, but that's not quite fair: in another post
today, you explicitly tell people how to export data, right?

Well, Entourage Notes don't export.

Nope, not going to share it. MS was too cheap to pay a script writer
to export their software as other products of their export; maybe they
can pay me for my elaborate, hard-won work-around. MarkSpace doesn't
know how to work their own products.

Or a yacht. I'll take a small one, IF it's in good repair.

Unlike the other folks I find the idea that you want to sell your
methods perfectly fair. The free market will determine its value and may
very well find it worth a yacht.

Do keep in mind that folks here in this newsgroup may find your demeanor
somewhat offensive simply because you came here looking for free answers
to your problem and you now return with a smug "pay me for my answer
(singular)" attitude. That attitude is counter to what this newsgroup is
about, which is peers helping each other.

Should you ever decide you want to give back to the community then I'd
imagine Diane might have a change of heart and actually post your
solution on her *free* and website where it will probably get much more
exposure than you could give it. Her site gets thousands of hits per
day. And the "thank you" messages I've received for my contributions are
worth the effort.

--

bill

Entourage Help Page <http://entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
YouTalk <http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/youtalk>
Twitter: follow <http://twitter.com/meck>