Comparing and Subtracting Duplicate Contacts in Two VCF Files
This article focuses on comparing and subtracting duplicate contacts found in two VCard Files (VCF files). VCF files are a standard format for storing contact information in a electronic business card format. By comparing and subtracting duplicate contacts, users can maintain a clean and updated contact list without any unnecessary repetition.
Understanding VCF Files
VCF, or Virtual Contact File, is a file format standard for electronic business cards. They can contain name and address information, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, URLs, logos, photographs, and audio clips. The format is defined as a text file with a .vcf extension. Each VCF file may contain one or more VCards, each represented as a separate section of the file.
Comparing VCF Files
Comparing two VCF files involves checking for common contacts between the two files. This can be achieved by reading the contents of both files, extracting the contact information, and then comparing the information to find any matches. The comparison can be done based on various fields such as name, email, or phone number.
Subtracting Duplicate Contacts
Subtracting duplicate contacts involves removing any contacts that appear in both VCF files. This can be done by maintaining a list of contacts that have been seen in the first file, and then removing any contacts from the second file that appear in this list.
Example in Python
The following is an example Python script that demonstrates how to compare and subtract duplicate contacts in two VCF files:
import vobject
def read\_vcf(file\_name):
vcf\_file = open(file\_name, 'r')
vcard\_list = []
for vcard in vobject.readOne(vcf\_file):
vcard\_list.append(vcard)
vcf\_file.close()
return vcard\_list
def compare\_vcf(vcard\_list1, vcard\_list2):
common\_contacts = []
for vcard1 in vcard\_list1:
for vcard2 in vcard\_list2:
if vcard1.fn == vcard2.fn and vcard1.has\_email() and vcard2.has\_email():
if vcard1.email.value == vcard2.email.value:
common\_contacts.append(vcard1)
return common\_contacts
def subtract\_duplicates(vcard\_list1, vcard\_list2):
duplicates = compare\_vcf(vcard\_list1, vcard\_list2)
for duplicate in duplicates:
vcard\_list2.remove(duplicate)
return vcard\_list2
vcard\_list1 = read\_vcf('contacts1.vcf')
vcard\_list2 = read\_vcf('contacts2.vcf')
vcard\_list2 = subtract\_duplicates(vcard\_list1, vcard\_list2)
for vcard in vcard\_list2:
print(vcard.fn)
Comparing and subtracting duplicate contacts in two VCF files can help maintain a clean and updated contact list. This can be achieved by reading the contents of both files, extracting the contact information, and then comparing the information to find any matches. The comparison can be done based on various fields such as name, email, or phone number. The above example demonstrates how to accomplish this in Python.
References
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Type: Online Resource
Title: vCard Format Specification
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Type: Online Resource
Title: Python vObject Library