mayeulc/tbsync

[Thunderbird Add-On] Central user interface to manage cloud accounts and to synchronize their contact, task and calendar information with Thunderbird

TbSync

1. Introduction
2. Where is this going?
3. External data sources
4. Icon sources and attributions

Introduction

TbSync is a central user interface to manage cloud accounts and to synchronize their contact, task and calendar information with Thunderbird. Its main objective is to simplify the setup process for such accounts. The following providers (protocols) are currently supported:

• CalDAV & CardDAV, via DAV-4-TbSync [compatibility list (DAV)]
• Exchange ActiveSync (EAS v2.5 & v14.0), via EAS-4-TbSync [compatibility list (EAS)]

Further details can be found in the wiki of the TbSync project and in the how-to-get-started guide.

If you like TbSync and want to support its development, please consider a donation.

Where is this going?

I started to work on TbSync, because we needed ActiveSync (EAS) support in Thunderbird. Soon after, I realized that the current situation for sync accounts is very confusing in terms of user experience: There was no central place to set up sync accounts. The same DAV account had to be setup in lightning and again in the sogo-connector or in CardBook. EWS accounts are setup differently again and for google we need 3 different add-ons for contacts, calendars and tasks.

With TbSync I want to unify that: A central manager to setup sync accounts (DAV, EAS, EWS, Google, ...) and get contacts, tasks and calendars. I knew that I will not be able to re-create and maintain all the different providers for TbSync by myself. I thus created a TbSync Provider API, which allows other add-ons to hook into TbSync and re-use most of the glue code.

I am in contact with Thunderbird staff and we are trying to get TbSync integrated directly into Thunderbird. No ETA yet.

Future plans:

• cooperate with CardBook, so it does not matter, if the user wants to use the standard Thunderbird address book or the cardbook address book.
• add support for Google
• add support for EteSync
• support the EWS community, which is interested in turning their add-on into a provider for TbSync.

All this requires funding. If you like TbSync and want to support its development, please consider a donation.

Translations and localizations

• Localization content best practices
• Summary table of quotation marks per language
• Transvision provides translations for various languages
• by Thunderbird supported locale codes

If you encounter a misspelled translation key, do not correct it but report it to me. The translation keys are only used as variables in the code and are not visible. But changing a translation key requires all other translations and all references to that key in the code to be changed as well. Since translation keys are sometimes build up by string concatenation, it is not as easy as doing a global find and replace.

Icon sources and attributions

WTFPL

• [spinner.gif] by Yannick Croissant

CC0-1.0

• [add16.png] by Jean Victor Balin
• [del16.png] by Jean Victor Balin
• [tick16.png] by Jean Victor Balin
• [sync16.png] by Willleam
• [slider-on.png] by John Bieling
• [slider-off.png] by John Bieling

CC-BY 3.0

• [contacts16.png] by Yusuke Kamiyamane
• [todo16.png] by Yusuke Kamiyamane
• [error16.png] by Yusuke Kamiyamane
• [connect16.png] by Yusuke Kamiyamane
• [info16.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [warning16.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [calendar16.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [calendar/contacts16_shared.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [trash16.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [acl_rw.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [acl_ro.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [provider16.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [report_send.png] based on work by FatCow Web Hosting #1 and #2
• [report_open.png] by FatCow Web Hosting
• [lock24.png] by Paomedia
• [tbsync.png] by Paomedia
• [settings32.png] by Paomedia
• [update32.png] by Google
• [group32.png] by Dumitriu Robert
• [catman32.png] based on 'Venn Diagram' by WARPAINT Media Inc., CA from Noun Project (info)

Apache Software License 2.0

• [disabled16.png] by Google

GPL

• [help32.png] by WooThemes