Backup iPhone Contacts - and add to Skype

I had a crap time today with Contacts, it seems nothing is getting any easier with all these mobile devices and different communications packages, such as Skype, GMail, iPhone (iTunes blahh!).

Firstly, how do you get your contacts out of iPhone.  Have a read, its all about syncing with various email systems, but nothing to just simply get them to a file.  So we have to follow suit.  This is the best way I found.  I use windows, so dont shoot me please Linux and mac users.

My Situation
Windows 7, iPhone 3GS with OS4.01, iTunes 10

Extract iPhone Contacts
Using iTunes, sync your iPhone contacts with Windows Address Book - these end up in WAB or contacts in Windows 7.
Oh, turn this off again when your done, and say NO to deleting from your iPhone. And a tip from the "been there done that" guy, if you do the above again and you have removed the contacts from your COntacts folder, it will remove them from your iPhone.





These can then be exported to CSV or VCF - run WAB.exe or goto Contacts - Export. Choose a new folder and work from there.

Once you have a folder full of individual VCFs you need to combine them into one for Skype.

Run the following DOS command in the folder where you have exported your VCFs to.

for /F "delims=" %i in ('dir/b *.vcf') do @more "%i" >> final.vcf 

Im not going to hold your hand on the command. Work it out.

Now, to make skype recognize the right fields, we need to make some changes within the final.VCF

Open the file in notepad or some other text editor, not word.

Do a search and replace on "FN:" with "X-SKYPE-DISPLAYNAME:"

Do a search and replce on "TEL;CELL;VOICE:" with "X-SKYPE-PSTNNUMBER:"

Run Skype, go to Contacts | Advanced | Restore from file --> Browse to your final.vcf file.

They all should open up in your contacts, if not, check you have the right fields. Do an export from Skype and compare with your own version.

Good luck.  THis is more a reminder