Internet-Draft jscontact-vcard September 2023
Loffredo & Stepanek Expires 21 March 2024 [Page]
Workgroup:
calext
Internet-Draft:
draft-ietf-calext-jscontact-vcard-13
Updates:
6350 (if approved)
Published:
Intended Status:
Standards Track
Expires:
Authors:
M. Loffredo
IIT-CNR/Registro.it
R. Stepanek
Fastmail

JSContact: Converting from and to vCard

Abstract

This document defines how to convert contact information between the JSContact and vCard data formats. To achieve this, it updates RFC I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact (JSContact) by registering new JSContact properties. Similarly, it updates RFC 6350 (vCard) by registering new vCard properties and parameters.

Status of This Memo

This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet-Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

This Internet-Draft will expire on 21 March 2024.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1.1. Motivation

The JSContact data model and format [I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact] aims to be an alternative to the widely used vCard [RFC6350] standard and jCard [RFC7095].

While applications might prefer JSContact to exchange contact card data with other systems, they are likely to interoperate with services and clients that only support vCard or jCard. Similarly, existing contact data providers and consumers already using vCard or jCard might want to represent their contact data also in JSContact.

To achieve this, this document defines standard rules to convert contact data between JSContact and vCard (and consequently jCard).

1.2. Notational Conventions

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.

1.3. ABNF Notations

The ABNF definitions in this document use the notations of [RFC5234]. ABNF rules not defined in this document either are defined in [RFC5234] (such as the ABNF for CRLF, WSP, DQUOTE, VCHAR, ALPHA, and DIGIT) or [RFC6350].

2. Converting vCard to JSContact

This section contains the conversion rules from vCard to JSContact Card. It follows the same structure as the vCard v4 [RFC6350]. Properties and parameters of vCard extension RFCs, including the vCard JSContact Extension [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions] are added to appropriate subsections.

2.1. General rules

2.1.1. The uid property

The UID property in vCard is optional, but the uid property in JSContact is mandatory. Implementations that convert a vCard without UID property MUST generate a unique identifier as a value for the uid property. This value SHOULD be the same when converting the same vCard multiple times, but how to achieve this is implementation-specific.

2.1.2. Choosing identifiers

Multivalued properties in JSContact typically are represented as a JSON object where the object keys are of the Id type and the object values are the converted vCard property. In absence of the PROP-ID parameter (see Section 2.3.16), implementations are free to choose any identifier for such entries. Whatever identifier generation scheme implementations use, they MUST generate values that are valid according to the definition of the Id type in [I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact]. For example, this could be an incrementing number across all Ids or only unique within one JSON object.

2.2. vCard Value Data Types

2.2.1. BOOLEAN

This converts to the JSContact Boolean type.

2.2.2. DATE, TIME, DATE-TIME, DATE-AND-OR-TIME, and TIMESTAMP

The TIMESTAMP type generally converts to the UTCDateTime. It converts to the Timestamp type for anniversaries.

The DATE type converts to the PartialDate type, which only is relevant for anniversaries. This does not apply to DATE values that only define a month or a day.

The TIME, DATE-TIME, DATE-AND-OR-TIME types and DATE type values that only define a month or day do not convert to a JSContact datetime type. Instead, vCard properties or parameters having such values convert to the properties defined in Section 2.15.

2.2.3. INTEGER

This converts to the JSContact Int and UnsignedInt types.

2.2.4. FLOAT

This converts to the JSContact Number type.

2.2.5. LANGUAGE-TAG

This converts to the JSContact String type.

2.2.6. TEXT

This converts to the JSContact String type.

2.2.7. URI

This converts to the JSContact String type.

2.2.8. UTC-OFFSET

This either converts to a String containing an IANA TimeZone Database entry name (see Section 2.8.2), or it does not convert to any JSContact type. For the latter, vCard properties or parameters having such values MAY convert to JSContact as defined in Section 2.15.

2.3. vCard Parameters

This section contains the conversion rules for vCard parameters. A rule typically only applies for specific vCard properties. To convert a vCard parameter on an arbitrary vCard property, see Section 2.15.2.

2.3.1. ALTID

This does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact, but several conversion rules make use of this parameter to combine multiple vCard properties into a single JSContact object instance. For an example of this see Section 2.6.1. To preserve the verbatim value of the ALTID parameter, set the JSContact properties defined in Section 2.15.

2.3.2. AUTHOR

The AUTHOR parameter value of a vCard NOTE property converts to the uri property of the Author object for this note.

Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.3. AUTHOR-NAME

The AUTHOR-NAME parameter value of a vCard NOTE property converts to the name property of the Author object for this note.

Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.4. CALSCALE

This parameter set on a BDAY, DEATHDATE or ANNIVERSARY property converts to the calendarScale property of the PartialDate object type.

2.3.5. CREATED

The CREATED parameter value of a vCard NOTE property converts to the created property of the Note object.

Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.6. DERIVED

If this parameter is set to true on a vCard property, then implementations MAY choose to not convert that property. Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.7. GEO

This parameter set on an ADR property converts to the JSContact coordinates property of the Address object that represents the vCard ADR.

2.3.8. GROUP

This parameter exclusively is for use in jCard (see Section 7.1 of [RFC7095]). It MUST NOT be set in a vCard. Preserving the exact group name when converting from vCard to JSContact and back to vCard is not necessary. Any group identifiers will do, as long as the resulting vCard groups its properties equally to the original vCard. Implementations that still wish to preserve the exact property group name of a vCard property MAY set the group parameter in the JSContact properties vCardProps or vCardParams defined in Section 2.15.

item1.TEL;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555

"phones": {
  "p1": {
    "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555",
    "vCardParams" : {
     "group" : "item1"
    }
  }
}
Figure 1: An example how to preserve the group name in vCardParams during conversion.
item2.X-FOO:bar

"vCardProps": [
  ["x-foo", {
    "group": "item2"
  }, "unknown", "bar"]
]
Figure 2: An example how to preserve the group name in vCardProps during conversion.

2.3.9. INDEX

This parameter set on the EXPERTISE, HOBBY, INTEREST and ORG-DIRECTORY properties defined in [RFC6715] converts to the JSContact listAs property of the PersonalInfo and Directory objects.

2.3.10. LANGUAGE

This converts to an entry in the localizations property for the vCard property that this parameter is set on. The value of the LANGUAGE parameter defines the language tag key in the localizations property.

This specification does not define a single standard conversion rule for how to convert the property values. Instead, building the localizations value is implementation-specific.

Two options to populate the localizations property are:

  • One Patch Per Property: For each vCard property with a LANGUAGE parameter, set the complete path in the PatchObject to the JSContact property that the vCard property converts to. The value of the patch is the converted property value. This is simple to process and adequate if the vCard only contains a few properties with LANGUAGE parameter.
  • Bundle Patches by Parent: If a PatchObject contains multiple paths that have the same parent paths, then it might be possible to combine these patches into one patch that patches the parent property. This is possible if the property in the Card is patched in its entirety.

Generally, localizations only localize properties that are present in the non-localized version of this Card. Figure 3 illustrates this.

FN;LANGUAGE=EN:John Doe
TITLE;LANGUAGE=EN:Boss
TITLE;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron

"language": "en",
"name": {
  "full": "John Doe"
},
"titles": {
  "t1": {
    "name": "Boss"
  }
},
"localizations": {
  "fr": {
    "titles/t1/name": "Patron"
  }
}
Figure 3: LANGUAGE conversion example: one dominant language

As a special case, if one or more vCard properties of the same type do not have the LANGUAGE parameter set, then choose them to the non-localized Card. Convert any with LANGUAGE parameters to the localizations property. Figure 4 illustrates this.

FN:John Doe
TITLE:Boss
TITLE;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron

"name": {
  "full": "John Doe"
},
"titles": {
  "t1": {
    "name": "Boss"
  }
},
"localizations": {
  "fr": {
    "titles/t1/name": "Patron"
  }
}
Figure 4: LANGUAGE conversion example: property without language

As the least preferred option, Figure 5 illustrates how all vCard properties of the same type have the LANGUAGE parameter set, but none of their language tags match the language of the main Card. In this case, implementations MAY choose to add the localized vCard properties only to the localizations object.

The following example uses non-ASCII characters to demonstrate multilingual content. The ASCII-formatted version of this specification might not show the correct characters. Please refer to the HTML or PDF versions instead.

LANGUAGE:es
FN:Gabriel García Márquez
TITLE;LANGUAGE=en:Boss
TITLE;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron

"language": "es",
"name" {
  "full": "Gabriel García Márquez"
},
"localizations": {
  "en": {
    "titles": {
      "t1": {
        "name": "Novelist"
      }
  },
  "fr": {
    "titles": {
      "t1": {
        "name": "Écrivain"
      }
  }
}
Figure 5: LANGUAGE conversion example: conflicting LANGUAGE property and parameter values

2.3.11. LEVEL

The LEVEL parameter [RFC6715] converts to the level property of the PersonalInfo type. If this parameter is set on the EXPERTISE property, then its values convert as:

  • "beginner" converts to "low";
  • "average" converts to "medium";
  • "expert" converts to "high".

In all other cases the values convert verbatim, but lowercase MUST be used for the JSContact value.

2.3.12. MEDIATYPE

This converts to the mediaType property of the Resource object type.

2.3.13. PHONETIC

This parameter as well as the SCRIPT (Section 2.3.17) parameter set on a N or ADR property convert to JSContact as follows:

the values of the phonetic, phoneticScript and phoneticSystem properties of the NameComponent and Name or AddressComponent and Address object types, respectively.

The related N or ADR property is defined by the vCard ALTID parameter. The conversion rules for the N (Section 2.5.5) and ADR (Section 2.6.1) properties define how the vCard components convert to JSContact.

The value of the PHONETIC parameter converts to the phoneticSystem property unless it is script, in which case the phoneticSystem property is not set. The value of the SCRIPT parameter converts to the phoneticScript property.

The values of the components in the property value convert to values the phonetic properties for the respective NameComponent or AddressComponent.

If more than one property having the PHONETIC parameter set relates to the same property, then they convert to the Card localizations property according their LANGUAGE parameter values as outlined in Section 2.3.10.

LANGUAGE=zh-Hant
N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=zh-Hant:孫;中山;文,逸仙;;
N;ALTID=1;PHONETIC=jyut;
  SCRIPT=Latn;LANGUAGE=yue:syun1;zung1saan1;man4,jat6sin1;;

"language": "zh-Hant",
"name": {
  "components": [
    { "kind": "surname", "value": "孫" },
    { "kind": "given", "value": "中山" },
    { "kind": "given2", "value": "文" },
    { "kind": "given2", "value": "逸仙" }
  ]
},
"localizations": {
  "yue": {
    "name/phoneticSystem": "jyut",
    "name/phoneticScript": "Latn",
    "name/components/0/phonetic": "syun1",
    "name/components/1/phonetic": "zung1saan1",
    "name/components/2/phonetic": "man4",
    "name/components/3/phonetic": "jat6sin1"
  }
}
Figure 6: PHONETIC conversion example

2.3.14. PID

This converts to an entry in the vCardParams property, see Section 2.15.2.

2.3.15. PREF

This converts to the pref property.

2.3.16. PROP-ID

The PROP-ID parameter value of a vCard property converts to the Id of the JSContact property to which the vCard property converts.

TEL;PROP-ID=PHONE-A;VALUE=uri;PREF=1;TYPE="voice,home"
  :tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555
TEL;PROP-ID=PHONE-B;VALUE=uri;TYPE=home
  :tel:+33-01-23-45-67

"phones": {
  "PHONE-A": {
    "contexts": { "private": true },
    "features": { "voice": true },
    "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555",
    "pref": 1
  },
  "PHONE-B": {
    "contexts": { "private": true },
    "number": "tel:+33-01-23-45-67"
  }
}
Figure 7: PROP-ID conversion example

Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.18. SERVICE-TYPE

This converts to the service property of the OnlineService object type. Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.19. SORT-AS

This converts to the sortAs properties defined for the Name, Organization and OrgUnit object types.

2.3.20. TYPE

This converts to the contexts property as well as property-specific kind property values defined in later sections. If not specified otherwise for a specific JSContact property, the vCard home and work parameter values convert to the JSContact private and work contexts, respectively.

2.3.21. TZ

This parameter set on an ADR property converts to the JSContact timeZone property of the Address object that represents the vCard ADR. Also see the conversion of the TZ property in Section 2.8.2.

2.3.22. USERNAME

This converts to the user property of the OnlineService object type. Note: This parameter is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.3.23. VALUE

This does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact. To preserve properties with experimental values, see Section 2.15.2 and Section 2.15.1.

2.4. General Properties

2.4.1. BEGIN and END

These do not convert to IANA-registered properties in JSContact.

2.4.2. KIND

The KIND property converts to the kind property (Figure 8). Allowed values are those described in Section 6.1.4 of [RFC6350] and extended with the values declared in [RFC6473] and [RFC6869].

KIND:individual

"kind": "individual"
Figure 8: KIND conversion example

2.4.3. SOURCE

The SOURCE property converts to a Directory object in the directories property (Figure 9). The kind property is set to entry. The uri property is set to the SOURCE property value.

The PREF and MEDIATYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

SOURCE:https://dir.example.com/addrbook/jdoe/Jean%20Dupont.vcf

"directories": {
   "ENTRY-1": {
     "kind": "entry",
     "uri": "https://dir.example.com/addrbook/jdoe/Jean%20Dupont.vcf"
   }
}
Figure 9: SOURCE conversion example

2.4.4. XML

This converts to an entry in the vCardProps property, see Section 2.15.1.

2.5. Identification Properties

2.5.1. BDAY, BIRTHPLACE, DEATHDATE, DEATHPLACE, ANNIVERSARY

The BDAY and ANNIVERSARY properties and the extensions BIRTHPLACE, DEATHDATE, DEATHPLACE described in [RFC6474] are represented as Anniversary objects included in the anniversaries property (Figure 10):

  • BDAY and BIRTHPLACE convert to date and place where kind is set to "birth";

  • DEATHDATE and DEATHPLACE convert to date and place where kind is set to "death";

  • ANNIVERSARY converts to date where kind is "wedding".

Both birth and death places are represented as instances of the Address object.

The BIRTHPLACE and DEATHPLACE properties that are represented as geo URIs convert to Address instances including only the coordinates property. If the URI value is not a geo URI, the place is ignored.

The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters of both BIRTHPLACE and DEATHPLACE properties convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

BDAY:19531015T231000Z
BIRTHPLACE:
 123 Main Street\nAny Town, CA 91921-1234\nU.S.A.
DEATHDATE:19960415
DEATHPLACE:
 5 Court Street\nNew England, ND 58647\nU.S.A.
ANNIVERSARY:19860201

"anniversaries": {
  "ANNIVERSARY-1" : {
    "kind": "birth",
    "date": {
      "@type": "Timestamp",
      "utc": "1953-10-15T23:10:00Z"
    },
    "place": {
      "full":
         "123 Main Street\nAny Town, CA 91921-1234\nU.S.A."
    }
  },
  "ANNIVERSARY-2" : {
    "kind": "death",
    "date": {
      "year": 1996,
      "month": 4,
      "year": 15
    },
    "place": {
      "full": "5 Court Street\nNew England, ND 58647\nU.S.A."
    }
  },
  "ANNIVERSARY-3" : {
    "kind": "wedding",
    "date": {
      "year": 1986,
      "month": 2,
      "day": 1
    }
  }
}
Figure 10: BDAY, BIRTHPLACE, DEATHDATE, DEATHPLACE, ANNIVERSARY conversion example

2.5.2. FN

The FN property converts to the Name object in the name property. Its value converts to the Name object full property (Figure 11). If the LANGUAGE parameter is set, then the FN property converts as outlined in Section 2.3.10. In the unexpected case that the vCard contains more than one FN property without LANGUAGE parameter, then convert the FN property that has the least parameters set to the full property. If multiple such FN properties are present, choose any of them. All other FN properties convert to the vCardProps (Section 2.15.1) property.

FN:John Q. Public, Esq.

"name": {
  "full": "John Q. Public, Esq.",
}
Figure 11: FN conversion example

2.5.3. GENDER

This does not map to an IANA-registered property in JSContact. To convert this property, see Section 2.15.1. Note the alternative JSContact speakToAs property which defines how to address and refer to an individual represented by the card, as do the newly defined vCard GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS properties of [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.5.4. GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS

The GRAMGENDER property converts to the grammaticalGender property of the SpeakToAs object (Figure 12).

The PRONOUNS property converts to an entry in the pronouns property of the SpeakToAs object (Figure 12).

GRAMGENDER:NEUTER
PRONOUNS;PREF=2:they/them
PRONOUNS;PREF=1:xe/xir

"speakToAs": {
  "grammaticalGender": "neuter",
  "pronouns": {
    "PRONOUNS-1": {
      "pronouns": "they/them",
      "pref": 2
    },
    "PRONOUNS-2": {
      "pronouns": "xe/xir",
      "pref": 1
    }
  }
}
Figure 12: GRAMGENDER and PRONOUNS conversion example

2.5.5. N

The N property converts to the Name object in the name property. Each component in the N property structured value converts to a NameComponent in the Name components property. The following table shows this relation:

Table 1: N components conversion
N component NameComponent kind Remarks
Family name surname To vCard: add any surname2 NameComponent value in here, after all surname values.
From vCard: ignore any value that also occurs in the Secondary surname component.
Given name given
Additional name given2
Honorific prefix title
Honorific suffix credential To vCard: add any generation NameComponent value also in here.
From vCard: ignore any value that also occurs in the Generation component.
Secondary surname surname2
Generation generation

If the JSCOMPS (Section 3.3.1) parameter is set, then the Name isOrdered property value is "true", and the defaultSeparator and any separator name components are set according to the parameter value. The components list MUST adhere to the order of the JSCOMPS parameter value.

If the JSCOMPS parameter is not set, then the Name isOrdered property value is "false" and the defaultSeparator property MUST NOT be set. The components list MUST follow the order of values in the N structured value when read from left to right.

If the SORT-AS parameter is set, then its structured value converts to the Name sortAs property according to Table 1. An empty or non-existent component value indicates that no sort is defined for this kind.

N;SORT-AS="Stevenson,John Philip":Stevenson;John;Philip,Paul;Dr.;Jr.,M.D.,A.C.P.;;Jr.

"name": {
  "components":[
    { "kind": "surname", "value": "Stevenson" },
    { "kind": "given", "value": "John" },
    { "kind": "given2", "value": "Philip" },
    { "kind": "given2", "value": "Paul" },
    { "kind": "title", "value": "Dr." },
    { "kind": "credential", "value": "M.D." },
    { "kind": "credential", "value": "A.C.P." },
    { "kind": "generation", "value": "Jr." }
  ],
  "sortAs": {
    "surname": "Stevenson",
    "given": "John Philip"
  }
}
Figure 13: N conversion example

See Section 3.3.1 for examples of using the JSCOMPS parameter for vCard structured property values.

2.5.6. NICKNAME

A NICKNAME property converts to Nickname object in the nicknames property (Figure 14). The name property is set to the NICKNAME property value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

NICKNAME:Johnny

"nicknames": {
   "NICK-1": {
    "name": "Johnny"
   }
}
Figure 14: NICKNAME conversion example

2.5.7. PHOTO

A PHOTO property converts to an entry in the media property (Figure 15). The entry value is a Media object whose kind property is set to photo and uri property is set to the PHOTO value.

The PREF and MEDIATYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

PHOTO:https://www.example.com/pub/photos/jqpublic.gif

"media": {
   "PHOTO-1": {
     "kind": "photo",
     "uri": "https://www.example.com/pub/photos/jqpublic.gif"
   }
}
Figure 15: PHOTO conversion example

2.6. Delivery Addressing Properties

2.6.1. ADR

The ADR property converts to an Address object in the addresses property. Each component in the ADR property structured value converts to an AddressComponent in the Address components property.

[I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions] defines new component for the ADR property. Implementations SHOULD set these new components, even if all their values are the empty string.

The following table shows how ADR component and AddressComponent kind relate:

Table 2: ADR components conversion
ADR component AddressComponent kind Remarks
post office box postOfficeBox [RFC6350] recommends this component not be set, but this now is disputable given the new components. Instead, set this component and use the new ADR value format defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
extended address apartment (see Remarks)

To vCard: Set the values of the following components:

From vCard: Ignore if the ADR structured value is of the format defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions]. Otherwise convert to apartment.

street address name (see Remarks)

To vCard: Set the values of the following components:

  • number
  • name
  • block
  • direction
  • landmark
  • subdistrict
  • district

From vCard: Ignore if the ADR structured value is of the format defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions]. Otherwise convert to name.

locality locality
region region
postal code postcode
apartment apartment Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
block block Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
building building Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
direction direction Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
district district Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
floor floor Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
landmark landmark Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
room room Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
street number number Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
subdistrict subdistrict Defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

If the JSCOMPS (Section 3.3.1) parameter is set, then the Address isOrdered property value is "true", and the defaultSeparator and any separator name components are set according to the parameter value. The components list MUST adhere to the order of the JSCOMPS parameter value.

If the JSCOMPS parameter is not set, then the Address isOrdered property value is "false" and the defaultSeparator property MUST NOT be set. The components list MUST follow the order of values in the ADR structured value when read from left to right.

The LABEL parameter converts to the Address full property.

The GEO parameter converts to the Address coordinates property.

The TZ parameter converts to the Address timeZone property.

The CC parameter as defined in [RFC8605] converts to the Address countryCode property.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3. The ADR-specific values of the TYPE parameter defined in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 of [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions] convert to the corresponding entries of the contexts property as defined in Section 2.5.1 of [I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact].

The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3. Each possible language-dependent alternative is represented as an entry of the PatchObject map where the key references the full property.

ADR;TYPE=work;CC=US:;;54321 Oak St;Reston;VA;20190;USA;;;;Oak St;54321;;;;;

"addresses": {
  "ADDR-1" : {
    "contexts": { "work": true },
    "components": [
      { "kind": "number", "value": "54321" },
      { "kind": "name", "value": "Oak St" },
      { "kind": "locality", "value": "Reston" },
      { "kind": "region", "value": "VA" },
      { "kind": "postcode", "value": "20190" },
      { "kind": "country", "value": "USA" }
    ],
    "countryCode": "US",
  }
}
Figure 16: ADR conversion example

See Section 3.3.1 for examples of using the JSCOMPS parameter for vCard structured property values.

2.7. Communications Properties

2.7.1. EMAIL

An EMAIL property converts to an entry in the emails property (Figure 17). The entry value is an EmailAddress object. The address property is set to the EMAIL value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

EMAIL;TYPE=work:[email protected]
EMAIL;PREF=1:[email protected]

"emails": {
  "EMAIL-1": {
    "contexts": { "work": true },
    "address": "[email protected]"
  },
  "EMAIL-2": {
    "address": "[email protected]",
    "pref": 1
  }
}
Figure 17: EMAIL conversion example

2.7.2. IMPP

An IMPP property converts to an entry in the onlineServices property (Figure 18). The entry value is an OnlineService object. The vCardName property is set to "impp" and the uri property is set to the IMPP value.

The SERVICE-TYPE, USERNAME, PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

IMPP;PREF=1:xmpp:[email protected]

"onlineServices": {
  "OS-1": {
    "uri": "xmpp:[email protected]",
    "pref": 1,
    "vCardName": "impp"
  }
}
Figure 18: IMPP conversion example

2.7.3. LANG

A LANG property converts to an entry in the preferredLanguages property (Figure 19). The entry value is an LanguagePref object. The LanguagePref language property value is the LANG property value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

LANG;TYPE=work;PREF=1:en
LANG;TYPE=work;PREF=2:fr
LANG;TYPE=home:fr

"preferredLanguages": {
  "LANG-1": {
    "language": "en",
    "contexts": { "work": true },
    "pref": 1
  },
  "LANG-2": {
    "language": "fr",
    "contexts": { "work": true },
    "pref": 2
  },
  "LANG-3": {
    "language": "fr",
    "contexts": { "private": true }
  }
}
Figure 19: LANG conversion example

2.7.4. LANGUAGE

The LANGUAGE property converts to the language property (Figure 20).

LANGUAGE:de-AT

"language": "de-AT"
Figure 20: LANGUAGE conversion example

Note: This property is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.7.5. SOCIALPROFILE

A SOCIALPROFILE property converts to an entry in the onlineServices property (Figure 21). The entry value is an OnlineService object. The vCardName property is set to "socialprofile" or can be omitted. If the value type of the SOCIALPROFILE is URI, the uri property is set to the SOCIALPROFILE value. Otherwise, the user property is set to the SOCIALPROFILE value.

The SERVICE-TYPE, USERNAME, PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

SOCIALPROFILE;SERVICE-TYPE=Mastodon:https://example.com/@foo

"onlineServices": {
  ...
  "OS-1": {
    "service": "Mastodon",
    "uri": "https://example.com/@foo"
  }
}
Figure 21: SOCIALPROFILE conversion example

Note: This property is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.7.6. TEL

A TEL property converts to an entry in the phones property (Figure 22). The entry value is a Phone object.

The TEL-specific values of the TYPE parameter convert to the features property keys as outlined in table Table 3. Note that Section 6.4.1 of [RFC6350] defines the default TYPE of TEL to be voice, but the default Phone features property is absent by default. Accordingly, an implementation SHOULD only set the Phone features property if the TEL property actually has a TEL-specific TYPE parameter set.

Table 3: TEL TYPE conversion
TYPE value Phone feature
cell mobile
fax fax
main-number main-number
pager pager
text text
textphone textphone
video video
voice voice

The value of the TEL property converts to the Phone number property.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

TEL;VALUE=uri;PREF=1;TYPE="voice,home":tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555
TEL;VALUE=uri;TYPE=home:tel:+33-01-23-45-67

"phones": {
  "PHONE-1": {
    "contexts": { "private": true },
    "features": { "voice": true },
    "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555;ext=5555",
    "pref": 1
  },
  "PHONE-2": {
    "contexts": { "private": true },
    "number": "tel:+33-01-23-45-67"
  }
}
Figure 22: TEL conversion example

2.8. Geographical Properties

2.8.1. GEO

This converts to the coordinates property of the Address object. Also see Section 2.8.3 to determine which Address object instance to convert to.

2.8.2. TZ

A value of type TEXT converts to the timeZone property in the Address object.

A value of type UTC-OFFSET converts to the timeZone property in the Address object if the offset has zero minutes and the hour offset is in the range -12 <= 14:

  • If the hour offset is zero, use the time zone name Etc/UTC.
  • Otherwise construct the time zone name with Etc/GMT suffixed with the string representation of the reversed sign hour offset, including the sign but excluding leading zeros and minutes. For example, the UTC offset value -0500 converts to Etc/GMT+5.

For such property values, also see Section 2.8.3 to determine which Address object instance to convert to.

Any other value of type UTC-OFFSET or URI does not convert to an IANA-registered property in JSContact. To convert such property, see Section 2.15.1.

2.8.3. Combining geographical properties

In vCard the properties ADR, GEO and TZ occur independently of each other. In JSContact, they all convert to properties of an Address object. It is implementation-specific if these vCard properties convert to separate address instances in JSContact, or if some or all of them convert to the same address. That being said, implementations MUST convert the properties to the same address for the following cases:

  • The GROUP parameter values of the properties match.
  • The GROUP parameters are not set, but are set on any other ADR, GEO and TZ properties.

2.9. Organizational Properties

2.9.1. CONTACT-URI

A CONTACT-URI property as defined in [RFC8605] is represented as an entry of the links property (Figure 23). The entry value is a Link object whose kind property is set to contact and uri property is set to the CONTACT-URI value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

CONTACT-URI;PREF=1:mailto:[email protected]

"links": {
  "CONTACT-1": {
    "kind": "contact",
    "uri": "mailto:[email protected]",
    "pref": 1
  }
}
Figure 23: CONTACT-URI conversion example

2.9.3. MEMBER

The uids of the contact cards composing the group are included in the members property (Figure 25).

In this case, the PREF parameter does not have a JSContact counterpart; however, the implementors MAY insert the map entries by order of preference.

KIND:group
FN:The Doe family
MEMBER:urn:uuid:03a0e51f-d1aa-4385-8a53-e29025acd8af
MEMBER:urn:uuid:b8767877-b4a1-4c70-9acc-505d3819e519

"kind": "group",
"name": {
  "full": "The Doe family"
},
"uid": "urn:uuid:ab4310aa-fa43-11e9-8f0b-362b9e155667",
"members": {
  "urn:uuid:03a0e51f-d1aa-4385-8a53-e29025acd8af": true,
  "urn:uuid:b8767877-b4a1-4c70-9acc-505d3819e519": true
}
Figure 25: Group example

2.9.4. ORG

An ORG property converts to an entry in the organizations property (Figure 26). The entry value is an Organization object whose name property contains the organizational name, and the units property is an array of OrgUnit objects each containing the organizational unit name in the name property.

Implementations MAY allow representation of organizational units without the organizational name. In this case, the first component of the ORG value MUST be an empty string (e.g., ORG:;DepartmentA).

The ALTID, LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

The first item of the comma-separated SORT-AS parameter value converts to the sortAs property of the Organization object. The subsequent items convert to the sortAs property of the corresponding OrgUnit object.

The TYPE parameter converts according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

ORG;SORT-AS="ABC":ABC\, Inc.;North American Division;Marketing

"organizations": {
  "ORG-1": {
    "name": "ABC, Inc.",
    "units":[
      { "name": "North American Division" },
      { "name": "Marketing" }
    ],
    "sortAs": "ABC"
  }
}
Figure 26: ORG conversion example

2.9.6. TITLE and ROLE

Both TITLE and ROLE properties are represented as entries of the titles property (Figure 28). The entry value is a Title object whose kind property is set to title or role for TITLE and ROLE vCard properties, respectively. The name property is set to the vCard property value.

The value of the organization property can be derived if the TITLE or ROLE property is member of a vCard property group and exactly one other ORG property also is part of that group.

The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

TITLE:Research Scientist
group1.ROLE:Project Leader
group1.ORG:ABC, Inc.

"titles": {
  "TITLE-1": {
    "kind": "title",
    "name": "Project Leader"
  },
  "TITLE-2": {
    "kind": "role",
    "name": "Research Scientist",
    "organization": "ORG-1"
  }
},
"organizations": {
  "ORG-1": {
    "name": "ABC, Inc."
  }
}
Figure 28: TITLE and ROLE conversion example

2.10. Personal Information Properties

2.10.1. EXPERTISE

An EXPERTISE property as defined in [RFC6715] is represented as a PersonalInfo object in the personalInfo property (Figure 29). The kind property is set to "expertise".

The INDEX parameter converts according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

EXPERTISE;LEVEL=beginner;INDEX=2:Chinese literature
EXPERTISE;INDEX=1;LEVEL=expert:chemistry

"personalInfo": {
  "PERSINFO-1" : {
    "kind": "expertise",
    "value": "Chinese literature",
     "level": "low",
     "listAs": 2
  },
  "PERSINFO-2" : {
    "kind": "expertise",
    "value": "chemistry",
    "level": "high",
    "listAs": 1
  }
}
Figure 29: EXPERTISE conversion example

2.10.2. HOBBY

A HOBBY property as defined in [RFC6715] is represented as a PersonalInfo object in the personalInfo property (Figure 30). The kind property is set to "hobby".

The INDEX parameter converts according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

HOBBY;INDEX=1;LEVEL=high:reading
HOBBY;INDEX=2;LEVEL=high:sewing

"personalInfo": {
  "PERSINFO-1" : {
    "kind": "hobby",
    "value": "reading",
    "level": "high",
    "listAs": 1
  },
  "PERSINFO-2" : {
    "kind": "hobby",
    "value": "sewing",
    "level": "high",
    "listAs": 2
  }
}
Figure 30: HOBBY conversion example

2.10.3. INTEREST

An INTEREST property as defined in [RFC6715] is represented as a PersonalInfo object in the personalInfo property (Figure 31). The kind property is set to "interest".

The INDEX parameter converts according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

INTEREST;INDEX=1;LEVEL=medium:r&b music
INTEREST;INDEX=2;LEVEL=high:rock&roll music

"personalInfo": {
  "PERSINFO-1" : {
    "kind": "interest",
    "value": "r&b music",
    "level": "medium",
    "listAs": 1
  },
  "PERSINFO-2" : {
    "kind": "interest",
    "value": "rock&roll music",
    "level": "high",
    "listAs": 2
  }
}
Figure 31: INTEREST conversion example

2.10.4. ORG-DIRECTORY

The ORG-DIRECTORY property [RFC6715] converts to a Directory object in the directories property (Figure 32). The kind property is set to directory. The uri property is set to the ORG-DIRECTORY property value.

The INDEX, PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

ORG-DIRECTORY;INDEX=1:https://directory.mycompany.example.com
ORG-DIRECTORY;PREF=1:ldap://ldap.tech.example/o=Tech,ou=Engineering

"directories": {
  "DIRECTORY-1": {
    "kind": "directory",
    "uri": "https://directory.mycompany.example.com",
    "listAs": 1
  },
  "DIRECTORY-2": {
    "kind": "directory",
    "uri": "ldap://ldap.tech.example/o=Tech,ou=Engineering",
    "pref": 1
  }
}
Figure 32: ORG-DIRECTORY conversion example

2.11. Explanatory Properties

2.11.1. CATEGORIES

A CATEGORIES property converts to a set of entries of the keywords property (Figure 33). The keys are the comma-separated text values of the CATEGORIES property.

In this case, the PREF parameter does not have a JSContact counterpart; however, the implementors MAY insert the map entries by order of preference.

CATEGORIES:internet,IETF,Industry,Information Technology

"keywords": {
  "internet": true,
  "IETF": true,
  "Industry": true,
  "Information Technology": true
}
Figure 33: CATEGORIES conversion example

2.11.3. CREATED

The CREATED property converts to the created property (Figure 34).

CREATED:19940930T143510Z

"created": "1994-09-30T14:35:10Z"
Figure 34: CREATED conversion example

Note: This property is defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].

2.11.4. NOTE

A NOTE property converts to a Note object in the notes map (Figure 35).

The ALTID and LANGUAGE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

NOTE;CREATED=20221123T150132Z;AUTHOR-NAME="John":
  Office hours are from 0800 to 1715 EST\, Mon-Fri.

"notes": {
  "NOTE-1" : {
     "note": "Office hours are from 0800 to 1715 EST, Mon-Fri.",
     "created": "2022-11-23T15:01:32Z",
     "author": {
       "name": "John"
     }
  }
}
Figure 35: NOTE conversion example

2.11.5. PRODID

The PRODID property converts to the prodId property (Figure 36).

PRODID:ACME Contacts App version 1.23.5

"prodId": "ACME Contacts App version 1.23.5"
Figure 36: PRODID conversion example

2.11.6. REV

The REV property converts to the updated property (Figure 37).

REV:19951031T222710Z

"updated": "1995-10-31T22:27:10Z"
Figure 37: REV conversion example

2.11.7. SOUND

A SOUND property converts to an entry in the media property (Figure 38). The entry value is a Media object whose kind property is set to sound and uri property is set to the SOUND value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

SOUND:CID:[email protected]

"media": {
  ...
  "SOUND-1": {
    "kind": "sound",
    "uri": "CID:[email protected]"
  }
}
Figure 38: SOUND conversion example

2.11.8. UID

The UID property corresponds to the uid property (Figure 39).

UID:urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6

"uid": "urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6"
Figure 39: UID conversion example

2.11.9. URL

A URL property converts to an entry in the links property (Figure 40). The entry value is a Link object whose uri property is set to the URL value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

URL:https://example.org/restaurant.french/~chezchic.html

"links": {
  "LINK-1": {
    "uri": "https://example.org/restaurant.french/~chezchic.html"
  }
}
Figure 40: URL conversion example

2.11.10. VERSION

This converts to an entry in the vCardProps (Section 2.15.1) property.

2.11.11. X-ABLabel

This property is experimental but widely in use in existing vCard data. It converts to the label property of a JSContact object type. The X-ABLabel property is preceded by a vCard property group name, and the label converts to the JSContact object which got converted from a vCard property having the same group.

The group name is not preserved, implementations are free to choose any unique group name when converting back to vCard. For an example how to preserve the group name see Section 2.3.8.

item1.TEL;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555
item1.X-ABLabel:foo

"phones": {
  "p1": {
    "number": "tel:+1-555-555-5555",
    "label": "foo"
  }
}
Figure 41: X-ABLabel conversion example

2.12. Security Properties

2.12.1. KEY

A KEY property converts to an entry in the cryptoKeys property (Figure 42). The entry value is a CryptoKey object whose uri property is set to the KEY value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

KEY:https://www.example.com/keys/jdoe.cer

"cryptoKeys": {
  "KEY-1": {
    "uri": "https://www.example.com/keys/jdoe.cer"
  }
}
Figure 42: KEY conversion example

2.13. Calendar Properties

2.13.1. CALADRURI

A CALADRURI property converts to an entry in the schedulingAddresses property (Figure 43). The entry value is a SchedulingAddress object whose uri property is set to the CALADRURI value.

The PREF parameter converts according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

CALADRURI;PREF=1:mailto:[email protected]
CALADRURI:https://example.com/calendar/jdoe

"schedulingAddresses": {
  "SCHEDULING-1": {
    "uri": "mailto:[email protected]",
    "pref": 1
  },
  "SCHEDULING-2": {
    "uri": "https://example.com/calendar/jdoe"
  }
}
Figure 43: CALADRURI conversion example

2.13.2. CALURI

A CALURI property converts to an entry in the calendars property (Figure 44). The entry value is a Calendar object whose kind property is set to calendar and uri property is set to the CALURI value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

CALURI;PREF=1:https://cal.example.com/calA
CALURI;MEDIATYPE=text/calendar:https://ftp.example.com/calA.ics

"calendars": {
  "CAL-1": {
    "kind": "calendar",
    "uri": "https://cal.example.com/calA",
    "pref": 1
  },
  "CAL-2": {
    "kind": "calendar",
    "uri": "https://ftp.example.com/calA.ics",
    "mediaType": "text/calendar"
  }
}
Figure 44: CALURI conversion example

2.13.3. FBURL

An FBURL property converts to an entry in the calendars property (Figure 45). The entry value is a Calendar object whose kind property is set to freeBusy and uri property is set to the FBURL value.

The PREF and TYPE parameters convert according to the rules as defined in Section 2.3.

FBURL;PREF=1:https://www.example.com/busy/janedoe
FBURL;MEDIATYPE=text/calendar:https://example.com/busy/project-a.ifb

"calendars": {
  "FBURL-1": {
    "kind": "freeBusy",
    "uri": "https://www.example.com/busy/janedoe",
    "pref": 1
  },
  "FBURL-2": {
    "kind": "freeBusy",
    "uri": "https://example.com/busy/project-a.ifb",
    "mediaType": "text/calendar"
  }
}
Figure 45: FBURL conversion example

2.15. New JSContact properties

vCards may contain properties or parameters for which no IANA-registered JSContact property is defined. For example, a vCard may contain properties and parameters of which the semantics or purposes are unknown to the implementation; see Section 6.10 of [RFC6350].

This section defines JSContact properties by which such vCard properties and parameters MAY be represented in JSContact. Implementations MAY choose to convert differently if they deem that more appropriate.

2.15.1. Property vCardProps

Name:
vCardProps
Type:
JCardProp[], where JCardProp denotes a jCard-encoded vCard property as defined in Section 3.3 of [RFC7095].
Definition:
This property is set on a JSContact object that represents a vCard. It contains properties that are set in the vCard represented by this JSContact object. Each entry in this list typically represents a vCard property for which no conversion to an IANA-registered JSContact property is defined.
Example:

This illustrates how to convert a vCard extension property:

item1.X-FOO;X-BAR=Hello:World!

"vCardProps": [
  ["x-foo", {
    "x-bar": "Hello",
    "group": "item1"
  }, "unknown", "World!"]
]
Figure 46: JSContact vCardProps example

2.15.2. Property vCardParams

Name:
vCardParams
Type:
String[String|String[]]
Definition:
This property is set on a JSContact object that represents a vCard property. Its value MUST be a JSON object containing vCard property parameters, defined as array element 2 in Section 3.3 of [RFC7095]. Each entry represents a parameter of the vCard property that converts to the JSContact object.
Example:

This illustrates how to convert a vCard extension parameter:

EMAIL;X-FOO=Bar:[email protected]

"emails": {
  "email1": {
    "address": "[email protected]",
    "vCardParams": {
      "x-foo": "Bar"
    }
  }
}
Figure 47: JSContact vCardParams example

2.15.3. Property vCardName

Name:
vCardName
Type:
String
Definition:
This property is set on a JSContact object that represents a vCard property or parameter and its value contains the name of that vCard element. This allows to preserve the name of a vCard element when multiple elements convert the same JSContact object type. The case-insensitive value MUST be valid according to the name ABNF defined in Section 3.3 of [RFC6350].
Example:

Both vCard IMPP and SOCIALPROFILE convert to OnlineService in JSContact. The vCardName property value indicates that the vCard source element was IMPP:

IMPP:xmpp:[email protected]

"onlineServices": {
  "os1": {
    "uri": "xmpp:[email protected]",
    "vCardName": "impp"
  },
}
Figure 48: JSContact vCardName example

3. Converting JSContact to vCard

3.1. Conversion Rules

A Card converts to vCard by applying the reverse rules of converting vCard to JSContact. In addition to those listed in Appendix A, the following rules apply:

  • Multivalued JSContact properties convert to separate instances of their equivalent vCard property, and for each the PROP-ID parameter MUST be set to the Id of the converted value (see Section 2.3.16).
  • The full property of the name property in JSContact is optional, but the FN property is mandatory in vCard. The following rules apply:

    • If the Name full property is set, then implementations MUST use its value for the vCard FN property.
    • If the Name full property is not set, then implementations SHOULD derive the full name from the Name components values. If the isOrdered property is true, then this can be done by concatenating the name component values. Otherwise, or alternatively, an implementation can choose any other heuristic to generate the full name from its components, such as [CLDRPersonName]. Implementations MUST set the DERIVED parameter on the FN property.
    • Otherwise, they MUST set the FN property to the empty value.
  • Vendor-specific and unknown properties convert to vCard as outlined in Section 3.1.1.

3.1.1. Converting unknown properties

JSContact object types may contain properties for which no IANA-registered vCard property is defined. For example, a JSContact object may contain vendor-specific properties of which the semantics or purpose are unknown.

This specification defines the new JSPROP (Section 3.2.1) vCard property and JSPTR (Section 3.3.2) vCard parameter by which such JSContact properties MAY be represented in vCard. Implementations MAY choose to convert differently if they deem that more appropriate.

3.2. New vCard Properties

3.2.1. JSPROP

Property name:
JSPROP
Purpose:
This property represents a JSContact property in vCard.
Value type:
TEXT, also see Format Definition for value restrictions.
Conformance:
The property can be specified multiple times in a vCard.
Property parameters:
The JSPTR parameter MUST be set for this property. Other IANA-registered and experimental property parameters can be specified on this property.
Description:

This property converts an arbitrary JSContact property from and to vCard. The vCard property value is the JSON-encoded value of the JSContact property, represented as a TEXT value. The format of the JSON value MUST be compact, e.g., without insignificant whitespace. The value of the JSPTR parameter points to the JSContact property within the Card.

The root of the JSON pointer is always the Card object that this vCard converts to, irrespective if the JSON pointer starts with the SOLIDUS (U+002F) character. The pointer MUST NOT reference into an array.

All JSPROP properties in a vCard together form a PatchObject as defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact]. The value of its JSPTR parameter corresponds to a key in the PatchObject, the value of the JSPROP property corresponds to the value for that key. When converting from vCard to JSContact, the PatchObject MUST only be applied after all other vCard properties have already been converted. The PatchObject MUST be valid, including the restriction that an invalid PatchObject MUST NOT be applied.

Format definition:

This property is defined by the following notation:

jsprop = "JSPROP" jsprop-param ":" TEXT

jsprop-param  = *(
            ; The following are MANDATORY and MUST NOT
            ; occur more than once
            ( ";" jsptr-param ) /    ; see next section
            ( ";" "VALUE" "=" "TEXT")
            ;
            ; The following is OPTIONAL,
            ; and MAY occur more than once.
            ;
            (";" other-param)
            ;
            )
Example(s):

This illustrates how to convert a property at the top-level in a Card object that is unknown to the implementation.

"someUnknownProperty": true

JSPROP;JSPTR="someUnknownProperty":true
Figure 49: Unknown property example

This illustrates how to convert a vendor-specific property at the top-level of a Card object. Note the required use of quoted string for the JSPTR value which allows the path to include the COLON (U+003A) character.

"example.com:foo": {
  "bar": 1234
}

JSPROP;JSPTR="example.com:foo":{"bar":1234}
Figure 50: Vendor-specific property conversion example

This illustrates how to convert a vendor-specific property at a nested level in a Card object using a path relative to the Card object. Although not recommended, the property name includes the SOLIDUS (U+002F) character which requires escaping in the JSON pointer.

"phones": {
  "phone1": {
    "number": "tel:+33-01-23-45-67"
    "example.com:foo/bar": "tux hux"
  }
}

TEL:tel:+33-01-23-45-67
JSPROP;JSPTR="phones/phone1/example.com:foo~1bar":
 "tux hux"
Figure 51: Nested vendor-specific property example with path relative to Card

3.3. New vCard Parameter

3.3.1. JSCOMPS

Parameter name:
JSCOMPS
Purpose:
This parameter defines the order and separators for the elements of a structured property value.
Description:

The JSCOMPS parameter value facilitates converting name and address components between JSContact and vCard. It preserves the order of the components the JSContact property and contains the verbatim values of separator components.

If this parameter is set and its value is valid (see later), then implementations MUST set the isOrdered property of the Name or Address object to "true". Otherwise, they MUST set the isOrdered property value to "false".

The JSCOMPS parameter value is a structured type value. Its value MUST be quoted. The parameter value consists of a sequence of entries, separated by the SEMICOLON character (U+003B). The first entry defines the value of the defaultSeparator property. If it is the empty string then no default separator is defined. Otherwise, the first entry MUST be a separator entry. All following entries processed in order result in an ordered list of JSContact components, and MUST be one of two following two kinds:

  1. A positional. This refers to a component value in the vCard structured value A position consists of the numeric index of a component in the structured value, optionally followed by a COMMA (U+002C) character and the non-zero index of a value within that component. The zero index selects the first component or value, respectively. The second index by default is zero, in which case it MUST be omitted (as well as the leading COMMA).

    The resulting JSContact component is formed by determining its kind by the position in the vCard structured value. The component value is the verbatim value of the vCard component. Figure 52 and Figure 53 illustrate this by example.

  2. A separator. This contains the verbatim value of a separator component. It starts with the LATIN SMALL LETTER S (U+0073) character, followed by COMMA (U+002C), followed by zero or more Section 3.3 of [RFC6350] characters, where the COMMA (U+002c) and SEMICOLON (U+003B) character MUST be escaped according to the rules defined in Section 3.4 of [RFC6350]. Figure 54 illustrates this by example.

    The resulting JSContact component is formed by setting its kind to separator and its value to the verbatim value of the entry.

A JSCOMPS parameter value is valid if and only if:

  • All indexes in the positional entries refer to an existing component value in the vCard property value.
  • The count of positional entries equals the count of deduplicated component values. Deduplication is required because some values may occur in both their designated and backwards-compatible components in the vCard property value:

    • A value that occurs in both the N property secondary surname component and the family name component only counts once.
    • A value that occurs in both the N property generation component and the honorific suffix component only counts once.
    • A value in the ADR property street address component does not count if the ADR property value contains a value in one of the new components defined in [I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions].
    • All other values count once each.
Format definition:
jscomps-param     = "JSCOMPS" "="
                      DQUOTE (
                        (jscomps-entry-sep / "") ";" jscomps-entrylist
                      ) DQUOTE

jscomps-entrylist  = jscomps-entry *(";" jscomps-entry)
jscomps-entry      = jscomps-entry-pos / jscomps-entry-sep
jscomps-entry-pos  = 1*DIGIT [ "," 1*DIGIT ]
jscomps-entry-sep  = "s" "," jscomps-entry-verb
jscomps-entry-verb = *QSAFE-CHAR
Example(s):

The following example demonstrates the use of positional entries for the name "Jane Doe". The given name is ordered before the surname. No secondary index is required for either positional because both are zero.

"name": {
  "components": [
    { "kind": "given", "value": "Jane" },
    { "kind": "surname", "value": "Doe" }
  ],
  "isOrdered": true
}

N;JSCOMPS=";1;0":Doe;Jane;;;;;;
FN;DERIVED=TRUE:Jane Doe
Figure 52: Example for positional entries

The following example demonstrates a secondary positional index. The "Jr." generation marker only counts once because it occurs in both the designated generation component and the backwards-compatible honorific suffixes component.

"name": {
  "components": [
    { "kind": "given", "value": "John" },
    { "kind": "given2", "value": "Philip" },
    { "kind": "given2", "value": "Paul" },
    { "kind": "surname", "value": "Stevenson" },
    { "kind": "generation", "value": "Jr." },
    { "kind": "credential", "value": "M.D." }
  ],
  "isOrdered": true
}

N;JSCOMPS=";1;2;2,1;0;6;4,1":Stevenson;John;Philip,Paul;;Jr.,M.D.;;Jr.
Figure 53: Example for positional entries

The following example demonstrates the use of separator entries for the (shortened for brevity) address "54321 Oak St, Reston". The first entry defines the default separator to be ", ". The second and fourth positional entries are separated with the separator value " ". For backwards-compatibility, the street address component of the ADR property contains both the street number and name, but it is not referred to in the JSCOMPS parameter and does not contribute to the count of values.

"addresses": {
  "a1": {
    "components": [
      { "kind": "number", "value": "54321" },
      { "kind": "separator", "value": " " },
      { "kind": "name", "value": "Oak St" },
      { "kind": "locality", "value": "Reston" }
    ],
    "defaultSeparator": ", ",
    "isOrdered": true
  }
}

ADR;JSCOMPS="s,\, ;11;s, ;10;3":;;54321 Oak St;Reston;;;;;;;Oak St;54321;;;;;;
Figure 54: Example for separator entries

3.3.2. JSPTR

Parameter name:
JSPTR
Purpose:
This parameter contains a JSON pointer [RFC6901] that relates the vCard JSPROP (Section 3.2.1) property to a JSContact property.
Description:

This parameter has a single value that MUST be a valid JSON pointer as defined in [RFC6901]. Note that the value MUST be quoted according to the param-value ABNF in [RFC6350].

Format definition:
jsptr-param  = "JSPTR" "=" param-value
             ; also see param-value in RFC 6350, section 3.3

Example(s):

This illustrates a simple example. For further examples see Section 3.2.1.

JSPROP;JSPTR="example.com:foo":"bar"

4. Security Considerations

This specification defines how to convert between the JSContact and vCard formats. The security considerations for parsing and formatting such data apply and are outlined in Section 5 of [I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact] and Section 9 of [RFC6350].

5. Acknowledgements

The definition and examples of the PHONETIC (Section 2.3.13) and SCRIPT (Section 2.3.17) parameters are based on the initial version of [I-D.calconnect-vobject-i18n].

6. IANA Considerations

6.1. New vCard Properties

IANA is requested to add the following entries to the "vCard Properties" registry, defined in Section 10.3.1. of [RFC6350].

Table 4: New vCard Properties
Namespace Property Reference
JSPROP This document, Section 3.2.1

6.2. New vCard Parameters

IANA is requested to add the following entries to the "vCard Parameters" registry, defined in Section 10.3.2. of [RFC6350].

Table 5: New vCard Parameters
Namespace Parameter Reference
JSPTR This document, Section 3.3.2

6.3. New JSContact Properties

IANA is requested to add the following entries to the "JSContact Properties" registry. The Since Version for all properties is 1.0. The Until Version for all properties is not set. All RFC section references are for this document. The change controller for all these properties is IETF.

Table 6: Initial Contents of the "JSContact Properties" Registry
Property Name Property Type Property Context Reference or Description Intended Usage
vCardName String Any JSContact object Section 2.15.3 common
vCardParams String[String] Any JSContact object Section 2.15.2 common
vCardProps JCardProp[] Card Section 2.15.1 common

6.4. New JSContact Types

IANA is requested to add the following entries to the "JSContact Types" registry. The Since Version for all properties is 1.0. The Until Version for all properties is not set. All RFC section references are for this document. The change controller for all these properties is IETF.

Table 7: Additional Contents of the "JSContact Types" Registry
Type Name Reference or Description Intended Usage
JCardProp Section 2.15.1 common

7. Implementation Status

NOTE: Please remove this section and the reference to RFC 7942 prior to publication as an RFC.

This section records the status of known implementations of the protocol as defined in this specification at the time of posting of this Internet-Draft, and is based on a proposal described in [RFC7942]. The description of implementations in this section is intended to assist the IETF in its decision processes in progressing drafts to RFCs. Please note that the listing of any individual implementation here does not imply endorsement by the IETF. Furthermore, no effort has been spent to verify the information presented here that was supplied by IETF contributors. This is not intended as, and must not be construed to be, a catalog of available implementations or their features. Readers are advised to note that other implementations may exist.

According to RFC 7942, "this will allow reviewers and working groups to assign due consideration to documents that have the benefit of running code, which may serve as evidence of valuable experimentation and feedback that have made the implemented protocols more mature. It is up to the individual working groups to use this information as they see fit".

7.1. CNR

  • Responsible Organization: National Research Council (CNR) of Italy
  • Location: https://github.com/consiglionazionaledellericerche/jscontact-tools
  • Description: This implementation includes tools for JSContact creation, validation, serialization/deserialization, and conversion from vCard, xCard and jCard.
  • Level of Maturity: This is an "alpha" test implementation.
  • Coverage: This implementation includes all features described in this specification.
  • Contact Information: Mario Loffredo, [email protected]

8. References

8.1. Normative References

[I-D.ietf-calext-jscontact]
Stepanek, R. and M. Loffredo, "JSContact: A JSON representation of contact data", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-calext-jscontact-14, , <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-calext-jscontact-14>.
[I-D.ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions]
Stepanek, R. and M. Loffredo, "vCard Format Extension for JSContact", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions-10, , <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-calext-vcard-jscontact-extensions-10>.
[RFC2119]
Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.
[RFC5234]
Crocker, D., Ed. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax Specifications: ABNF", STD 68, RFC 5234, DOI 10.17487/RFC5234, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5234>.
[RFC6350]
Perreault, S., "vCard Format Specification", RFC 6350, DOI 10.17487/RFC6350, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6350>.
[RFC6473]
Saint-Andre, P., "vCard KIND:application", RFC 6473, DOI 10.17487/RFC6473, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6473>.
[RFC6474]
Li, K. and B. Leiba, "vCard Format Extensions: Place of Birth, Place and Date of Death", RFC 6474, DOI 10.17487/RFC6474, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6474>.
[RFC6715]
Cauchie, D., Leiba, B., and K. Li, "vCard Format Extensions: Representing vCard Extensions Defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Converged Address Book (CAB) Group", RFC 6715, DOI 10.17487/RFC6715, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6715>.
[RFC6869]
Salgueiro, G., Clarke, J., and P. Saint-Andre, "vCard KIND:device", RFC 6869, DOI 10.17487/RFC6869, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6869>.
[RFC6901]
Bryan, P., Ed., Zyp, K., and M. Nottingham, Ed., "JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Pointer", RFC 6901, DOI 10.17487/RFC6901, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6901>.
[RFC7095]
Kewisch, P., "jCard: The JSON Format for vCard", RFC 7095, DOI 10.17487/RFC7095, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7095>.
[RFC7942]
Sheffer, Y. and A. Farrel, "Improving Awareness of Running Code: The Implementation Status Section", BCP 205, RFC 7942, DOI 10.17487/RFC7942, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7942>.
[RFC8174]
Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

8.2. Informative References

[CLDRPersonName]
Davis, M., Edberg, P., Gillam, R., Kolisnychenko, A., McKenna, M., and others, "Technical Standard #35: Unicode Locale Data Markup Language (LDML) Part 8: Person Names, Version 43.1", , <https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr35/tr35-personNames.html>.
[I-D.calconnect-vobject-i18n]
Tse, R. H., Tam, P., and M. Douglass, "vObject Internationalization", Work in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-calconnect-vobject-i18n-00, , <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-calconnect-vobject-i18n-00>.
[RFC8605]
Hollenbeck, S. and R. Carney, "vCard Format Extensions: ICANN Extensions for the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)", RFC 8605, DOI 10.17487/RFC8605, , <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8605>.

Appendix A. Reverse Rules of Converting vCard to JSContact Card

Table 8 lists the relevant document sections for each JSContact object type and property.

Table 8: Conversion rules by JSContact property
JSContact Type Property Name Relevant Section(s)
Address @type not applicable
Address components Section 2.6.1, Section 3.3.1
Address contexts Section 2.3.20
Address coordinates Section 2.3.7, Section 2.8.1
Address country Section 2.6.1
Address countryCode Section 2.6.1
Address defaultSeparator Section 2.6.1, Section 3.3.1
Address full Section 2.6.1
Address isOrdered Section 2.6.1, Section 3.3.1
Address locality Section 2.6.1
Address phoneticScript Section 2.3.13, Section 2.3.17
Address phoneticSystem Section 2.3.13
Address postcode Section 2.6.1
Address pref Section 2.3.15
Address region Section 2.6.1
Address timeZone Section 2.3.21, Section 2.8.2
AddressComponent phonetic Section 2.3.13
Anniversary @type not applicable
Anniversary date Section 2.5.1
Anniversary kind Section 2.5.1
Anniversary place Section 2.5.1
Author @type not applicable
Author name Section 2.3.3
Author uri Section 2.3.2
Calendar @type not applicable
Calendar contexts Section 2.3.20
Calendar kind Section 2.13.1, Section 2.13.3
Calendar label Section 2.11.11
Calendar mediaType Section 2.3.12
Calendar pref Section 2.3.15
Calendar uri Section 2.13.1, Section 2.13.3
Card @type not applicable
Card @version not applicable
Card addresses Section 2.6.1
Card anniversaries Section 2.5.1
Card calendars Section 2.13.1, Section 2.13.3
Card created Section 2.11.3
Card directories Section 2.4.3, Section 2.10.4
Card emails Section 2.7.1
Card keywords Section 2.11.1
Card kind Section 2.4.2
Card language Section 2.7.4
Card links Section 2.9.1, Section 2.11.9
Card localizations Section 2.3.10
Card media Section 2.5.7, Section 2.9.2, Section 2.11.7
Card members Section 2.9.3
Card name Section 2.5.5
Card nicknames Section 2.5.5
Card notes Section 2.11.4
Card onlineServices Section 2.7.2
Card organizations Section 2.9.4
Card personalInfo Section 2.10.1, Section 2.10.2, Section 2.10.3
Card phones Section 2.7.6
Card preferredLanguages Section 2.7.3
Card prodId Section 2.11.5
Card relatedTo Section 2.9.5
Card schedulingAddresses Section 2.13.1
Card speakToAs Section 2.5.4
Card titles Section 2.9.6
Card uid Section 2.11.8
Card updated Section 2.11.6
CryptoKey @type not applicable
CryptoKey contexts Section 2.3.20
CryptoKey kind not applicable
CryptoKey label Section 2.11.11
CryptoKey mediaType Section 2.3.12
CryptoKey pref Section 2.3.15
CryptoKey uri Section 2.12.1
Directory @type not applicable
Directory contexts Section 2.3.20
Directory kind Section 2.4.3, Section 2.10.4
Directory label Section 2.11.11
Directory listAs Section 2.3.9
Directory mediaType Section 2.3.12
Directory pref Section 2.3.15
Directory uri Section 2.4.3, Section 2.10.4
EmailAddress @type not applicable
EmailAddress address Section 2.7.1
EmailAddress contexts Section 2.3.20
EmailAddress label Section 2.11.11
EmailAddress pref Section 2.3.15
LanguagePref @type not applicable
LanguagePref contexts Section 2.3.20
LanguagePref pref Section 2.3.15
Link @type not applicable
Link contexts Section 2.3.20
Link kind Section 2.9.1, Section 2.11.9
Link label Section 2.11.11
Link mediaType Section 2.3.12
Link pref Section 2.3.15
Link uri Section 2.9.1, Section 2.11.9>
Media @type not applicable
Media contexts Section 2.3.20
Media kind Section 2.5.7, Section 2.9.2, Section 2.11.7
Media label Section 2.11.11
Media mediaType Section 2.3.12
Media pref Section 2.3.15
Media uri Section 2.5.7, Section 2.9.2, Section 2.11.7
Name @type not applicable
Name components Section 2.5.5, Section 3.3.1
Name defaultSeparator Section 2.5.5, Section 3.3.1
Name full Section 2.5.2
Name phoneticScript Section 2.3.13, Section 2.3.17
Name phoneticSystem Section 2.3.13
Name isOrdered Section 2.5.5, Section 3.3.1
Name sortAs Section 2.3.19
NameComponent @type not applicable
NameComponent kind Section 2.5.5
NameComponent phonetic Section 2.3.13
NameComponent value Section 2.5.5
Nickname @type not applicable
Nickname contexts Section 2.3.20
Nickname name Section 2.5.5
Nickname pref Section 2.3.15
Note @type not applicable
Note author Section 2.3.2, Section 2.3.3
Note created Section 2.3.5
Note note Section 2.11.4
OnlineService @type not applicable
OnlineService contexts Section 2.3.20
OnlineService kind Section 2.7.2, Section 2.7.5
OnlineService label Section 2.11.11
OnlineService pref Section 2.3.15
OnlineService service Section 2.3.18
OnlineService uri Section 2.7.2, Section 2.7.5
OnlineService user Section 2.3.22
OrgUnit @type not applicable
OrgUnit name Section 2.9.4
OrgUnit sortAs Section 2.3.19
Organization @type not applicable
Organization contexts Section 2.3.20
Organization name Section 2.9.4
Organization sortAs Section 2.3.19
Organization units Section 2.9.4
PartialDate @type not applicable
PartialDate calendarScale Section 2.3.4
PartialDate day Section 2.2.2
PartialDate month Section 2.2.2
PartialDate year Section 2.2.2
PatchObject @type not applicable
PersonalInfo @type not applicable
PersonalInfo kind Section 2.10.1, Section 2.10.2, Section 2.10.3
PersonalInfo listAs Section 2.3.9
PersonalInfo level Section 2.3.11
PersonalInfo value Section 2.10.1, Section 2.10.2, Section 2.10.3
Phone @type not applicable
Phone contexts Section 2.3.20
Phone features Section 2.7.6
Phone label Section 2.11.11
Phone number Section 2.7.6
Phone pref Section 2.3.15
Pronouns @type not applicable
Pronouns contexts Section 2.3.20
Pronouns pref Section 2.3.15
Pronouns pronouns Section 2.5.4
Relation @type not applicable
Relation relation Section 2.9.5
Resource @type not applicable
SchedulingAddress @type not applicable
SchedulingAddress contexts Section 2.3.20
SchedulingAddress label Section 2.11.11
SchedulingAddress pref Section 2.3.15
SchedulingAddress uri Section 2.13.1
SpeakToAs @type not applicable
SpeakToAs grammaticalGender Section 2.5.4
SpeakToAs pronouns Section 2.5.4
AddressComponent @type not applicable
AddressComponent kind Section 2.6.1
AddressComponent value Section 2.6.1
Timestamp @type not applicable
Timestamp utc Section 2.2.2
Title @type not applicable
Title kind Section 2.9.6
Title name Section 2.9.6
Title organization Section 2.9.6

Authors' Addresses

Mario Loffredo
IIT-CNR/Registro.it
Via Moruzzi,1
56124 Pisa
Italy
Robert Stepanek
Fastmail
PO Box 234, Collins St West
Melbourne VIC 8007
Australia