Add new contact in Global address book

[amitbiswas]

Hi,
I am using Zimbra_4.5.9 OpenSource edition, would like to add new contact into my global address book, instead of adding new zimbra account. Any input on this subject will much appreciated.
regards,
amitbiswas

[dwmtractor]

This feature is not currently available. I know I have seen other discussions about this, but I'm having no luck finding the RFE I thought was in Bugzilla. Anybody want to take a crack at it before I file what I fear will be a redundant bug?

[mmorse]

eh make a new one I guess - no one followed through on this: non-Zimbra (external) Users in the GAL
Though I do try to get people to add their own RFE ideas...so their alerted when their being worked on/developers have a question on desired functionality/know when it's completed...

[dwmtractor]

OK, I have filed bug 21879. Please feel free to add comments or vote on it.

Dan

[dwmtractor]

Due to a consolidation of bugs, the previous bug has been merged with another one. I did my best to summarize the points in this thread in comments on the end of bug 14531, but for those of you with interest in this topic, I strongly recommend you visit the current bug and vote for it.

Dan

[nrc]

A browseable GAL is very important to us.

Thinking about some points noted in the ticket - how about dynamic distribution lists that can also be represented as browseable address lists? So each one of these dynamic distribution lists is really a query against LDAP or the database - with a nice front end, of course. You can then set options on this distribution list:
Do you want to present it as an address book?
Do you want to restrict the address book to membes of the list?
Do you want to restrict the address book to a list of users?
Do you want to restrict the distribution list to members of the list?
Do you want to restrict the distribution list to a list of users?
etc.

So now the global address book is now just one of these dynamic distribution lists set to find everyone and allow anyone to browse it. You could have similar lists for users at a particular location, building, department, whatever.