gContactSync now synchronizes e-mail address types and screenname protocols from Google and shows them in the Thunderbird Edit Card dialog.  The types and protocols are chosen through a drop-down menu.  Valid e-mail types include other, home, and work and valid protocols include Google Talk, AIM, ICQ, MSN (Windows Live Messenger), Yahoo (Messenger), and Jabber.

Google also allows different types of postal addresses and numbers, but I do not plan to implement those at this time.  If you would like me to, however, let me know.

They, like all other added attributes, are not present in the New Card dialog.  Before the first patch for Mailnews Bug 413260 landed, it was impossible to add custom attributes to an address book card without first adding the card to an address book and then modifying it.  It has landed, but is only on the last few trunk nightlies, so, for now, no custom attributes will appear on the new card dialog.  I give some additional information in my response to gContactSync bug 19753.

This feature will appear in the next release soon.

Screenshots

The screenshots are fairly large, so I’ll post links to them.

Types/protocols added to existing attributes: Primary Email, Second Email, and Screen Name

Types/protocols added to extra attributes

More screenshots

I have been looking for and fixing bugs, so I am almost ready to release my extension either late today or tomorrow if everything works out as planned.  I’m going to be pretty busy today through Saturday, so I might not be able to respond to comments/bugs until then.

Mozdev

I have a project on mozdev for it now – http://gcontactsync.mozdev.org/ that I still have to update.  The source code is available there.

IM bug

I found a bug that might actually be on Google’s side.  When you create a new IM address it doesn’t have a default type (says “Choose”), unlike the other typed attributes.  The XML it sends to the client is as follows: <gd:im address=”: address” label=”CUSTOM”/> where the screenname is “address”.  Notice the “: ” added to it.  When this is sent back to Google for the first time, it is accepted, but the IM address has a colon and space added to the front.  So, the extension now checks for these IM addresses and removes the “: ” if present.  These IM addresses do not show up in Thunderbird since they don’t have a type.