RFC6350
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) S. PerreaultRequest for Comments: 6350 ViagenieObsoletes: 2425, 2426, 4770 August 2011Updates: 2739Category: Standards TrackISSN: 2070-1721
vCard Format Specification
Abstract
This document defines the vCard data format for representing and exchanging a variety of information about individuals and other entities (e.g., formatted and structured name and delivery addresses, email address, multiple telephone numbers, photograph, logo, audio clips, etc.). This document obsoletes RFCs 2425, 2426, and 4770, and updates RFC 2739.
Status of This Memo
This is an Internet Standards Track document.
This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has received public review and has been approved for publication by the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Further information on Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata, and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6350.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2011 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved.
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not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format
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Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Conventions
- 3 vCard Format Specification
- 4 Property Value Data Types
- 5 Property Parameters
- 6 vCard Properties
- 7 Synchronization
- 8 Example: Author's vCard
- 9 Security Considerations
- 10 IANA Considerations
- 11 Acknowledgments
- 12 References
Introduction
Electronic address books have become ubiquitous. Their increased presence on portable, connected devices as well as the diversity of platforms that exchange contact data call for a standard. This memo defines the vCard format, which allows the capture and exchange of information normally stored within an address book or directory application.
A high-level overview of the differences from RFCs 2425 and 2426 can be found in Appendix A.
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 [RFC2119].
vCard Format Specification
The text/vcard MIME content type (hereafter known as "vCard"; see Section 10.1) contains contact information, typically pertaining to a single contact or group of contacts. The content consists of one or more lines in the format given below.
Charset
The charset (see [RFC3536] for internationalization terminology) for vCard is UTF-8 as defined in [RFC3629]. There is no way to override this. It is invalid to specify a value other than "UTF-8" in the "charset" MIME parameter (see Section 10.1).
Line Delimiting and Folding
Individual lines within vCard are delimited by the [RFC5322] line break, which is a CRLF sequence (U+000D followed by U+000A). Long logical lines of text can be split into a multiple-physical-line representation using the following folding technique. Content lines SHOULD be folded to a maximum width of 75 octets, excluding the line break. Multi-octet characters MUST remain contiguous. The rationale for this folding process can be found in [RFC5322], Section 2.1.1.
A logical line MAY be continued on the next physical line anywhere between two characters by inserting a CRLF immediately followed by a single white space character (space (U+0020) or horizontal tab (U+0009)). The folded line MUST contain at least one character. Any sequence of CRLF followed immediately by a single white space
character is ignored (removed) when processing the content type. For example, the line:
NOTE:This is a long description that exists on a long line.
can be represented as:
NOTE:This is a long description that exists on a long line.
It could also be represented as:
NOTE:This is a long descrip tion that exists o n a long line.
The process of moving from this folded multiple-line representation of a property definition to its single-line representation is called unfolding. Unfolding is accomplished by regarding CRLF immediately followed by a white space character (namely, HTAB (U+0009) or SPACE (U+0020)) as equivalent to no characters at all (i.e., the CRLF and single white space character are removed).
Note: It is possible for very simple implementations to generate improperly folded lines in the middle of a UTF-8 multi-octet sequence. For this reason, implementations SHOULD unfold lines in such a way as to properly restore the original sequence.
Note: Unfolding is done differently than in [RFC5322]. Unfolding in [RFC5322] only removes the CRLF, not the space following it.
Folding is done after any content encoding of a type value. Unfolding is done before any decoding of a type value in a content line.
ABNF Format Definition
The following ABNF uses the notation of [RFC5234], which also defines CRLF, WSP, DQUOTE, VCHAR, ALPHA, and DIGIT.
vcard-entity = 1*vcard
vcard = "BEGIN:VCARD" CRLF
"VERSION:4.0" CRLF
1*contentline
"END:VCARD" CRLF
; A vCard object MUST include the VERSION and FN properties.
; VERSION MUST come immediately after BEGIN:VCARD.
contentline = [group "."] name *(";" param) ":" value CRLF
; When parsing a content line, folded lines must first ; be unfolded according to the unfolding procedure ; described in Section 3.2. ; When generating a content line, lines longer than 75 ; characters SHOULD be folded according to the folding ; procedure described in Section 3.2.
group = 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-") name = "SOURCE" / "KIND" / "FN" / "N" / "NICKNAME"
/ "PHOTO" / "BDAY" / "ANNIVERSARY" / "GENDER" / "ADR" / "TEL"
/ "EMAIL" / "IMPP" / "LANG" / "TZ" / "GEO" / "TITLE" / "ROLE"
/ "LOGO" / "ORG" / "MEMBER" / "RELATED" / "CATEGORIES"
/ "NOTE" / "PRODID" / "REV" / "SOUND" / "UID" / "CLIENTPIDMAP"
/ "URL" / "KEY" / "FBURL" / "CALADRURI" / "CALURI" / "XML"
/ iana-token / x-name
; Parsing of the param and value is based on the "name" as
; defined in ABNF sections below.
; Group and name are case-insensitive.
iana-token = 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-")
; identifier registered with IANA
x-name = "x-" 1*(ALPHA / DIGIT / "-")
; Names that begin with "x-" or "X-" are ; reserved for experimental use, not intended for released ; products, or for use in bilateral agreements.
param = language-param / value-param / pref-param / pid-param
/ type-param / geo-parameter / tz-parameter / sort-as-param
/ calscale-param / any-param
; Allowed parameters depend on property name.
param-value = *SAFE-CHAR / DQUOTE *QSAFE-CHAR DQUOTE
any-param = (iana-token / x-name) "=" param-value *("," param-value)
NON-ASCII = UTF8-2 / UTF8-3 / UTF8-4
; UTF8-{2,3,4} are defined in [RFC3629]
QSAFE-CHAR = WSP / "!" / %x23-7E / NON-ASCII
; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE
SAFE-CHAR = WSP / "!" / %x23-39 / %x3C-7E / NON-ASCII
; Any character except CTLs, DQUOTE, ";", ":"
VALUE-CHAR = WSP / VCHAR / NON-ASCII
; Any textual character
A line that begins with a white space character is a continuation of the previous line, as described in Section 3.2. The white space character and immediately preceeding CRLF should be discarded when reconstructing the original line. Note that this line-folding convention differs from that found in [RFC5322], in that the sequence <CRLF><WSP> found anywhere in the content indicates a continued line and should be removed.
Property names and parameter names are case-insensitive (e.g., the property name "fn" is the same as "FN" and "Fn"). Parameter values MAY be case-sensitive or case-insensitive, depending on their definition. Parameter values that are not explicitly defined as being case-sensitive are case-insensitive. Based on experience with vCard 3 interoperability, it is RECOMMENDED that property and parameter names be upper-case on output.
The group construct is used to group related properties together. The group name is a syntactic convention used to indicate that all property names prefaced with the same group name SHOULD be grouped together when displayed by an application. It has no other significance. Implementations that do not understand or support grouping MAY simply strip off any text before a "." to the left of the type name and present the types and values as normal.
Property cardinalities are indicated using the following notation, which is based on ABNF (see [RFC5234], Section 3.6):
+-------------+--------------------------------------------------+ | Cardinality | Meaning | +-------------+--------------------------------------------------+ | 1 | Exactly one instance per vCard MUST be present. | | *1 | Exactly one instance per vCard MAY be present. | | 1* | One or more instances per vCard MUST be present. | | * | One or more instances per vCard MAY be present. | +-------------+--------------------------------------------------+
Properties defined in a vCard instance may have multiple values depending on the property cardinality. The general rule for encoding multi-valued properties is to simply create a new content line for each value (including the property name). However, it should be noted that some value types support encoding multiple values in a single content line by separating the values with a comma ",". This approach has been taken for several of the content types defined below (date, time, integer, float).
Property Value Escaping
Some properties may contain one or more values delimited by a COMMA character (U+002C). Therefore, a COMMA character in a value MUST be escaped with a BACKSLASH character (U+005C), even for properties that don't allow multiple instances (for consistency).
Some properties (e.g., N and ADR) comprise multiple fields delimited by a SEMICOLON character (U+003B). Therefore, a SEMICOLON in a field of such a "compound" property MUST be escaped with a BACKSLASH character. SEMICOLON characters in non-compound properties MAY be escaped. On input, an escaped SEMICOLON character is never a field separator. An unescaped SEMICOLON character may be a field separator, depending on the property in which it appears.
Furthermore, some fields of compound properties may contain a list of values delimited by a COMMA character. Therefore, a COMMA character in one of a field's values MUST be escaped with a BACKSLASH character, even for fields that don't allow multiple values (for consistency). Compound properties allowing multiple instances MUST NOT be encoded in a single content line.
Finally, BACKSLASH characters in values MUST be escaped with a BACKSLASH character. NEWLINE (U+000A) characters in values MUST be encoded by two characters: a BACKSLASH followed by either an 'n' (U+006E) or an 'N' (U+004E).
In all other cases, escaping MUST NOT be used.
Property Value Data Types
Standard value types are defined below.
value = text
/ text-list
/ date-list
/ time-list
/ date-time-list
/ date-and-or-time-list
/ timestamp-list
/ boolean
/ integer-list
/ float-list
/ URI ; from Section 3 of [RFC3986]
/ utc-offset
/ Language-Tag
/ iana-valuespec
; Actual value type depends on property name and VALUE parameter.
text = *TEXT-CHAR
TEXT-CHAR = "\\" / "\," / "\n" / WSP / NON-ASCII
/ %x21-2B / %x2D-5B / %x5D-7E
; Backslashes, commas, and newlines must be encoded.
component = "\\" / "\," / "\;" / "\n" / WSP / NON-ASCII
/ %x21-2B / %x2D-3A / %x3C-5B / %x5D-7E
list-component = component *("," component)
text-list = text *("," text)
date-list = date *("," date)
time-list = time *("," time)
date-time-list = date-time *("," date-time)
date-and-or-time-list = date-and-or-time *("," date-and-or-time)
timestamp-list = timestamp *("," timestamp)
integer-list = integer *("," integer)
float-list = float *("," float)
boolean = "TRUE" / "FALSE" integer = [sign] 1*DIGIT float = [sign] 1*DIGIT ["." 1*DIGIT]
sign = "+" / "-"
year = 4DIGIT ; 0000-9999 month = 2DIGIT ; 01-12 day = 2DIGIT ; 01-28/29/30/31 depending on month and leap year hour = 2DIGIT ; 00-23 minute = 2DIGIT ; 00-59 second = 2DIGIT ; 00-58/59/60 depending on leap second zone = utc-designator / utc-offset utc-designator = %x5A ; uppercase "Z"
date = year [month day]
/ year "-" month
/ "--" month [day]
/ "--" "-" day
date-noreduc = year month day
/ "--" month day
/ "--" "-" day
date-complete = year month day
time = hour [minute [second]] [zone]
/ "-" minute [second] [zone]
/ "-" "-" second [zone]
time-notrunc = hour [minute [second]] [zone]
time-complete = hour minute second [zone]
time-designator = %x54 ; uppercase "T" date-time = date-noreduc time-designator time-notrunc timestamp = date-complete time-designator time-complete
date-and-or-time = date-time / date / time-designator time
utc-offset = sign hour [minute]
Language-Tag = <Language-Tag, defined in [RFC5646], Section 2.1>
iana-valuespec = <value-spec, see Section 12>
; a publicly defined valuetype format, registered
; with IANA, as defined in Section 12 of this
; document.
TEXT
"text": The "text" value type should be used to identify values that contain human-readable text. As for the language, it is controlled by the LANGUAGE property parameter defined in Section 5.1.
Examples for "text":
this is a text value this is one value,this is another this is a single value\, with a comma encoded
A formatted text line break in a text value type MUST be represented as the character sequence backslash (U+005C) followed by a Latin small letter n (U+006E) or a Latin capital letter N (U+004E), that is, "\n" or "\N".
For example, a multiple line NOTE value of:
Mythical Manager Hyjinx Software Division BabsCo, Inc.
could be represented as:
NOTE:Mythical Manager\nHyjinx Software Division\n
BabsCo\, Inc.\n
demonstrating the \n literal formatted line break technique, the CRLF-followed-by-space line folding technique, and the backslash escape technique.
URI
"uri": The "uri" value type should be used to identify values that are referenced by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) instead of encoded in-line. These value references might be used if the value is too large, or otherwise undesirable to include directly. The format for the URI is as defined in Section 3 of [RFC3986]. Note that the value of a property of type "uri" is what the URI points to, not the URI itself.
Examples for "uri":
http://www.example.com/my/picture.jpg ldap://ldap.example.com/cn=babs%20jensen
DATE, TIME, DATE-TIME, DATE-AND-OR-TIME, and TIMESTAMP
"date", "time", "date-time", "date-and-or-time", and "timestamp": Each of these value types is based on the definitions in [ISO.8601.2004]. Multiple such values can be specified using the comma-separated notation.
Only the basic format is supported.
DATE
A calendar date as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.1.2.
Reduced accuracy, as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Sections 4.1.2.3 a) and b), but not c), is permitted.
Expanded representation, as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.1.4, is forbidden.
Truncated representation, as specified in [ISO.8601.2000], Sections 5.2.1.3 d), e), and f), is permitted.
Examples for "date":
19850412
1985-04
1985
--0412
---12
Note the use of YYYY-MM in the second example above. YYYYMM is disallowed to prevent confusion with YYMMDD. Note also that YYYY-MM-DD is disallowed since we are using the basic format instead of the extended format.
TIME
A time of day as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.2.
Reduced accuracy, as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.2.2.3, is permitted.
Representation with decimal fraction, as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.2.2.4, is forbidden.
The midnight hour is always represented by 00, never 24 (see [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.2.3).
Truncated representation, as specified in [ISO.8601.2000], Sections 5.3.1.4 a), b), and c), is permitted.
Examples for "time":
102200
1022
10
-2200
--00
102200Z
102200-0800
DATE-TIME
A date and time of day combination as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.3.
Truncation of the date part, as specified in [ISO.8601.2000], Section 5.4.2 c), is permitted.
Examples for "date-time":
19961022T140000
--1022T1400
---22T14
DATE-AND-OR-TIME
Either a DATE-TIME, a DATE, or a TIME value. To allow unambiguous interpretation, a stand-alone TIME value is always preceded by a "T".
Examples for "date-and-or-time":
19961022T140000
--1022T1400
---22T14
19850412
1985-04
1985
--0412
---12
T102200
T1022
T10
T-2200
T--00
T102200Z
T102200-0800
TIMESTAMP
A complete date and time of day combination as specified in [ISO.8601.2004], Section 4.3.2.
Examples for "timestamp":
19961022T140000
19961022T140000Z
19961022T140000-05
19961022T140000-0500
BOOLEAN
"boolean": The "boolean" value type is used to express boolean values. These values are case-insensitive.
Examples:
TRUE false True
INTEGER
"integer": The "integer" value type is used to express signed integers in decimal format. If sign is not specified, the value is assumed positive "+". Multiple "integer" values can be specified using the comma-separated notation. The maximum value is 9223372036854775807, and the minimum value is -9223372036854775808. These limits correspond to a signed 64-bit integer using two's- complement arithmetic.
Examples:
1234567890 -1234556790 +1234556790,432109876
FLOAT
"float": The "float" value type is used to express real numbers. If sign is not specified, the value is assumed positive "+". Multiple "float" values can be specified using the comma-separated notation. Implementations MUST support a precision equal or better than that of the IEEE "binary64" format [IEEE.754.2008].
Note: Scientific notation is disallowed. Implementers wishing to use their favorite language's %f formatting should be careful.
Examples:
20.30 1000000.0000001 1.333,3.14
UTC-OFFSET
"utc-offset": The "utc-offset" value type specifies that the property value is a signed offset from UTC. This value type can be specified in the TZ property.
The value type is an offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It is specified as a positive or negative difference in units of hours and minutes (e.g., +hhmm). The time is specified as a 24-hour clock. Hour values are from 00 to 23, and minute values are from 00 to 59. Hour and minutes are 2 digits with high-order zeroes required to maintain digit count. The basic format for ISO 8601 UTC offsets MUST be used.
LANGUAGE-TAG
"language-tag": A single language tag, as defined in [RFC5646].
Property Parameters
A property can have attributes associated with it. These "property parameters" contain meta-information about the property or the property value. In some cases, the property parameter can be multi- valued in which case the property parameter value elements are separated by a COMMA (U+002C).
Property parameter value elements that contain the COLON (U+003A), SEMICOLON (U+003B), or COMMA (U+002C) character separators MUST be specified as quoted-string text values. Property parameter values MUST NOT contain the DQUOTE (U+0022) character. The DQUOTE character is used as a delimiter for parameter values that contain restricted characters or URI text.
Applications MUST ignore x-param and iana-param values they don't recognize.
LANGUAGE
The LANGUAGE property parameter is used to identify data in multiple languages. There is no concept of "default" language, except as specified by any "Content-Language" MIME header parameter that is present [RFC3282]. The value of the LANGUAGE property parameter is a language tag as defined in Section 2 of [RFC5646].
Examples:
ROLE;LANGUAGE=tr:hoca
ABNF:
language-param = "LANGUAGE=" Language-Tag
; Language-Tag is defined in section 2.1 of RFC 5646
VALUE
The VALUE parameter is OPTIONAL, used to identify the value type (data type) and format of the value. The use of these predefined formats is encouraged even if the value parameter is not explicitly used. By defining a standard set of value types and their formats, existing parsing and processing code can be leveraged. The
predefined data type values MUST NOT be repeated in COMMA-separated value lists except within the N, NICKNAME, ADR, and CATEGORIES properties.
ABNF:
value-param = "VALUE=" value-type
value-type = "text"
/ "uri"
/ "date"
/ "time"
/ "date-time"
/ "date-and-or-time"
/ "timestamp"
/ "boolean"
/ "integer"
/ "float"
/ "utc-offset"
/ "language-tag"
/ iana-token ; registered as described in section 12
/ x-name
PREF
The PREF parameter is OPTIONAL and is used to indicate that the corresponding instance of a property is preferred by the vCard author. Its value MUST be an integer between 1 and 100 that quantifies the level of preference. Lower values correspond to a higher level of preference, with 1 being most preferred.
When the parameter is absent, the default MUST be to interpret the property instance as being least preferred.
Note that the value of this parameter is to be interpreted only in relation to values assigned to other instances of the same property in the same vCard. A given value, or the absence of a value, MUST NOT be interpreted on its own.
This parameter MAY be applied to any property that allows multiple instances.
ABNF:
pref-param = "PREF=" (1*2DIGIT / "100")
; An integer between 1 and 100.
ALTID
The ALTID parameter is used to "tag" property instances as being alternative representations of the same logical property. For example, translations of a property in multiple languages generates multiple property instances having different LANGUAGE (Section 5.1) parameter that are tagged with the same ALTID value.
This parameter's value is treated as an opaque string. Its sole purpose is to be compared for equality against other ALTID parameter values.
Two property instances are considered alternative representations of the same logical property if and only if their names as well as the value of their ALTID parameters are identical. Property instances without the ALTID parameter MUST NOT be considered an alternative representation of any other property instance. Values for the ALTID parameter are not globally unique: they MAY be reused for different property names.
Property instances having the same ALTID parameter value count as 1 toward cardinality. Therefore, since N (Section 6.2.2) has cardinality *1 and TITLE (Section 6.6.1) has cardinality *, these three examples would be legal:
N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=jp:<U+5C71><U+7530>;<U+592A><U+90CE>;;; N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=en:Yamada;Taro;;; (<U+XXXX> denotes a UTF8-encoded Unicode character.)
TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=en:Boss
TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=en:Boss TITLE;ALTID=2;LANGUAGE=en:Chief vCard Evangelist
while this one would not:
N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=jp:<U+5C71><U+7530>;<U+592A><U+90CE>;;; N:Yamada;Taro;;; (Two instances of the N property.)
and these three would be legal but questionable:
TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron TITLE;ALTID=2;LANGUAGE=en:Boss (Should probably have the same ALTID value.)
TITLE;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=fr:Patron TITLE:LANGUAGE=en:Boss (Second line should probably have ALTID=1.)
N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=jp:<U+5C71><U+7530>;<U+592A><U+90CE>;;; N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=en:Yamada;Taro;;; N;ALTID=1;LANGUAGE=en:Smith;John;;; (The last line should probably have ALTID=2. But that would be illegal because N has cardinality *1.)
The ALTID property MAY also be used in may contexts other than with the LANGUAGE parameter. Here's an example with two representations of the same photo in different file formats:
PHOTO;ALTID=1:data:image/jpeg;base64,... PHOTO;ALTID=1;data:image/jp2;base64,...
ABNF:
altid-param = "ALTID=" param-value
PID
The PID parameter is used to identify a specific property among multiple instances. It plays a role analogous to the UID property (Section 6.7.6) on a per-property instead of per-vCard basis. It MAY appear more than once in a given property. It MUST NOT appear on properties that may have only one instance per vCard. Its value is either a single small positive integer or a pair of small positive integers separated by a dot. Multiple values may be encoded in a single PID parameter by separating the values with a comma ",". See Section 7 for more details on its usage.
ABNF:
pid-param = "PID=" pid-value *("," pid-value)
pid-value = 1*DIGIT ["." 1*DIGIT]
TYPE
The TYPE parameter has multiple, different uses. In general, it is a way of specifying class characteristics of the associated property. Most of the time, its value is a comma-separated subset of a predefined enumeration. In this document, the following properties make use of this parameter: FN, NICKNAME, PHOTO, ADR, TEL, EMAIL, IMPP, LANG, TZ, GEO, TITLE, ROLE, LOGO, ORG, RELATED, CATEGORIES,
NOTE, SOUND, URL, KEY, FBURL, CALADRURI, and CALURI. The TYPE parameter MUST NOT be applied on other properties defined in this document.
The "work" and "home" values act like tags. The "work" value implies that the property is related to an individual's work place, while the "home" value implies that the property is related to an individual's personal life. When neither "work" nor "home" is present, it is implied that the property is related to both an individual's work place and personal life in the case that the KIND property's value is "individual", or to none in other cases.
ABNF:
type-param = "TYPE=" type-value *("," type-value)
type-value = "work" / "home" / type-param-tel
/ type-param-related / iana-token / x-name
; This is further defined in individual property sections.
MEDIATYPE
The MEDIATYPE parameter is used with properties whose value is a URI. Its use is OPTIONAL. It provides a hint to the vCard consumer application about the media type [RFC2046] of the resource identified by the URI. Some URI schemes do not need this parameter. For example, the "data" scheme allows the media type to be explicitly indicated as part of the URI [RFC2397]. Another scheme, "http", provides the media type as part of the URI resolution process, with the Content-Type HTTP header [RFC2616]. The MEDIATYPE parameter is intended to be used with URI schemes that do not provide such functionality (e.g., "ftp" [RFC1738]).
ABNF:
mediatype-param = "MEDIATYPE=" mediatype mediatype = type-name "/" subtype-name *( ";" attribute "=" value ) ; "attribute" and "value" are from [RFC2045] ; "type-name" and "subtype-name" are from [RFC4288]
CALSCALE
The CALSCALE parameter is identical to the CALSCALE property in iCalendar (see [RFC5545], Section 3.7.1). It is used to define the calendar system in which a date or date-time value is expressed. The only value specified by iCalendar is "gregorian", which stands for the Gregorian system. It is the default when the parameter is absent. Additional values may be defined in extension documents and
registered with IANA (see Section 10.3.4). A vCard implementation MUST ignore properties with a CALSCALE parameter value that it does not understand.
ABNF:
calscale-param = "CALSCALE=" calscale-value
calscale-value = "gregorian" / iana-token / x-name
SORT-AS
The "sort-as" parameter is used to specify the string to be used for national-language-specific sorting. Without this information, sorting algorithms could incorrectly sort this vCard within a sequence of sorted vCards. When this property is present in a vCard, then the given strings are used for sorting the vCard.
This parameter's value is a comma-separated list that MUST have as many or fewer elements as the corresponding property value has components. This parameter's value is case-sensitive.
ABNF:
sort-as-param = "SORT-AS=" sort-as-value
sort-as-value = param-value *("," param-value)
Examples: For the case of surname and given name sorting, the following examples define common sort string usage with the N property.
FN:Rene van der Harten
N;SORT-AS="Harten,Rene":van der Harten;Rene,J.;Sir;R.D.O.N.
FN:Robert Pau Shou Chang
N;SORT-AS="Pau Shou Chang,Robert":Shou Chang;Robert,Pau;;
FN:Osamu Koura
N;SORT-AS="Koura,Osamu":Koura;Osamu;;
FN:Oscar del Pozo
N;SORT-AS="Pozo,Oscar":del Pozo Triscon;Oscar;;
FN:Chistine d'Aboville
N;SORT-AS="Aboville,Christine":d'Aboville;Christine;;
FN:H. James de Mann
N;SORT-AS="Mann,James":de Mann;Henry,James;;
If sorted by surname, the results would be:
Christine d'Aboville
Rene van der Harten
Osamu Koura
H. James de Mann
Robert Pau Shou Chang
Oscar del Pozo
If sorted by given name, the results would be:
Christine d'Aboville
H. James de Mann
Osamu Koura
Oscar del Pozo
Rene van der Harten
Robert Pau Shou Chang
GEO
The GEO parameter can be used to indicate global positioning information that is specific to an address. Its value is the same as that of the GEO property (see Section 6.5.2).
ABNF:
geo-parameter = "GEO=" DQUOTE URI DQUOTE
TZ
The TZ parameter can be used to indicate time zone information that is specific to an address. Its value is the same as that of the TZ property.
ABNF:
tz-parameter = "TZ=" (param-value / DQUOTE URI DQUOTE)
vCard Properties
What follows is an enumeration of the standard vCard properties.
General Properties
BEGIN
Purpose: To denote the beginning of a syntactic entity within a
text/vcard content-type.
Value type: text
Cardinality: 1
Special notes: The content entity MUST begin with the BEGIN property
with a value of "VCARD". The value is case-insensitive.
The BEGIN property is used in conjunction with the END property to delimit an entity containing a related set of properties within a text/vcard content-type. This construct can be used instead of including multiple vCards as body parts inside of a multipart/ alternative MIME message. It is provided for applications that wish to define content that can contain multiple entities within the same text/vcard content-type or to define content that can be identifiable outside of a MIME environment.
ABNF:
BEGIN-param = 0" " ; no parameter allowed BEGIN-value = "VCARD"
Example:
BEGIN:VCARD
END
Purpose: To denote the end of a syntactic entity within a text/vcard
content-type.
Value type: text
Cardinality: 1
Special notes: The content entity MUST end with the END type with a
value of "VCARD". The value is case-insensitive.
The END property is used in conjunction with the BEGIN property to delimit an entity containing a related set of properties within a text/vcard content-type. This construct can be used instead of or in addition to wrapping separate sets of information inside additional MIME headers. It is provided for applications that wish to define content that can contain multiple entities within the same text/vcard content-type or to define content that can be identifiable outside of a MIME environment.
ABNF:
END-param = 0" " ; no parameter allowed END-value = "VCARD"
Example:
END:VCARD
SOURCE
Purpose: To identify the source of directory information contained
in the content type.
Value type: uri
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The SOURCE property is used to provide the means by
which applications knowledgable in the given directory service protocol can obtain additional or more up-to-date information from the directory service. It contains a URI as defined in [RFC3986] and/or other information referencing the vCard to which the information pertains. When directory information is available from more than one source, the sending entity can pick what it considers to be the best source, or multiple SOURCE properties can be included.
ABNF:
SOURCE-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / altid-param
/ mediatype-param / any-param
SOURCE-value = URI
Examples:
SOURCE:ldap://ldap.example.com/cn=Babs%20Jensen,%20o=Babsco,%20c=US
SOURCE:http://directory.example.com/addressbooks/jdoe/ Jean%20Dupont.vcf
KIND
Purpose: To specify the kind of object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: *1
Special notes: The value may be one of the following:
"individual" for a vCard representing a single person or entity.
This is the default kind of vCard.
"group" for a vCard representing a group of persons or entities.
The group's member entities can be other vCards or other types
of entities, such as email addresses or web sites. A group
vCard will usually contain MEMBER properties to specify the
members of the group, but it is not required to. A group vCard
without MEMBER properties can be considered an abstract
grouping, or one whose members are known empirically (perhaps
"IETF Participants" or "Republican U.S. Senators").
All properties in a group vCard apply to the group as a whole,
and not to any particular MEMBER. For example, an EMAIL
property might specify the address of a mailing list associated
with the group, and an IMPP property might refer to a group
chat room.
"org" for a vCard representing an organization. An organization
vCard will not (in fact, MUST NOT) contain MEMBER properties,
and so these are something of a cross between "individual" and
"group". An organization is a single entity, but not a person.
It might represent a business or government, a department or
division within a business or government, a club, an
association, or the like.
All properties in an organization vCard apply to the
organization as a whole, as is the case with a group vCard.
For example, an EMAIL property might specify the address of a
contact point for the organization.
"location" for a named geographical place. A location vCard will
usually contain a GEO property, but it is not required to. A
location vCard without a GEO property can be considered an
abstract location, or one whose definition is known empirically
(perhaps "New England" or "The Seashore").
All properties in a location vCard apply to the location
itself, and not with any entity that might exist at that
location. For example, in a vCard for an office building, an
ADR property might give the mailing address for the building,
and a TEL property might specify the telephone number of the
receptionist.
An x-name. vCards MAY include private or experimental values for
KIND. Remember that x-name values are not intended for general
use and are unlikely to interoperate.
An iana-token. Additional values may be registered with IANA (see
Section 10.3.4). A new value's specification document MUST
specify which properties make sense for that new kind of vCard
and which do not.
Implementations MUST support the specific string values defined above. If this property is absent, "individual" MUST be assumed as the default. If this property is present but the implementation does not understand its value (the value is an x-name or iana-token that the implementation does not support), the implementation SHOULD act in a neutral way, which usually means treating the vCard as though its kind were "individual". The presence of MEMBER properties MAY, however, be taken as an indication that the unknown kind is an extension of "group".
Clients often need to visually distinguish contacts based on what they represent, and the KIND property provides a direct way for them to do so. For example, when displaying contacts in a list, an icon could be displayed next to each one, using distinctive icons for the different kinds; a client might use an outline of a single person to represent an "individual", an outline of multiple people to represent a "group", and so on. Alternatively, or in addition, a client might choose to segregate different kinds of vCards to different panes, tabs, or selections in the user interface.
Some clients might also make functional distinctions among the kinds, ignoring "location" vCards for some purposes and considering only "location" vCards for others.
When designing those sorts of visual and functional distinctions, client implementations have to decide how to fit unsupported kinds into the scheme. What icon is used for them? The one for "individual"? A unique one, such as an icon of a question mark? Which tab do they go into? It is beyond the scope of this specification to answer these questions, but these are things implementers need to consider.
ABNF:
KIND-param = "VALUE=text" / any-param
KIND-value = "individual" / "group" / "org" / "location"
/ iana-token / x-name
Example:
This represents someone named Jane Doe working in the marketing department of the North American division of ABC Inc.
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:4.0
KIND:individual
FN:Jane Doe
ORG:ABC\, Inc.;North American Division;Marketing
END:VCARD
This represents the department itself, commonly known as ABC Marketing.
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:4.0
KIND:org
FN:ABC Marketing
ORG:ABC\, Inc.;North American Division;Marketing
END:VCARD
XML
Purpose: To include extended XML-encoded vCard data in a plain
vCard.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The content of this property is a single XML 1.0
[W3C.REC-xml-20081126] element whose namespace MUST be explicitly specified using the xmlns attribute and MUST NOT be the vCard 4
namespace ("urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:vcard-4.0"). (This implies
that it cannot duplicate a standard vCard property.) The element
is to be interpreted as if it was contained in a <vcard> element,
as defined in [RFC6351].
The fragment is subject to normal line folding and escaping, i.e., replace all backslashes with "\\", then replace all newlines with "\n", then fold long lines.
Support for this property is OPTIONAL, but implementations of this specification MUST preserve instances of this property when propagating vCards.
See [RFC6351] for more information on the intended use of this property.
ABNF:
XML-param = "VALUE=text" / altid-param XML-value = text
Identification Properties
These types are used to capture information associated with the identification and naming of the entity associated with the vCard.
FN
Purpose: To specify the formatted text corresponding to the name of
the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: 1*
Special notes: This property is based on the semantics of the X.520
Common Name attribute [CCITT.X520.1988]. The property MUST be present in the vCard object.
ABNF:
FN-param = "VALUE=text" / type-param / language-param / altid-param
/ pid-param / pref-param / any-param
FN-value = text
Example:
FN:Mr. John Q. Public\, Esq.
N
Purpose: To specify the components of the name of the object the
vCard represents.
Value type: A single structured text value. Each component can have
multiple values.
Cardinality: *1
Special note: The structured property value corresponds, in
sequence, to the Family Names (also known as surnames), Given Names, Additional Names, Honorific Prefixes, and Honorific Suffixes. The text components are separated by the SEMICOLON character (U+003B). Individual text components can include multiple text values separated by the COMMA character (U+002C). This property is based on the semantics of the X.520 individual name attributes [CCITT.X520.1988]. The property SHOULD be present in the vCard object when the name of the object the vCard represents follows the X.520 model.
The SORT-AS parameter MAY be applied to this property.
ABNF:
N-param = "VALUE=text" / sort-as-param / language-param
/ altid-param / any-param
N-value = list-component 4(";" list-component)
Examples:
N:Public;John;Quinlan;Mr.;Esq.
N:Stevenson;John;Philip,Paul;Dr.;Jr.,M.D.,A.C.P.
NICKNAME
Purpose: To specify the text corresponding to the nickname of the
object the vCard represents.
Value type: One or more text values separated by a COMMA character
(U+002C).
Cardinality: *
Special note: The nickname is the descriptive name given instead of
or in addition to the one belonging to the object the vCard represents. It can also be used to specify a familiar form of a proper name specified by the FN or N properties.
ABNF:
NICKNAME-param = "VALUE=text" / type-param / language-param
/ altid-param / pid-param / pref-param / any-param
NICKNAME-value = text-list
Examples:
NICKNAME:Robbie
NICKNAME:Jim,Jimmie
NICKNAME;TYPE=work:Boss
PHOTO
Purpose: To specify an image or photograph information that
annotates some aspect of the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI.
Cardinality: *
ABNF:
PHOTO-param = "VALUE=uri" / altid-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / pref-param / pid-param / any-param
PHOTO-value = URI
Examples:
PHOTO:http://www.example.com/pub/photos/jqpublic.gif
PHOTO:data:image/jpeg;base64,MIICajCCAdOgAwIBAgICBEUwDQYJKoZIhv
AQEEBQAwdzELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxLDAqBgNVBAoTI05ldHNjYXBlIENvbW11bm
ljYXRpb25zIENvcnBvcmF0aW9uMRwwGgYDVQQLExNJbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBTeXN0
<...remainder of base64-encoded data...>
BDAY
Purpose: To specify the birth date of the object the vCard
represents.
Value type: The default is a single date-and-or-time value. It can
also be reset to a single text value.
Cardinality: *1
ABNF:
BDAY-param = BDAY-param-date / BDAY-param-text BDAY-value = date-and-or-time / text ; Value and parameter MUST match.
BDAY-param-date = "VALUE=date-and-or-time" BDAY-param-text = "VALUE=text" / language-param
BDAY-param =/ altid-param / calscale-param / any-param ; calscale-param can only be present when BDAY-value is ; date-and-or-time and actually contains a date or date-time.
Examples:
BDAY:19960415
BDAY:--0415
BDAY;19531015T231000Z
BDAY;VALUE=text:circa 1800
ANNIVERSARY
Purpose: The date of marriage, or equivalent, of the object the
vCard represents.
Value type: The default is a single date-and-or-time value. It can
also be reset to a single text value.
Cardinality: *1
ABNF:
ANNIVERSARY-param = "VALUE=" ("date-and-or-time" / "text")
ANNIVERSARY-value = date-and-or-time / text
; Value and parameter MUST match.
ANNIVERSARY-param =/ altid-param / calscale-param / any-param ; calscale-param can only be present when ANNIVERSARY-value is ; date-and-or-time and actually contains a date or date-time.
Examples:
ANNIVERSARY:19960415
GENDER
Purpose: To specify the components of the sex and gender identity of
the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single structured value with two components. Each
component has a single text value.
Cardinality: *1
Special notes: The components correspond, in sequence, to the sex
(biological), and gender identity. Each component is optional.
Sex component: A single letter. M stands for "male", F stands
for "female", O stands for "other", N stands for "none or not
applicable", U stands for "unknown".
Gender identity component: Free-form text.
ABNF:
GENDER-param = "VALUE=text" / any-param
GENDER-value = sex [";" text]
sex = "" / "M" / "F" / "O" / "N" / "U"
Examples:
GENDER:M GENDER:F GENDER:M;Fellow GENDER:F;grrrl GENDER:O;intersex GENDER:;it's complicated
Delivery Addressing Properties
These types are concerned with information related to the delivery addressing or label for the vCard object.
ADR
Purpose: To specify the components of the delivery address for the
vCard object.
Value type: A single structured text value, separated by the
SEMICOLON character (U+003B).
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The structured type value consists of a sequence of
address components. The component values MUST be specified in
their corresponding position. The structured type value
corresponds, in sequence, to
the post office box;
the extended address (e.g., apartment or suite number);
the street address;
the locality (e.g., city);
the region (e.g., state or province);
the postal code;
the country name (full name in the language specified in
Section 5.1).
When a component value is missing, the associated component separator MUST still be specified.
Experience with vCard 3 has shown that the first two components (post office box and extended address) are plagued with many interoperability issues. To ensure maximal interoperability, their values SHOULD be empty.
The text components are separated by the SEMICOLON character (U+003B). Where it makes semantic sense, individual text components can include multiple text values (e.g., a "street" component with multiple lines) separated by the COMMA character (U+002C).
The property can include the "PREF" parameter to indicate the preferred delivery address when more than one address is specified.
The GEO and TZ parameters MAY be used with this property.
The property can also include a "LABEL" parameter to present a delivery address label for the address. Its value is a plain-text string representing the formatted address. Newlines are encoded as \n, as they are for property values.
ABNF:
label-param = "LABEL=" param-value
ADR-param = "VALUE=text" / label-param / language-param
/ geo-parameter / tz-parameter / altid-param / pid-param
/ pref-param / type-param / any-param
ADR-value = ADR-component-pobox ";" ADR-component-ext ";"
ADR-component-street ";" ADR-component-locality ";"
ADR-component-region ";" ADR-component-code ";"
ADR-component-country
ADR-component-pobox = list-component
ADR-component-ext = list-component
ADR-component-street = list-component
ADR-component-locality = list-component
ADR-component-region = list-component
ADR-component-code = list-component
ADR-component-country = list-component
Example: In this example, the post office box and the extended address are absent.
ADR;GEO="geo:12.3457,78.910";LABEL="Mr. John Q. Public, Esq.\n Mail Drop: TNE QB\n123 Main Street\nAny Town, CA 91921-1234\n U.S.A.":;;123 Main Street;Any Town;CA;91921-1234;U.S.A.
Communications Properties
These properties describe information about how to communicate with the object the vCard represents.
TEL
Purpose: To specify the telephone number for telephony communication
with the object the vCard represents.
Value type: By default, it is a single free-form text value (for
backward compatibility with vCard 3), but it SHOULD be reset to a URI value. It is expected that the URI scheme will be "tel", as specified in [RFC3966], but other schemes MAY be used.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: This property is based on the X.520 Telephone Number
attribute [CCITT.X520.1988].
The property can include the "PREF" parameter to indicate a preferred-use telephone number.
The property can include the parameter "TYPE" to specify intended use for the telephone number. The predefined values for the TYPE parameter are:
+-----------+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Value | Description |
+-----------+-------------------------------------------------------+
| text | Indicates that the telephone number supports text |
| | messages (SMS). |
| voice | Indicates a voice telephone number. |
| fax | Indicates a facsimile telephone number. |
| cell | Indicates a cellular or mobile telephone number. |
| video | Indicates a video conferencing telephone number. |
| pager | Indicates a paging device telephone number. |
| textphone | Indicates a telecommunication device for people with |
| | hearing or speech difficulties. |
+-----------+-------------------------------------------------------+
The default type is "voice". These type parameter values can be specified as a parameter list (e.g., TYPE=text;TYPE=voice) or as a value list (e.g., TYPE="text,voice"). The default can be overridden to another set of values by specifying one or more alternate values. For example, the default TYPE of "voice" can be reset to a VOICE and FAX telephone number by the value list TYPE="voice,fax".
If this property's value is a URI that can also be used for instant messaging, the IMPP (Section 6.4.3) property SHOULD be used in addition to this property.
ABNF:
TEL-param = TEL-text-param / TEL-uri-param TEL-value = TEL-text-value / TEL-uri-value ; Value and parameter MUST match.
TEL-text-param = "VALUE=text" TEL-text-value = text
TEL-uri-param = "VALUE=uri" / mediatype-param TEL-uri-value = URI
TEL-param =/ type-param / pid-param / pref-param / altid-param
/ any-param
type-param-tel = "text" / "voice" / "fax" / "cell" / "video"
/ "pager" / "textphone" / iana-token / x-name
; type-param-tel MUST NOT be used with a property other than TEL.
Example:
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
Purpose: To specify the electronic mail address for communication
with the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The property can include tye "PREF" parameter to
indicate a preferred-use email address when more than one is specified.
Even though the value is free-form UTF-8 text, it is likely to be interpreted by a Mail User Agent (MUA) as an "addr-spec", as defined in [RFC5322], Section 3.4.1. Readers should also be aware of the current work toward internationalized email addresses [RFC5335bis].
ABNF:
EMAIL-param = "VALUE=text" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ altid-param / any-param
EMAIL-value = text
Example:
EMAIL;TYPE=work:[email protected]
EMAIL;PREF=1:[email protected]
IMPP
Purpose: To specify the URI for instant messaging and presence
protocol communications with the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The property may include the "PREF" parameter to
indicate that this is a preferred address and has the same semantics as the "PREF" parameter in a TEL property.
If this property's value is a URI that can be used for voice and/or video, the TEL property (Section 6.4.1) SHOULD be used in addition to this property.
This property is adapted from [RFC4770], which is made obsolete by this document.
ABNF:
IMPP-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
IMPP-value = URI
Example:
IMPP;PREF=1:xmpp:[email protected]
LANG
Purpose: To specify the language(s) that may be used for contacting
the entity associated with the vCard.
Value type: A single language-tag value.
Cardinality: *
ABNF:
LANG-param = "VALUE=language-tag" / pid-param / pref-param
/ altid-param / type-param / any-param
LANG-value = Language-Tag
Example:
LANG;TYPE=work;PREF=1:en LANG;TYPE=work;PREF=2:fr LANG;TYPE=home:fr
Geographical Properties
These properties are concerned with information associated with geographical positions or regions associated with the object the vCard represents.
TZ
Purpose: To specify information related to the time zone of the
object the vCard represents.
Value type: The default is a single text value. It can also be
reset to a single URI or utc-offset value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: It is expected that names from the public-domain
Olson database [TZ-DB] will be used, but this is not a restriction. See also [IANA-TZ].
Efforts are currently being directed at creating a standard URI scheme for expressing time zone information. Usage of such a scheme would ensure a high level of interoperability between implementations that support it.
Note that utc-offset values SHOULD NOT be used because the UTC offset varies with time -- not just because of the usual daylight saving time shifts that occur in may regions, but often entire regions will "re-base" their overall offset. The actual offset may be +/- 1 hour (or perhaps a little more) than the one given.
ABNF:
TZ-param = "VALUE=" ("text" / "uri" / "utc-offset")
TZ-value = text / URI / utc-offset
; Value and parameter MUST match.
TZ-param =/ altid-param / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / any-param
Examples:
TZ:Raleigh/North America
TZ;VALUE=utc-offset:-0500 ; Note: utc-offset format is NOT RECOMMENDED.
GEO
Purpose: To specify information related to the global positioning of
the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The "geo" URI scheme [RFC5870] is particularly well
suited for this property, but other schemes MAY be used.
ABNF:
GEO-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
GEO-value = URI
Example:
GEO:geo:37.386013,-122.082932
Organizational Properties
These properties are concerned with information associated with characteristics of the organization or organizational units of the object that the vCard represents.
TITLE
Purpose: To specify the position or job of the object the vCard
represents.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: This property is based on the X.520 Title attribute
[CCITT.X520.1988].
ABNF:
TITLE-param = "VALUE=text" / language-param / pid-param
/ pref-param / altid-param / type-param / any-param
TITLE-value = text
Example:
TITLE:Research Scientist
ROLE
Purpose: To specify the function or part played in a particular
situation by the object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: This property is based on the X.520 Business Category
explanatory attribute [CCITT.X520.1988]. This property is included as an organizational type to avoid confusion with the semantics of the TITLE property and incorrect usage of that property when the semantics of this property is intended.
ABNF:
ROLE-param = "VALUE=text" / language-param / pid-param / pref-param
/ type-param / altid-param / any-param
ROLE-value = text
Example:
ROLE:Project Leader
LOGO
Purpose: To specify a graphic image of a logo associated with the
object the vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI.
Cardinality: *
ABNF:
LOGO-param = "VALUE=uri" / language-param / pid-param / pref-param
/ type-param / mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
LOGO-value = URI
Examples:
LOGO:http://www.example.com/pub/logos/abccorp.jpg
LOGO:data:image/jpeg;base64,MIICajCCAdOgAwIBAgICBEUwDQYJKoZIhvc AQEEBQAwdzELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxLDAqBgNVBAoTI05ldHNjYXBlIENvbW11bm ljYXRpb25zIENvcnBvcmF0aW9uMRwwGgYDVQQLExNJbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBTeXN0 <...the remainder of base64-encoded data...>
ORG
Purpose: To specify the organizational name and units associated
with the vCard.
Value type: A single structured text value consisting of components
separated by the SEMICOLON character (U+003B).
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The property is based on the X.520 Organization Name
and Organization Unit attributes [CCITT.X520.1988]. The property value is a structured type consisting of the organization name, followed by zero or more levels of organizational unit names.
The SORT-AS parameter MAY be applied to this property.
ABNF:
ORG-param = "VALUE=text" / sort-as-param / language-param
/ pid-param / pref-param / altid-param / type-param
/ any-param
ORG-value = component *(";" component)
Example: A property value consisting of an organizational name, organizational unit #1 name, and organizational unit #2 name.
ORG:ABC\, Inc.;North American Division;Marketing
MEMBER
Purpose: To include a member in the group this vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI. It MAY refer to something other than a
vCard object. For example, an email distribution list could employ the "mailto" URI scheme [RFC6068] for efficiency.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: This property MUST NOT be present unless the value of
the KIND property is "group".
ABNF:
MEMBER-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / altid-param
/ mediatype-param / any-param
MEMBER-value = URI
Examples:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 KIND:group FN:The Doe family MEMBER:urn:uuid:03a0e51f-d1aa-4385-8a53-e29025acd8af MEMBER:urn:uuid:b8767877-b4a1-4c70-9acc-505d3819e519 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 FN:John Doe UID:urn:uuid:03a0e51f-d1aa-4385-8a53-e29025acd8af END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 FN:Jane Doe UID:urn:uuid:b8767877-b4a1-4c70-9acc-505d3819e519 END:VCARD
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 KIND:group FN:Funky distribution list MEMBER:mailto:[email protected] MEMBER:xmpp:[email protected] MEMBER:sip:[email protected] MEMBER:tel:+1-418-555-5555 END:VCARD
RELATED
Purpose: To specify a relationship between another entity and the
entity represented by this vCard.
Value type: A single URI. It can also be reset to a single text
value. The text value can be used to specify textual information.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The TYPE parameter MAY be used to characterize the
related entity. It contains a comma-separated list of values that are registered with IANA as described in Section 10.2. The registry is pre-populated with the values defined in [xfn]. This document also specifies two additional values:
agent: an entity who may sometimes act on behalf of the entity
associated with the vCard.
emergency: indicates an emergency contact
ABNF:
RELATED-param = RELATED-param-uri / RELATED-param-text RELATED-value = URI / text ; Parameter and value MUST match.
RELATED-param-uri = "VALUE=uri" / mediatype-param RELATED-param-text = "VALUE=text" / language-param
RELATED-param =/ pid-param / pref-param / altid-param / type-param
/ any-param
type-param-related = related-type-value *("," related-type-value)
; type-param-related MUST NOT be used with a property other than
; RELATED.
related-type-value = "contact" / "acquaintance" / "friend" / "met"
/ "co-worker" / "colleague" / "co-resident"
/ "neighbor" / "child" / "parent"
/ "sibling" / "spouse" / "kin" / "muse"
/ "crush" / "date" / "sweetheart" / "me"
/ "agent" / "emergency"
Examples:
RELATED;TYPE=friend:urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6 RELATED;TYPE=contact:http://example.com/directory/jdoe.vcf RELATED;TYPE=co-worker;VALUE=text:Please contact my assistant Jane
Doe for any inquiries.
Explanatory Properties
These properties are concerned with additional explanations, such as that related to informational notes or revisions specific to the vCard.
CATEGORIES
Purpose: To specify application category information about the
vCard, also known as "tags".
Value type: One or more text values separated by a COMMA character
(U+002C).
Cardinality: *
ABNF:
CATEGORIES-param = "VALUE=text" / pid-param / pref-param
/ type-param / altid-param / any-param
CATEGORIES-value = text-list
Example:
CATEGORIES:TRAVEL AGENT
CATEGORIES:INTERNET,IETF,INDUSTRY,INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
NOTE
Purpose: To specify supplemental information or a comment that is
associated with the vCard.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: The property is based on the X.520 Description
attribute [CCITT.X520.1988].
ABNF:
NOTE-param = "VALUE=text" / language-param / pid-param / pref-param
/ type-param / altid-param / any-param
NOTE-value = text
Example:
NOTE:This fax number is operational 0800 to 1715
EST\, Mon-Fri.
PRODID
Purpose: To specify the identifier for the product that created the
vCard object.
Type value: A single text value.
Cardinality: *1
Special notes: Implementations SHOULD use a method such as that
specified for Formal Public Identifiers in [ISO9070] or for Universal Resource Names in [RFC3406] to ensure that the text value is unique.
ABNF:
PRODID-param = "VALUE=text" / any-param PRODID-value = text
Example:
PRODID:-//ONLINE DIRECTORY//NONSGML Version 1//EN
REV
Purpose: To specify revision information about the current vCard.
Value type: A single timestamp value.
Cardinality: *1
Special notes: The value distinguishes the current revision of the
information in this vCard for other renditions of the information.
ABNF:
REV-param = "VALUE=timestamp" / any-param REV-value = timestamp
Example:
REV:19951031T222710Z
SOUND
Purpose: To specify a digital sound content information that
annotates some aspect of the vCard. This property is often used to specify the proper pronunciation of the name property value of the vCard.
Value type: A single URI.
Cardinality: *
ABNF:
SOUND-param = "VALUE=uri" / language-param / pid-param / pref-param
/ type-param / mediatype-param / altid-param
/ any-param
SOUND-value = URI
Example:
SOUND:CID:[email protected]
SOUND:data:audio/basic;base64,MIICajCCAdOgAwIBAgICBEUwDQYJKoZIh AQEEBQAwdzELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxLDAqBgNVBAoTI05ldHNjYXBlIENvbW11bm ljYXRpb25zIENvcnBvcmF0aW9uMRwwGgYDVQQLExNJbmZvcm1hdGlvbiBTeXN0 <...the remainder of base64-encoded data...>
UID
Purpose: To specify a value that represents a globally unique
identifier corresponding to the entity associated with the vCard.
Value type: A single URI value. It MAY also be reset to free-form
text.
Cardinality: *1
Special notes: This property is used to uniquely identify the object
that the vCard represents. The "uuid" URN namespace defined in [RFC4122] is particularly well suited to this task, but other URI schemes MAY be used. Free-form text MAY also be used.
ABNF:
UID-param = UID-uri-param / UID-text-param UID-value = UID-uri-value / UID-text-value ; Value and parameter MUST match.
UID-uri-param = "VALUE=uri" UID-uri-value = URI
UID-text-param = "VALUE=text" UID-text-value = text
UID-param =/ any-param
Example:
UID:urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6
CLIENTPIDMAP
Purpose: To give a global meaning to a local PID source identifier.
Value type: A semicolon-separated pair of values. The first field
is a small integer corresponding to the second field of a PID parameter instance. The second field is a URI. The "uuid" URN namespace defined in [RFC4122] is particularly well suited to this task, but other URI schemes MAY be used.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: PID source identifiers (the source identifier is the
second field in a PID parameter instance) are small integers that only have significance within the scope of a single vCard instance. Each distinct source identifier present in a vCard MUST have an associated CLIENTPIDMAP. See Section 7 for more details on the usage of CLIENTPIDMAP.
PID source identifiers MUST be strictly positive. Zero is not allowed.
As a special exception, the PID parameter MUST NOT be applied to this property.
ABNF:
CLIENTPIDMAP-param = any-param CLIENTPIDMAP-value = 1*DIGIT ";" URI
Example:
TEL;PID=3.1,4.2;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 EMAIL;PID=4.1,5.2:[email protected] CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:3df403f4-5924-4bb7-b077-3c711d9eb34b CLIENTPIDMAP:2;urn:uuid:d89c9c7a-2e1b-4832-82de-7e992d95faa5
URL
Purpose: To specify a uniform resource locator associated with the
object to which the vCard refers. Examples for individuals include personal web sites, blogs, and social networking site identifiers.
Cardinality: *
Value type: A single uri value.
ABNF:
URL-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
URL-value = URI
Example:
URL:http://example.org/restaurant.french/~chezchic.html
VERSION
Purpose: To specify the version of the vCard specification used to
format this vCard.
Value type: A single text value.
Cardinality: 1
Special notes: This property MUST be present in the vCard object,
and it must appear immediately after BEGIN:VCARD. The value MUST be "4.0" if the vCard corresponds to this specification. Note that earlier versions of vCard allowed this property to be placed anywhere in the vCard object, or even to be absent.
ABNF:
VERSION-param = "VALUE=text" / any-param VERSION-value = "4.0"
Example:
VERSION:4.0
Security Properties
These properties are concerned with the security of communication pathways or access to the vCard.
KEY
Purpose: To specify a public key or authentication certificate
associated with the object that the vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI. It can also be reset to a text value.
Cardinality: *
ABNF:
KEY-param = KEY-uri-param / KEY-text-param KEY-value = KEY-uri-value / KEY-text-value ; Value and parameter MUST match.
KEY-uri-param = "VALUE=uri" / mediatype-param KEY-uri-value = URI
KEY-text-param = "VALUE=text" KEY-text-value = text
KEY-param =/ altid-param / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ any-param
Examples:
KEY:http://www.example.com/keys/jdoe.cer
KEY;MEDIATYPE=application/pgp-keys:ftp://example.com/keys/jdoe
KEY:data:application/pgp-keys;base64,MIICajCCAdOgAwIBAgICBE UwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEEBQAwdzELMAkGA1UEBhMCVVMxLDAqBgNVBAoTI05l <... remainder of base64-encoded data ...>
Calendar Properties
These properties are further specified in [RFC2739].
FBURL
Purpose: To specify the URI for the busy time associated with the
object that the vCard represents.
Value type: A single URI value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: Where multiple FBURL properties are specified, the
default FBURL property is indicated with the PREF parameter. The FTP [RFC1738] or HTTP [RFC2616] type of URI points to an iCalendar [RFC5545] object associated with a snapshot of the next few weeks or months of busy time data. If the iCalendar object is represented as a file or document, its file extension should be ".ifb".
ABNF:
FBURL-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
FBURL-value = URI
Examples:
FBURL;PREF=1:http://www.example.com/busy/janedoe FBURL;MEDIATYPE=text/calendar:ftp://example.com/busy/project-a.ifb
CALADRURI
Purpose: To specify the calendar user address [RFC5545] to which a
scheduling request [RFC5546] should be sent for the object represented by the vCard.
Value type: A single URI value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: Where multiple CALADRURI properties are specified,
the default CALADRURI property is indicated with the PREF parameter.
ABNF:
CALADRURI-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
CALADRURI-value = URI
Example:
CALADRURI;PREF=1:mailto:[email protected] CALADRURI:http://example.com/calendar/jdoe
CALURI
Purpose: To specify the URI for a calendar associated with the
object represented by the vCard.
Value type: A single URI value.
Cardinality: *
Special notes: Where multiple CALURI properties are specified, the
default CALURI property is indicated with the PREF parameter. The property should contain a URI pointing to an iCalendar [RFC5545]
object associated with a snapshot of the user's calendar store. If the iCalendar object is represented as a file or document, its file extension should be ".ics".
ABNF:
CALURI-param = "VALUE=uri" / pid-param / pref-param / type-param
/ mediatype-param / altid-param / any-param
CALURI-value = URI
Examples:
CALURI;PREF=1:http://cal.example.com/calA CALURI;MEDIATYPE=text/calendar:ftp://ftp.example.com/calA.ics
Extended Properties and Parameters
The properties and parameters defined by this document can be extended. Non-standard, private properties and parameters with a name starting with "X-" may be defined bilaterally between two cooperating agents without outside registration or standardization.
Synchronization
vCard data often needs to be synchronized between devices. In this context, synchronization is defined as the intelligent merging of two representations of the same object. vCard 4.0 includes mechanisms to aid this process.
Mechanisms
Two mechanisms are available: the UID property is used to match multiple instances of the same vCard, while the PID parameter is used to match multiple instances of the same property.
The term "matching" is used here to mean recognizing that two instances are in fact representations of the same object. For example, a single vCard that is shared with someone results in two vCard instances. After they have evolved separately, they still represent the same object, and therefore may be matched by a synchronization engine.
Matching vCard Instances
vCard instances for which the UID properties (Section 6.7.6) are equivalent MUST be matched. Equivalence is determined as specified in [RFC3986], Section 6.
In all other cases, vCard instances MAY be matched at the discretion
of the synchronization engine.
Matching Property Instances
Property instances belonging to unmatched vCards MUST NOT be matched.
Property instances whose name (e.g., EMAIL, TEL, etc.) is not the same MUST NOT be matched.
Property instances whose name is CLIENTPIDMAP are handled separately and MUST NOT be matched. The synchronization MUST ensure that there is consistency of CLIENTPIDMAPs among matched vCard instances.
Property instances belonging to matched vCards, whose name is the same, and whose maximum cardinality is 1, MUST be matched.
Property instances belonging to matched vCards, whose name is the same, and whose PID parameters match, MUST be matched. See Section 7.1.3 for details on PID matching.
In all other cases, property instances MAY be matched at the discretion of the synchronization engine.
PID Matching
Two PID values for which the first fields are equivalent represent the same local value.
Two PID values representing the same local value and for which the second fields point to CLIENTPIDMAP properties whose second field URIs are equivalent (as specified in [RFC3986], Section 6) also represent the same global value.
PID parameters for which at least one pair of their values represent the same global value MUST be matched.
In all other cases, PID parameters MAY be matched at the discretion of the synchronization engine.
For example, PID value "5.1", in the first vCard below, and PID value "5.2", in the second vCard below, represent the same global value.
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 EMAIL;PID=4.2,5.1:[email protected] CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:3eef374e-7179-4196-a914-27358c3e6527 CLIENTPIDMAP:2;urn:uuid:42bcd5a7-1699-4514-87b4-056edf68e9cc END:VCARD
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 EMAIL;PID=5.1,5.2:[email protected] CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:0c75c629-6a8d-4d5e-a07f-1bb35846854d CLIENTPIDMAP:2;urn:uuid:3eef374e-7179-4196-a914-27358c3e6527 END:VCARD
Example
Creation
The following simple vCard is first created on a given device.
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 UID:urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1 FN;PID=1.1:J. Doe N:Doe;J.;;; EMAIL;PID=1.1:[email protected] CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556 END:VCARD
This new vCard is assigned the UID "urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1" by the creating device. The FN and EMAIL properties are assigned the same local value of 1, and this value is given global context by associating it with "urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556", which represents the creating device. We are at liberty to reuse the same local value since instances of different properties will never be matched. The N property has no PID because it is forbidden by its maximum cardinality of 1.
Initial Sharing
This vCard is shared with a second device. Upon inspecting the UID property, the second device understands that this is a new vCard (i.e., unmatched) and thus the synchronization results in a simple copy.
Adding and Sharing a Property
A new phone number is created on the first device, then the vCard is shared with the second device. This is what the second device receives:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 UID:urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1 FN;PID=1.1:J. Doe N:Doe;J.;;; EMAIL;PID=1.1:[email protected] TEL;PID=1.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556 END:VCARD
Upon inspecting the UID property, the second device matches the vCard it received to the vCard that it already has stored. It then starts comparing the properties of the two vCards in same-named pairs.
The FN properties are matched because the PID parameters have the same global value. Since the property value is the same, no update takes place.
The N properties are matched automatically because their maximum cardinality is 1. Since the property value is the same, no update takes place.
The EMAIL properties are matched because the PID parameters have the same global value. Since the property value is the same, no update takes place.
The TEL property in the new vCard is not matched to any in the stored vCard because no property in the stored vCard has the same name. Therefore, this property is copied from the new vCard to the stored vCard.
The CLIENTPIDMAP property is handled separately by the synchronization engine. It ensures that it is consistent with the stored one. If it was not, the results would be up to the synchronization engine, and thus undefined by this document.
Simultaneous Editing
A new email address and a new phone number are added to the vCard on each of the two devices, and then a new synchronization event happens. Here are the vCards that are communicated to each other:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 UID:urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1 FN;PID=1.1:J. Doe N:Doe;J.;;; EMAIL;PID=1.1:[email protected] EMAIL;PID=2.1:[email protected] TEL;PID=1.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 TEL;PID=2.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-666-666-6666 CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556 END:VCARD
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 UID:urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1 FN;PID=1.1:J. Doe N:Doe;J.;;; EMAIL;PID=1.1:[email protected] EMAIL;PID=2.2:[email protected] TEL;PID=1.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 TEL;PID=2.2;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-666-666-6666 CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556 CLIENTPIDMAP:2;urn:uuid:1f762d2b-03c4-4a83-9a03-75ff658a6eee END:VCARD
On the first device, the same PID source identifier (1) is reused for the new EMAIL and TEL properties. On the second device, a new source identifier (2) is generated, and a corresponding CLIENTPIDMAP property is created. It contains the second device's identifier, "urn:uuid:1f762d2b-03c4-4a83-9a03-75ff658a6eee".
The new EMAIL properties are unmatched on both sides since the PID global value is new in both cases. The sync thus results in a copy on both sides.
Although the situation appears to be the same for the TEL properties, in this case, the synchronization engine is particularly smart and matches the two new TEL properties even though their PID global values are different. Note that in this case, the rules of Section 7.1.2 state that two properties MAY be matched at the discretion of the synchronization engine. Therefore, the two properties are merged.
All this results in the following vCard, which is stored on both devices:
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 UID:urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1 FN:J. Doe N:Doe;J.;;; EMAIL;PID=1.1:[email protected] EMAIL;PID=2.1:[email protected] EMAIL;PID=2.2:[email protected] TEL;PID=1.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 TEL;PID=2.1,2.2;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-666-666-6666 CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556 CLIENTPIDMAP:2;urn:uuid:1f762d2b-03c4-4a83-9a03-75ff658a6eee END:VCARD
Global Context Simplification
The two devices finish their synchronization procedure by simplifying their global contexts. Since they haven't talked to any other device, the following vCard is for all purposes equivalent to the above. It is also shorter.
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 UID:urn:uuid:4fbe8971-0bc3-424c-9c26-36c3e1eff6b1 FN:J. Doe N:Doe;J.;;; EMAIL;PID=1.1:[email protected] EMAIL;PID=2.1:[email protected] EMAIL;PID=3.1:[email protected] TEL;PID=1.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-555-555-5555 TEL;PID=2.1;VALUE=uri:tel:+1-666-666-6666 CLIENTPIDMAP:1;urn:uuid:53e374d9-337e-4727-8803-a1e9c14e0556 END:VCARD
The details of global context simplification are unspecified by this document. They are left up to the synchronization engine. This example is merely intended to illustrate the possibility, which investigating would be, in the author's opinion, worthwhile.
Example: Author's vCard
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 FN:Simon Perreault N:Perreault;Simon;;;ing. jr,M.Sc. BDAY:--0203 ANNIVERSARY:20090808T1430-0500 GENDER:M
LANG;PREF=1:fr LANG;PREF=2:en ORG;TYPE=work:Viagenie ADR;TYPE=work:;Suite D2-630;2875 Laurier; Quebec;QC;G1V 2M2;Canada TEL;VALUE=uri;TYPE="work,voice";PREF=1:tel:+1-418-656-9254;ext=102 TEL;VALUE=uri;TYPE="work,cell,voice,video,text":tel:+1-418-262-6501 EMAIL;TYPE=work:[email protected] GEO;TYPE=work:geo:46.772673,-71.282945 KEY;TYPE=work;VALUE=uri: http://www.viagenie.ca/simon.perreault/simon.asc TZ:-0500 URL;TYPE=home:http://nomis80.org END:VCARD
Security Considerations
o Internet mail is often used to transport vCards and is subject to
many well-known security attacks, including monitoring, replay, and forgery. Care should be taken by any directory service in allowing information to leave the scope of the service itself, where any access controls or confidentiality can no longer be guaranteed. Applications should also take care to display directory data in a "safe" environment.
o vCards can carry cryptographic keys or certificates, as described
in Section 6.8.1.
o vCards often carry information that can be sensitive (e.g.,
birthday, address, and phone information). Although vCards have no inherent authentication or confidentiality provisions, they can easily be carried by any security mechanism that transfers MIME objects to address authentication or confidentiality (e.g., S/MIME [RFC5751], OpenPGP [RFC4880]). In cases where the confidentiality or authenticity of information contained in vCard is a concern, the vCard SHOULD be transported using one of these secure mechanisms. The KEY property (Section 6.8.1) can be used to transport the public key used by these mechanisms.
o The information in a vCard may become out of date. In cases where
the vitality of data is important to an originator of a vCard, the SOURCE property (Section 6.1.3) SHOULD be specified. In addition, the "REV" type described in Section 6.7.4 can be specified to indicate the last time that the vCard data was updated.
o Many vCard properties may be used to transport URIs. Please refer
to [RFC3986], Section 7, for considerations related to URIs.
IANA Considerations
Media Type Registration
IANA has registered the following Media Type (in <http://www.iana.org/>) and marked the text/directory Media Type as DEPRECATED.
Subject: Registration of media type text/vcard
Type name: text
Subtype name: vcard
Required parameters: none
Optional parameters: version
The "version" parameter is to be interpreted identically as the VERSION vCard property. If this parameter is present, all vCards in a text/vcard body part MUST have a VERSION property with value identical to that of this MIME parameter.
"charset": as defined for text/plain [RFC2046]; encodings other than UTF-8 [RFC3629] MUST NOT be used.
Encoding considerations: 8bit
Security considerations: See Section 9.
Interoperability considerations: The text/vcard media type is
intended to identify vCard data of any version. There are older specifications of vCard [RFC2426][vCard21] still in common use. While these formats are similar, they are not strictly compatible. In general, it is necessary to inspect the value of the VERSION property (see Section 6.7.9) for identifying the standard to which a given vCard object conforms.
In addition, the following media types are known to have been used to refer to vCard data. They should be considered deprecated in favor of text/vcard.
* text/directory * text/directory; profile=vcard * text/x-vcard
Published specification: RFC 6350
Applications that use this media type: They are numerous, diverse,
and include mail user agents, instant messaging clients, address book applications, directory servers, and customer relationship management software.
Additional information:
Magic number(s):
File extension(s): .vcf .vcard
Macintosh file type code(s):
Person & email address to contact for further information: vCard
discussion mailing list <[email protected]>
Intended usage: COMMON
Restrictions on usage: none
Author: Simon Perreault
Change controller: IETF
Registering New vCard Elements
This section defines the process for registering new or modified vCard elements (i.e., properties, parameters, value data types, and values) with IANA.
Registration Procedure
The IETF has created a mailing list, [email protected], which can be used for public discussion of vCard element proposals prior to registration. Use of the mailing list is strongly encouraged. The IESG has appointed a designated expert who will monitor the [email protected] mailing list and review registrations.
Registration of new vCard elements MUST be reviewed by the designated expert and published in an RFC. A Standards Track RFC is REQUIRED for the registration of new value data types that modify existing properties. A Standards Track RFC is also REQUIRED for registration of vCard elements that modify vCard elements previously documented in a Standards Track RFC.
The registration procedure begins when a completed registration template, defined in the sections below, is sent to [email protected] and [email protected]. Within two weeks, the designated expert is expected to tell IANA and the submitter of the registration whether the registration is approved, approved with minor changes, or rejected with cause. When a registration is rejected with cause, it can be re-submitted if the concerns listed in the cause are addressed. Decisions made by the designated expert can be appealed to the IESG Applications Area Director, then to the IESG. They follow the normal appeals procedure for IESG decisions.
Once the registration procedure concludes successfully, IANA creates or modifies the corresponding record in the vCard registry. The completed registration template is discarded.
An RFC specifying new vCard elements MUST include the completed registration templates, which MAY be expanded with additional information. These completed templates are intended to go in the body of the document, not in the IANA Considerations section.
Finally, note that there is an XML representation for vCard defined in [RFC6351]. An XML representation SHOULD be defined for new vCard elements.
Vendor Namespace
The vendor namespace is used for vCard elements associated with commercially available products. "Vendor" or "producer" are construed as equivalent and very broadly in this context.
A registration may be placed in the vendor namespace by anyone who needs to interchange files associated with the particular product. However, the registration formally belongs to the vendor or organization handling the vCard elements in the namespace being registered. Changes to the specification will be made at their request, as discussed in subsequent sections.
vCard elements belonging to the vendor namespace will be distinguished by the "VND-" prefix. This is followed by an IANA- registered Private Enterprise Number (PEN), a dash, and a vCard element designation of the vendor's choosing (e.g., "VND-123456- MUDPIE").
While public exposure and review of vCard elements to be registered in the vendor namespace are not required, using the [email protected] mailing list for review is strongly encouraged to improve the quality of those specifications. Registrations in the vendor namespace may be submitted directly to the IANA.
Registration Template for Properties
A property is defined by completing the following template.
Namespace: Empty for the global namespace, "VND-NNNN-" for a vendor-
specific property (where NNNN is replaced by the vendor's PEN).
Property name: The name of the property.
Purpose: The purpose of the property. Give a short but clear
description.
Value type: Any of the valid value types for the property value
needs to be specified. The default value type also needs to be specified.
Cardinality: See Section 6.
Property parameters: Any of the valid property parameters for the
property MUST be specified.
Description: Any special notes about the property, how it is to be
used, etc.
Format definition: The ABNF for the property definition needs to be
specified.
Example(s): One or more examples of instances of the property need
to be specified.
Registration Template for Parameters
A parameter is defined by completing the following template.
Namespace: Empty for the global namespace, "VND-NNNN-" for a vendor-
specific property (where NNNN is replaced by the vendor's PEN).
Parameter name: The name of the parameter.
Purpose: The purpose of the parameter. Give a short but clear
description.
Description: Any special notes about the parameter, how it is to be
used, etc.
Format definition: The ABNF for the parameter definition needs to be
specified.
Example(s): One or more examples of instances of the parameter need
to be specified.
Registration Template for Value Data Types
A value data type is defined by completing the following template.
Value name: The name of the value type.
Purpose: The purpose of the value type. Give a short but clear
description.
Description: Any special notes about the value type, how it is to be
used, etc.
Format definition: The ABNF for the value type definition needs to
be specified.
Example(s): One or more examples of instances of the value type need
to be specified.
Registration Template for Values
A value is defined by completing the following template.
Value: The value literal.
Purpose: The purpose of the value. Give a short but clear
description.
Conformance: The vCard properties and/or parameters that can take
this value needs to be specified.
Example(s): One or more examples of instances of the value need to
be specified.
The following is a fictitious example of a registration of a vCard value:
Value: supervisor
Purpose: It means that the related entity is the direct hierarchical
superior (i.e., supervisor or manager) of the entity this vCard represents.
Conformance: This value can be used with the "TYPE" parameter
applied on the "RELATED" property.
Example(s):
RELATED;TYPE=supervisor:urn:uuid:f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6
Initial vCard Elements Registries
The IANA has created and will maintain the following registries for vCard elements with pointers to appropriate reference documents. The registries are grouped together under the heading "vCard Elements".
Properties Registry
The following table has been used to initialize the properties registry.
+-----------+--------------+-------------------------+
| Namespace | Property | Reference |
+-----------+--------------+-------------------------+
| | SOURCE | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.3 |
| | KIND | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.4 |
| | XML | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.5 |
| | FN | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.1 |
| | N | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.2 |
| | NICKNAME | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.3 |
| | PHOTO | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.4 |
| | BDAY | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.5 |
| | ANNIVERSARY | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.6 |
| | GENDER | RFC 6350, Section 6.2.7 |
| | ADR | RFC 6350, Section 6.3.1 |
| | TEL | RFC 6350, Section 6.4.1 |
| | EMAIL | RFC 6350, Section 6.4.2 |
| | IMPP | RFC 6350, Section 6.4.3 |
| | LANG | RFC 6350, Section 6.4.4 |
| | TZ | RFC 6350, Section 6.5.1 |
| | GEO | RFC 6350, Section 6.5.2 |
| | TITLE | RFC 6350, Section 6.6.1 |
| | ROLE | RFC 6350, Section 6.6.2 |
| | LOGO | RFC 6350, Section 6.6.3 |
| | ORG | RFC 6350, Section 6.6.4 |
| | MEMBER | RFC 6350, Section 6.6.5 |
| | RELATED | RFC 6350, Section 6.6.6 |
| | CATEGORIES | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.1 |
| | NOTE | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.2 |
| | PRODID | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.3 |
| | REV | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.4 |
| | SOUND | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.5 |
| | UID | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.6 |
| | CLIENTPIDMAP | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.7 |
| | URL | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.8 |
| | VERSION | RFC 6350, Section 6.7.9 |
| | KEY | RFC 6350, Section 6.8.1 |
| | FBURL | RFC 6350, Section 6.9.1 |
| | CALADRURI | RFC 6350, Section 6.9.2 |
| | CALURI | RFC 6350, Section 6.9.3 |
+-----------+--------------+-------------------------+
Parameters Registry
The following table has been used to initialize the parameters registry.
+-----------+-----------+------------------------+
| Namespace | Parameter | Reference |
+-----------+-----------+------------------------+
| | LANGUAGE | RFC 6350, Section 5.1 |
| | VALUE | RFC 6350, Section 5.2 |
| | PREF | RFC 6350, Section 5.3 |
| | ALTID | RFC 6350, Section 5.4 |
| | PID | RFC 6350, Section 5.5 |
| | TYPE | RFC 6350, Section 5.6 |
| | MEDIATYPE | RFC 6350, Section 5.7 |
| | CALSCALE | RFC 6350, Section 5.8 |
| | SORT-AS | RFC 6350, Section 5.9 |
| | GEO | RFC 6350, Section 5.10 |
| | TZ | RFC 6350, Section 5.11 |
+-----------+-----------+------------------------+
Value Data Types Registry
The following table has been used to initialize the parameters registry.
+------------------+-------------------------+
| Value Data Type | Reference |
+------------------+-------------------------+
| BOOLEAN | RFC 6350, Section 4.4 |
| DATE | RFC 6350, Section 4.3.1 |
| DATE-AND-OR-TIME | RFC 6350, Section 4.3.4 |
| DATE-TIME | RFC 6350, Section 4.3.3 |
| FLOAT | RFC 6350, Section 4.6 |
| INTEGER | RFC 6350, Section 4.5 |
| LANGUAGE-TAG | RFC 6350, Section 4.8 |
| TEXT | RFC 6350, Section 4.1 |
| TIME | RFC 6350, Section 4.3.2 |
| TIMESTAMP | RFC 6350, Section 4.3.5 |
| URI | RFC 6350, Section 4.2 |
| UTC-OFFSET | RFC 6350, Section 4.7 |
+------------------+-------------------------+
Values Registries
Separate tables are used for property and parameter values.
The following table is to be used to initialize the property values registry.
+----------+------------+-------------------------+
| Property | Value | Reference |
+----------+------------+-------------------------+
| BEGIN | VCARD | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.1 |
| END | VCARD | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.2 |
| KIND | individual | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.4 |
| KIND | group | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.4 |
| KIND | org | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.4 |
| KIND | location | RFC 6350, Section 6.1.4 |
+----------+------------+-------------------------+
The following table has been used to initialize the parameter values registry.
+------------------------+-----------+--------------+---------------+ | Property | Parameter | Value | Reference | +------------------------+-----------+--------------+---------------+ | FN, NICKNAME, PHOTO, | TYPE | work | RFC 6350, | | ADR, TEL, EMAIL, IMPP, | | | Section 5.6 | | LANG, TZ, GEO, TITLE, | | | | | ROLE, LOGO, ORG, | | | | | RELATED, CATEGORIES, | | | | | NOTE, SOUND, URL, KEY, | | | | | FBURL, CALADRURI, and | | | | | CALURI | | | | | FN, NICKNAME, PHOTO, | TYPE | home | RFC 6350, | | ADR, TEL, EMAIL, IMPP, | | | Section 5.6 | | LANG, TZ, GEO, TITLE, | | | | | ROLE, LOGO, ORG, | | | | | RELATED, CATEGORIES, | | | | | NOTE, SOUND, URL, KEY, | | | | | FBURL, CALADRURI, and | | | | | CALURI | | | | | TEL | TYPE | text | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | TEL | TYPE | voice | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | TEL | TYPE | fax | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | TEL | TYPE | cell | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | TEL | TYPE | video | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | TEL | TYPE | pager | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | TEL | TYPE | textphone | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.4.1 | | BDAY, ANNIVERSARY | CALSCALE | gregorian | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 5.8 | | RELATED | TYPE | contact | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.6.6 | | | | | and [xfn] | | RELATED | TYPE | acquaintance | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.6.6 | | | | | and [xfn] | | RELATED | TYPE | friend | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.6.6 | | | | | and [xfn] | | RELATED | TYPE | met | RFC 6350, | | | | | Section 6.6.6 | | | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | co-worker | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | colleague | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | co-resident | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | neighbor | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | child | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | parent | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | sibling | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | spouse | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | kin | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | muse | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | crush | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | date | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | sweetheart | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | me | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| | | | and [xfn] |
| RELATED | TYPE | agent | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
| RELATED | TYPE | emergency | RFC 6350, |
| | | | Section 6.6.6 |
+------------------------+-----------+--------------+---------------+
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Tim Howes, Mark Smith, and Frank Dawson, the original authors of [RFC2425] and [RFC2426], Pete Resnick, who got this effort started and provided help along the way, as well as the following individuals who have participated in the drafting, review, and discussion of this memo:
Aki Niemi, Andy Mabbett, Alexander Mayrhofer, Alexey Melnikov, Anil Srivastava, Barry Leiba, Ben Fortuna, Bernard Desruisseaux, Bernie Hoeneisen, Bjoern Hoehrmann, Caleb Richardson, Chris Bryant, Chris Newman, Cyrus Daboo, Daisuke Miyakawa, Dan Brickley, Dan Mosedale, Dany Cauchie, Darryl Champagne, Dave Thewlis, Filip Navara, Florian Zeitz, Helge Hess, Jari Urpalainen, Javier Godoy, Jean-Luc Schellens, Joe Hildebrand, Jose Luis Gayosso, Joseph Smarr, Julian Reschke, Kepeng Li, Kevin Marks, Kevin Wu Won, Kurt Zeilenga, Lisa Dusseault, Marc Blanchet, Mark Paterson, Markus Lorenz, Michael Haardt, Mike Douglass, Nick Levinson, Peter K. Sheerin, Peter Mogensen, Peter Saint-Andre, Renato Iannella, Rohit Khare, Sly Gryphon, Stephane Bortzmeyer, Tantek Celik, and Zoltan Ordogh.
References
Normative References
[CCITT.X520.1988] International Telephone and Telegraph Consultative Committee, "Information Technology - Open Systems Interconnection - The Directory: Selected Attribute Types", CCITT Recommendation X.520, November 1988. [IEEE.754.2008] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, "Standard for Binary Floating-Point Arithmetic", IEEE Standard 754, August 2008. [ISO.8601.2000] International Organization for Standardization, "Data elements and interchange formats - Information interchange - Representation of dates and times", ISO Standard 8601, December 2000. [ISO.8601.2004] International Organization for Standardization, "Data elements and interchange formats - Information interchange - Representation of dates and times", ISO Standard 8601, December 2004.
[RFC2045] Freed, N. and N. Borenstein, "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) Part One: Format of Internet Message Bodies", RFC 2045, November 1996. [RFC2046] Freed, N. and N. Borenstein, "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) Part Two: Media Types", RFC 2046, November 1996. [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997. [RFC2739] Small, T., Hennessy, D., and F. Dawson, "Calendar Attributes for vCard and LDAP", RFC 2739, January 2000. [RFC3629] Yergeau, F., "UTF-8, a transformation format of ISO 10646", STD 63, RFC 3629, November 2003. [RFC3966] Schulzrinne, H., "The tel URI for Telephone Numbers", RFC 3966, December 2004. [RFC3986] Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R., and L. Masinter, "Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax", STD 66, RFC 3986, January 2005. [RFC4122] Leach, P., Mealling, M., and R. Salz, "A Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID) URN Namespace", RFC 4122, July 2005. [RFC4288] Freed, N. and J. Klensin, "Media Type Specifications and Registration Procedures", BCP 13, RFC 4288, December 2005. [RFC5234] Crocker, D. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax Specifications: ABNF", STD 68, RFC 5234, January 2008. [RFC5322] Resnick, P., Ed., "Internet Message Format", RFC 5322, October 2008. [RFC5545] Desruisseaux, B., "Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification (iCalendar)", RFC 5545, September 2009. [RFC5546] Daboo, C., "iCalendar Transport-Independent Interoperability Protocol (iTIP)", RFC 5546, December 2009. [RFC5646] Phillips, A. and M. Davis, "Tags for Identifying Languages", BCP 47, RFC 5646, September 2009.
[RFC5870] Mayrhofer, A. and C. Spanring, "A Uniform Resource Identifier for Geographic Locations ('geo' URI)", RFC 5870, June 2010. [RFC6351] Perreault, S., "xCard: vCard XML Representation", RFC 6351, August 2011. [W3C.REC-xml-20081126] Maler, E., Yergeau, F., Sperberg-McQueen, C., Paoli, J., and T. Bray, "Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 (Fifth Edition)", World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation REC- xml-20081126, November 2008, <http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-xml-20081126>. [xfn] Celik, T., Mullenweg, M., and E. Meyer, "XFN 1.1 profile", <http://gmpg.org/xfn/11>.
Informative References
[IANA-TZ] Lear, E. and P. Eggert, "IANA Procedures for Maintaining the Timezone Database", Work in Progress, May 2011. [ISO9070] International Organization for Standardization, "Information Processing - SGML support facilities - Registration Procedures for Public Text Owner Identifiers", ISO 9070, April 1991. [RFC1738] Berners-Lee, T., Masinter, L., and M. McCahill, "Uniform Resource Locators (URL)", RFC 1738, December 1994. [RFC2397] Masinter, L., "The "data" URL scheme", RFC 2397, August 1998. [RFC2425] Howes, T., Smith, M., and F. Dawson, "A MIME Content-Type for Directory Information", RFC 2425, September 1998. [RFC2426] Dawson, F. and T. Howes, "vCard MIME Directory Profile", RFC 2426, September 1998. [RFC2616] Fielding, R., Gettys, J., Mogul, J., Frystyk, H., Masinter, L., Leach, P., and T. Berners-Lee, "Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1", RFC 2616, June 1999. [RFC3282] Alvestrand, H., "Content Language Headers", RFC 3282, May 2002.
[RFC3406] Daigle, L., van Gulik, D., Iannella, R., and P. Faltstrom, "Uniform Resource Names (URN) Namespace Definition Mechanisms", BCP 66, RFC 3406, October 2002. [RFC3536] Hoffman, P., "Terminology Used in Internationalization in the IETF", RFC 3536, May 2003. [RFC4770] Jennings, C. and J. Reschke, Ed., "vCard Extensions for Instant Messaging (IM)", RFC 4770, January 2007. [RFC4880] Callas, J., Donnerhacke, L., Finney, H., Shaw, D., and R. Thayer, "OpenPGP Message Format", RFC 4880, November 2007. [RFC5335bis] Yang, A. and S. Steele, "Internationalized Email Headers", Work in Progress, July 2011. [RFC5751] Ramsdell, B. and S. Turner, "Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) Version 3.2 Message Specification", RFC 5751, January 2010. [RFC6068] Duerst, M., Masinter, L., and J. Zawinski, "The 'mailto' URI Scheme", RFC 6068, October 2010. [TZ-DB] Olson, A., "Time zone code and data", <ftp://elsie.nci.nih.gov/pub/>. [vCard21] Internet Mail Consortium, "vCard - The Electronic Business Card Version 2.1", September 1996.
Appendix A. Differences from RFCs 2425 and 2426 This appendix contains a high-level overview of the major changesthat have been made in the vCard specification from RFCs 2425 and2426. It is incomplete, as it only lists the most important changes. A.1. New Structure o [RFC2425] and [RFC2426] have been merged. o vCard is now not only a MIME type but a stand-alone format. o A proper MIME type registration form has been included. o UTF-8 is now the only possible character set. o New vCard elements can be registered from IANA. A.2. Removed Features o The CONTEXT and CHARSET parameters are no more. o The NAME, MAILER, LABEL, and CLASS properties are no more. o The "intl", "dom", "postal", and "parcel" TYPE parameter values for the ADR property have been removed. o In-line vCards (such as the value of the AGENT property) are no longer supported. A.3. New Properties and Parameters o The KIND, GENDER, LANG, ANNIVERSARY, XML, and CLIENTPIDMAP properties have been added. o [RFC2739], which defines the FBURL, CALADRURI, CAPURI, and CALURI properties, has been merged in. o [RFC4770], which defines the IMPP property, has been merged in. o The "work" and "home" TYPE parameter values are now applicable to many more properties. o The "pref" value of the TYPE parameter is now a parameter of its own, with a positive integer value indicating the level of preference. o The ALTID and PID parameters have been added.
o The MEDIATYPE parameter has been added and replaces the TYPE parameter when it was used for indicating the media type of the property's content.
Author's Address
Simon PerreaultViagenie2875 Laurier, suite D2-630Quebec, QC G1V 2M2Canada
Phone: +1 418 656 9254EMail: [email protected]: http://www.viagenie.ca
