Palm Desktop CSV Converter: Fast Tools to Export, Clean, and Import Data

Convert Palm Desktop to CSV: Step-by-Step CSV Converter Tutorial

Overview

This tutorial shows a complete, prescriptive process to export contacts and calendar data from Palm Desktop and convert them into CSV files suitable for modern apps (email clients, spreadsheets, or import tools). Assumes Windows with Palm Desktop installed and a current CSV-capable target (Excel, Google Contacts, Outlook).

What you’ll get

• Exported Palm Desktop data (Contacts and Calendar) as CSV
• Cleaned, mapped CSV ready for import
• Short troubleshooting tips for common issues

Tools needed

• Palm Desktop (installed)
• Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets (or any CSV editor)
• Optional: a CSV converter utility (if Palm Desktop export is limited) — e.g., CSVed, OpenRefine, or a simple Python script

Step-by-step: Contacts

1. Open Palm Desktop and select the Address Book view.
2. Select all contacts: Edit > Select All (or Ctrl+A).
3. Export contacts:
   • If Palm Desktop supports export: File > Export > choose “Comma Separated Values (.csv)” and save.
   • If no CSV export option: Export as vCard (.vcf) or Palm Desktop backup (.pdb). Use a converter below.
4. If you exported vCard (.vcf):
   • Open Excel or Google Sheets.
   • Import the .vcf using File > Import (Google Sheets) or use a free converter (many online tools) to convert .vcf → .csv.
   • Alternatively, use a small script (Python example below) to parse vCard to CSV.
5. If you exported PDB or other Palm format:
   • Use a third‑party converter (search for “pdb to csv converter” or “Palm Desktop converter”) or use specialist tools that extract PDB contacts to vCard/CSV.
6. Clean and map fields in Excel/Sheets:
   • Ensure columns: First Name, Last Name, Company, Email, Phone (Work/Mobile/Home), Address fields, Notes.
   • Split combined name fields using “Text to Columns” if needed.
   • Standardize phone formats and remove duplicates.
7. Save as CSV:
   • File > Save As > choose CSV (Comma delimited) (.csv).
   • Verify encoding (use UTF-8 if non-ASCII characters).

python
Copy CodeCopied
# Requires: pip install vobject
import vobject, csv, glob 
vcf_files = glob.glob(‘.vcf’)
contacts = []
for vf in vcf_files:
with open(vf, ‘r’, encoding=‘utf-8’) as f:
        for v in vobject.readComponents(f.read()):
            fn = v.fn.value if hasattr(v, ‘fn’) else “
            email = v.email.value if hasattr(v, ‘email’) else ”
            tel = v.tel.value if hasattr(v, ‘tel’) else “
            contacts.append({‘Name’: fn, ‘Email’: email, ‘Phone’: tel})

with open(‘contacts.csv’, ‘w’, newline=”, encoding=‘utf-8’) as csvfile:
    writer = csv.DictWriter(csvfile, fieldnames=[‘Name’,‘Email’,‘Phone’])
    writer.writeheader()
    writer.writerows(contacts)

Troubleshooting

• Missing fields: check whether Palm stored data in notes/custom fields; export may omit them.
• Encoding issues: reopen CSV in a text editor to confirm UTF-8; Excel on Windows may default to ANSI—reimport using Data > From Text specifying UTF-8.
• Large exports: split into smaller files if tools fail.

Final checks before importing elsewhere

• Confirm date/time formats match target app.
• Remove duplicates and empty columns.
• Backup original Palm export files before making changes.

If you want, I can generate a ready-to-run script tailored to your exported file type (vCard, .ics, or Palm PDB).