CardDAVInstall

Overview

This node integrates with CardDAV servers to perform address book operations. Specifically, the Get Address Books operation retrieves a list of address books available under a specified home set path on the CardDAV server.

Common scenarios where this node is useful include:

• Synchronizing or listing all address books from a CardDAV server for contact management.
• Automating workflows that require fetching address book metadata such as display names and descriptions.
• Integrating CardDAV address books into other systems or applications via n8n automation.

For example, you can use this node to fetch all user address books from a corporate CardDAV server and then process or export them elsewhere.

Properties

Output

The node outputs JSON data with the following structure:

• addressBooks: An array of objects representing each address book found under the specified home set. Each object contains:

  • href: The URL path (server-relative) to the address book.
  • displayName: The display name of the address book (may be null if not provided).
  • description: A textual description of the address book (may be null if not provided).

• statusCode: The HTTP status code returned by the CardDAV server for the PROPFIND request.

Example output JSON snippet:

{
  "addressBooks": [
    {
      "href": "/addressbooks/user/john/",
      "displayName": "John's Contacts",
      "description": "Personal contacts"
    },
    {
      "href": "/addressbooks/user/jane/",
      "displayName": "Jane's Contacts",
      "description": null
    }
  ],
  "statusCode": 207
}

The node does not output binary data for this operation.

Dependencies

• Requires connection to a CardDAV server with valid credentials including a base URL.
• The base URL must include the protocol (http:// or https://) and be correctly configured in the node credentials.
• The node uses XML-based WebDAV/CardDAV requests (PROPFIND) to interact with the server.
• No additional external services beyond the CardDAV server are required.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Invalid Base URL: If the base URL in credentials is missing the protocol or malformed, the node will throw an error. Ensure the URL starts with http:// or https://.
• Absolute URLs in Paths: The node expects server-relative paths starting with /. Providing absolute URLs in path parameters will cause errors.
• Connection Errors: Network issues such as host not found, connection refused, or timeouts will result in descriptive errors indicating the problem.
• Permission Issues: If the CardDAV server denies access, the node will return HTTP error codes which should be checked.

Error Messages and Resolutions

• "Invalid Base URL in credentials. Include protocol (http:// or https://), e.g. https://your-server/remote.php/dav"
  Resolution: Update credentials to include full URL with protocol.

• "Absolute URLs are not allowed in path fields. Use a server-relative path starting with '/'."
  Resolution: Provide only relative paths starting with / for address book home sets.

• "Host not found"
  Resolution: Verify the server hostname is correct and reachable.

• "Connection refused"
  Resolution: Check if the server is running and accessible on the specified port.

• "Connection timed out"
  Resolution: Network may be slow or blocked; verify connectivity.

• HTTP errors like 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden indicate authentication or permission problems; check credentials and server permissions.

Links and References

• CardDAV Specification (RFC 6352)
• WebDAV PROPFIND Method
• CardDAV Overview - Wikipedia