Actions5
- Address Book Actions
Overview
This node integrates with CardDAV servers to perform address book operations, specifically allowing users to retrieve contacts from a specified address book path. It is useful for synchronizing or accessing contact information stored on CardDAV-compatible servers, such as personal or corporate address books.
A common scenario is fetching all contacts or filtering them by name or email to use in workflows that require contact data, like sending personalized emails, updating CRM systems, or generating reports.
For example, you can configure the node to get all contacts from your personal address book or search for contacts matching a specific name or email address.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Address Book Path | The server-relative path to the specific address book to query. Must start with "/". Spaces and special characters are automatically URL-encoded. Example: /addressbooks/user/contacts/ |
| Filter | Filter to apply when retrieving contacts. Options: - All Contacts - By Name - By Email |
| Search Term | The term used to filter contacts by name or email. Only shown if filter is "By Name" or "By Email". Example: John Doe |
Output
The node outputs JSON data containing:
contacts: An array of contact objects retrieved from the address book. Each contact object includes:href: The decoded URL path to the contact resource.etag: The entity tag representing the version of the contact.addressData: The raw vCard XML data of the contact.
statusCode: The HTTP status code returned by the CardDAV server for the request.
This output allows downstream nodes to process contact details or handle synchronization logic.
Dependencies
- Requires connection to a CardDAV server with valid credentials including a base URL starting with
http://orhttps://. - Needs an API key or authentication token configured in n8n credentials to authorize requests to the CardDAV server.
- The node sends XML-based PROPFIND and REPORT requests according to the CardDAV protocol.
Troubleshooting
- Invalid Base URL: If the base URL in credentials is missing the protocol (http:// or https://), the node will throw an error. Ensure the full URL with protocol is provided.
- Absolute URLs in Paths: Paths must be server-relative starting with "/". Absolute URLs in path fields cause errors.
- Connection Errors: Common network issues include host not found, connection refused, or timeout. Verify server hostname, network connectivity, and firewall settings.
- HTTP Errors: The node surfaces HTTP status codes and messages. For example, 404 means the address book path does not exist; 401 indicates authentication failure.
- Encoding Issues: Special characters and spaces in paths are auto-encoded, but malformed input may cause errors.
To resolve errors, check credentials, verify the address book path, and ensure the CardDAV server is reachable and supports the requested operations.