Google Apps Script: Export all Google contacts as CSV

Question

I have just started to learn Google Apps Script to solve one practical task. I'd like to write a script that periodically exports all contacts in my Google account into a CSV file and sends it to a predefined email address. This should be a kind of automatic versioned backup if data loss will occur in my contact list.

Actually what I am trying to do is to use the native export functionality available in the web interface of the Google contacts (More > Export) in my script. I skimmed through the Google API, but I could not find a service or object in the Google API that does what I need. Is it possible at all?

Looks to me like everything you will need is right here I think you will have to make the csv list and save it in a file yourself. But my guess is that it's fairly simple things to do. — Cooper
You can probably get what you need at Gmail Contacts the old version. Click the MORE and you'll see the export. I think this is the link. — Cooper
@Cooper, did you understand me? I need to do this programmatically from a GAS script. — TecMan

Cooper Cooper · Accepted Answer · 2017-09-08T23:33:43

Here's something I threw together to get a few of the basic fields in your contacts into something that could be a csv output. You may want to add more fields and perhaps use different delimiters.

function getAllContacts() {
  var contactsA=ContactsApp.getContacts();
  var s='';
  var br='<br />';//line delimiter change to linefeed when not using html dialog
  var dlm=' ~~~ ';//field delimiter
  for(var i=0;i<contactsA.length;i++)
  {

    s+=Utilities.formatString('<br />\'%s\',\'%s\',\'%s\',\'%s\',\'%s\'%s',
    (typeof(contactsA[i].getFullName())!='undefined')?contactsA[i].getFullName():'',
    (typeof(contactsA[i].getAddresses().map(function (v,i,A) { return A[i].getAddress();}))!='undefined')?contactsA[i].getAddresses().map(function (v,i,A) { return A[i].getAddress();}).join(dlm):'',
    (typeof(contactsA[i].getEmails().map(function(v,i,A) {return A[i].getAddress();}))!='undefined')?contactsA[i].getEmails().map(function(cV,i,A) {return A[i].getAddress();}).join(dlm):'',
    (typeof(contactsA[i].getPhones().map(function(v,i,A){return A[i].getPhoneNumber();}))!='undefined')?contactsA[i].getPhones().map(function(v,i,A){return A[i].getPhoneNumber();}).join(dlm):'',
    (typeof(contactsA[i].getCompanies().map(function(v,i,A){return A[i].getCompanyName();}))!='undefined')?contactsA[i].getCompanies().map(function(v,i,A){return A[i].getCompanyName();}).join(dlm):'',br);
  }
  var ui=HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(s).setWidth(800)  ;
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi().showModelessDialog(ui, 'Contacts')
}

Google Apps Script: Export all Google contacts as CSV

1 Answers