How to create a separate address book for use by Hermes

(or how to stop all my friends from being listed when creating a timesheet entry)

Some insight on where Hermes (Time Tracking) gets it data for use within the pulldowns menu (as well as invoices, etc)

Hermes requires a good working install of Turba (Address Book). This is because Hermes needs an address book for the clients names. Go to Office -> Time Tracking -> Enter Time -> Client to see what I am talking about. If you saw everyone in your address book as an option, then you probably have your default Turba address book selected (in Turba), annoying eh? My address books contain several hundred entries, causing that pulldown to look horrible.

Solution? Create a separate address book for use by Hermes.

Step 1

Let's create a new table that is exactly the same as the default address book but with a different name. For the purposes of this document, I will use the name hordeclientdb for the new database table. (This is assuming you are using a sql backend).

1a. Create a new table.

Go to turba/scripts/sql and copy the file that you used to create your original Turba table. So, assuming that you are using MySQL, copy turba_objects.mysql.sql to something like turba_clients.mysql.sql. Edit the new file, turba_clients.mysql.sql and change all entries that have turba_objects and change them with the new name, turba_clients. You should encounter three instances of turba_objects, one for the CREATE TABLE, another for a CREATE INDEX, and the last for a GRANT commands.

Save your file and create the table. I.e., in MySQL do mysql -p < turba_clients.mysql.sql

Assuming you've had no errors, continue to step 1b.

1b. Edit turba/config/sources.php.

Add entries identical to the original table, leaving the original intact. Change the lines for the new entry to look like the below example.

$cfgSources['hordeclientdb'] = array(

    'title' => _("My Addressbook"),

    'type' => 'sql', 

    'params' => array_merge($conf['sql'], array('table' => 'turba_clients')),

(Look over the rest of the entries for the new table, ensuring that it is readable, etc.)

Step 2

Now tell Hermes which address book to use. Using an Administrator enabled login, go to Administration -> Setup -> Address Book (turba) -> name of client address book In the field above, enter the name of the database you wish to use, we used hordeclientdb.

Populate the new table with just the names and addresses for your clients, within Turba as you would any addressbook entry.

Permission your users to see/use this new database.

Result? you should now have a nicely trimmed selection list.