Created groups not recognised by DAVDroid nor default contacts app

[sylph1o]

On Simple Contacts 6.0.0 from F-Droid, with an address book synchronised through DAVDroid to a Nextcloud server. I am using LineageOS 15.1 (based on Oreo) whose default contact app is com.android.contacts version 1.7.21.

What does not work

When I create a new group in Simple Contacts, this group is visible neither in the Nextcloud address book nor in my default contact app (LineageOS's 'Contacts'). I made sure DAVDroid had synchronised both (manually triggered). The new group is not empty, and its name contains only basic latin characters.

What does work

Any group created either in Nextcloud or in my default contact app appears in Simple Contacts. Any group modification from Nextcloud or my default contact app appears in Simple Contacts I can edit any group in Simple Contacts. If the group was not created in Simple Contacts, the modifications are instantly visible in my default contact app, and are propagated through DAVDroid to Nextcloud. Since a group created in my default contact app appears in Nextcloud, I don't think the problem comes from DAVDroid or Nextcloud.

I'll be happy to provide any additional information, or perform any test (if I know how).

N.B.: When I write 'group modification', I mean 'group name modification' and 'group content modification'. A group deleted in Simple Contacts is also deleted in my default contact app, but remains unchanged in Nextcloud and will not be synchronised again unless I edit a contact from that group. This is probably a different issue, since my default contact app is affected too. I can work around it by emptying a group instead of deleting it, since group content modifications are synchronised and Nextcloud automatically removes any empty group.

I take this opportunity to thank you directly for this app which works beautifully (current issue notwithstanding). I am in the process of switching from my default app because Simple Contacts is the only app I have found that handles satisfyingly vCard import and export (IMPP field in particular).

[michaelof]

@sylph1o: Interesting to hear that in LineageOS stock contact app creating groups for a calDAV server is possible!

Group handling has been changed from android version to version, and IMHO not to a better way.

I've three smartphone here available: One very old, Android 4.2.2 One old, Android 4.4.2 And my current, Android 6.0

With NONE of them:

• I'm able to create a group in my Nextcloud (14.0.4) via the default (stock) contact app, groups tab. All three stock contact apps just offers "new local group" and "new Google/Gmail group". That's it.
• In 4.4.2, if you edit a contact in a nextcloud/DAVdroid calDAV calendar and ADD a new group, this funny as it is, is added to nextcloud :-)

But esp. my newest, the Marshmallow default contact app, is a pain in the neck regarding groups, in general:

• You even can't add a person to any group when editing contact details, field "group(s)" is simply not offered (anymore)! One of the reasons, why I started to use SimpleContacts!
• You can (only) "move" contacts from one group into another, but you can't add a person additionaly into any (other) group, ridiculous!

So, as you said LineageOS's contact app is able to deal with groups in the way you've described, I'm very curios if Tibor will be able to add this, in future. Seems to be rocket science, if I look what Google "produced" for the AOSP std apps :-)

[tibbi]

theres a lot of things that differ from Android version to version, developers have to get used to it :) Ill research it once I get there.

[sylph1o]

I added my phone's OS and the exact reference to its default contacts app at the top of my first post, for completeness.

[mearsten]

I confirm the bug too. My environment:

Simple Contacts 6.3.2 DAVx⁵ 2.5.3-ose LineageOS 15.1 (build 20190802) for SONY Xperia ZL

More details:

1: I created a group (Group1) in Simple Contacts that is not visible outside the application (exactly as described in the issue). Then I created a group in Nextcloud with same name (Group1), synchronized everything. And finally a can see 2 groups with same name in Simple Contacts.

2: Using an export menu of Simple Contacts I exported a contact that was added to: Group1 (group at Simple Contacts) Group1 (group at Nextcloud) group2 (group at Nextcloud)

and got an interesting result — field "CATEGORIES" is repeated twice:

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
PRODID:ez-vcard 0.10.5
N:Bb;Aa
TEL;TYPE=PREF:1234
CATEGORIES:Group1
END:VCARD
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
PRODID:ez-vcard 0.10.5
N:Dd;Cc
TEL;TYPE=CELL:9876
CATEGORIES:group2,Group1
END:VCARD

I hope it will help you to fix the issue.

[dotancohen]

Seems related to Issue #638.