new contact failing

[margotj]

When I try to create a new card in Contacts, after entering a field or two, the card quits. The window lands in another card that looks as if it may have matched a short text sequence - but it may also be random.
This happens when in the account that syncs, or All Contacts. However, if I chose the empty "On my Mac Only" account it works without an issue and I can copy the new card to my syncing account. I can create a new card on my mobile device and it syncs back to OS X no problem.
Anyone else? Thoughts?

 

[BrianBaughn]

For clarification…on what service are the contacts being synced?

 

[margotj]

google. since you asked, I enabled my iCloud account and that seemed to work as expected. But I prefer Google as that is where my email is. Possibly a sync frequency setting? can it be reset? It worked perfectly until a couple of months ago.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Google contacts syncing has been pretty solid for me for years now.

You could check your contacts at Google's web interface to see if anything looks wrong there but I don't expect it will.

Do you have any other accounts syncing with Contacts?

 

[margotj]

As noted, Google solid for me too until this, and on mobile.
I can create a card on the google site and it syncs back to Contacts.
No other accounts enabled to Contacts.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Have you tried turning Contacts syncing "off" for that account and then back "on"? That's the first thing I'd try.

However, my educated guess is that there's corruption somewhere in the Mac's Contacts database…so the second fix I'd try would be to turn off the Contacts syncing for the Google account, delete everything in ~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook , restart (not sure if that's necessary) and then turn Contacts syncing back on for the Google account.

This will force a refresh of the contacts/database.

 

[margotj]

Yes. I have turned on/off, changed the fetch from automatic to 5 minutes, deleted and reconnected the account. Let me try this ...... No joy. However, while the groups restored themselves, "On my Mac" did not reappear as a Directory - thus no more kludge for creating new cards.

 

[MobiusStrip]

When I try to create a new card in Contacts, after entering a field or two, the card quits.

Just encountered this. Exactly as you describe. It's very odd; the card just disappears, but it's not clear why. Sometimes it's when I roll over the OK button, but sometimes I don't even get there.

The card is created, but it's in limbo; it's missing from the group you had selected while creating it, but it appears if you search all contacts for it. But from there, you can't drag it into any group.

How does Apple manage to break such simple functions for no reason?

 

[BrianBaughn]

Just encountered this. Exactly as you describe. It's very odd; the card just disappears, but it's not clear why. Sometimes it's when I roll over the OK button, but sometimes I don't even get there.

The card is created, but it's in limbo; it's missing from the group you had selected while creating it, but it appears if you search all contacts for it. But from there, you can't drag it into any group.

How does Apple manage to break such simple functions for no reason?

Yours is also a Google account?

 

[BrianBaughn]

Yes. I have turned on/off, changed the fetch from automatic to 5 minutes, deleted and reconnected the account. Let me try this ...... No joy. However, while the groups restored themselves, "On my Mac" did not reappear as a Directory - thus no more kludge for creating new cards.

To get "On my Mac" back you can turn off syncing again and create a new card. Leave it there and turn syncing back on.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Did this issue arise after a system update of any kind?

 

[margotj]

Did this issue arise after a system update of any kind?

After updating to Catalina, but not at all sure it was coincident.
Thanks on the restore On My Mac tip.
FWIW, re Mobius Strip, none of may vanishing cards reappear in a search.

 

[BrianBaughn]

This is weird. I wonder if you synced a different type of account (such as outlook.com) if you'd get the same problem.

Years back I recall having an issue with my Google contacts that I could only fix by adding the contacts syncing as a separate CardDAV account. Not doing it that way now, though.

No problem when editing an existing contact, I presume?

 

[margotj]

This is weird. I wonder if you synced a different type of account (such as outlook.com) if you'd get the same problem.

Years back I recall having an issue with my Google contacts that I could only fix by adding the contacts syncing as a separate CardDAV account. Not doing it that way now, though.

No problem when editing an existing contact, I presume?

Edit works. And iOS versions work. And iCloud works. I have no other accounts I can test. Just for fun: attached short video. Tab out of job title field and poof!

 

[BrianBaughn]

No problems with your iCloud account in the Contacts app?

 

[margotj]

No problems with your iCloud account in the Contacts app?

iCloud works

 

[MobiusStrip]

Yours is also a Google account?

No... it doesn't have anything to do with any particular account. It's a contact...

 

[BrianBaughn]

No... it doesn't have anything to do with any particular account. It's a contact...

Based on the above info (the OP says an iCloud account works in the Contacts app) your issue (disappearing contact in ANY account) isn't exactly the same as the OP's.

 

[MobiusStrip]

That's assuming the iCloud relationship has anything to do with the issue. Something like "Tab out of job title field and poof!" doesn't seem like the back-end syncing mechanism is to blame. But hey, who knows.

 

[margotj]

FWIW I have discovered that the card which apparently wasn't getting created, is in fact being saved as an empty "no name" card. I can open that and edit / save an edit in order to create a new card. So, another kludge but still no resolution to the original mystery.

 

[BrianBaughn]

That's assuming the iCloud relationship has anything to do with the issue. Something like "Tab out of job title field and poof!" doesn't seem like the back-end syncing mechanism is to blame. But hey, who knows.

I'm with you on that but what I'm thinking is that there might be a corrupt contact in the Google account that has become the wrench in the works.

Thinking of ways for the OP to test that (and perhaps pinpoint a corrupt contact) I've come up with

1. Copying all the contacts over to the iCloud account, turning off the Google account and see what happens when you use the contacts with iCloud.
2. Deleting all the contacts in the Google account (at the web interface) and then copying them back to the Google account (from the iCloud copies) in small groups…each time checking the behavior for the original problem.
3. Creating a test Google account and seeing if the same problem exists with the contacts when added to it.

 

[margotj]

Well, 3. was easy as I have a couple of generic gmail accounts.... Works!
So, I'll see if I can do some clean up as suggested.

One more thought. Would there be any chance it has anything to do with a non-Mac mail reader (postbox) accessing contacts?

 

[MobiusStrip]

I don't keep contacts in Google and I'm not using a GMail account, so I think these problems are within the Contacts app itself... although it's possible that the backing store (in my case iCloud) is being incorrectly reloaded in the middle of the creation of the new contact.

iCloud's opaque syncing mechanism has always been its crucial defect. Developers really don't know when or if the iCloud-backed repository of information on the local computer has been refreshed... although I would expect Apple developers to have some private mechanisms to do better. But hey... Apple has always sucked at online services. I'm impressed that basic iCloud PIM-style syncing works as well as it does now.

 

[BrianBaughn]

One more thought. Would there be any chance it has anything to do with a non-Mac mail reader (postbox) accessing contacts?

Probably not…but I could imagine that one app might alter the contact's info in a way that would make another app choke on the contact. But unlikely.

Looks like you're headed in the direction of a solution.

 

[ignatius345]

I use Google to sync my contacts as well, for the same reasons as the OP, and just tried this. Got the same result (card disappared as I was creating it and before I had a chance to hit "save").

I found a workaround, which is to quickly enter the first and last name (though either would probably suffice alone), hit "save" and then scroll up, click on the the card I just saved and finish editing it. Once initially saved, I can leave it open mid-edit for as long as I want and it doesn't disappear or anything. Seems like the sync service doesn't like an "empty" card. I don't think this is something unique to the OP's setup.