How to upload contacts to your Verizon Phone

***UPDATE: Please see my comment and step 11 about logging into the site to make the script work -- should solve those "Runtime" errors that people are having***

Here's the scenario:

You have a phone with Verizon, and you have 1,000 contacts in your address book. Perhaps you've had a previous Verizon phone, but you've never backed up your contacts from that phone -- but you DO have your contacts on your computer and want to get them into your phone. I'm here to tell you that YES, it can be done, I promise. What this does is turn your Firefox web browser into an input robot that fills out the stupid little manual input forms on Verizon automatically, over and over, using a CSV file as the input source.

Here are the steps:

1. First, you need to activate Verizon's Backup Service -- this allows you to download contacts FROM (yes from) your phone, as well as MANUALLY type in contacts TO your phone (don't panic, just keep reading)
   
2. You'll need to make a text file list of your contacts or address book. It must be saved in CSV (comma separated values) format. I found that Address Book Exporter does the best job of creating a file -- but it's tab-delimited, so you need to import it into something like Excel and then re-save it. Windows people need to get from their address book to CSV on their own.
   
3. Now, for the magic. You'll need to use Firefox Web Browser. Now, go to Add-ons in Firefox and search for "iMacros" ... this will get you the Add-on by iOpus. Huzzah! Install that.
   
4. Now, open the side window that iMacros offers. You'll see a list of "sample" scripts. Pick one, doesn't matter which, right click it and rename it "Verizon Auto Phone Import.iim"
   
5. Now, with that script selected, click the "Edit" tab at the bottom, and click the button "Edit Macro"
   
6. Highlight the entire screen that pops up and delete the contents. Then put the following text in:
   
   

   
   
   '=======Start here, cut this line=========
   
   VERSION BUILD=3700331       
   
   'Uses a Windows script to submit several datasets to a website, e. g. for filling an online database
   
   'Adapted from original sample code -- now logs into Verizon Backup Assistant and imports a spreadsheet
   
   
   TAB T=1     
   
   TAB CLOSEALLOTHERS  
   
   URL GOTO=https://backupassistant.vzw.com/mb/do/privileged/addressbook/prepare?skininfo=110
   
   
   
   ' Specify input file (if !COL variables are used, IIM automatically assume a CSV format of the input file
   
   'CSV = Comma Separated Values in each line of the file
   
   CMDLINE !DATASOURCE addressbookforverizon.csv
   
   'Number of columns in the CSV file. This must be accurate!
   
   '====================
   
   ' SET THIS TO THE NUMBER OF COLUMNS IN YOUR CSV FILE
   
   '====================
   
   SET !DATASOURCE_COLUMNS 13
   
   'Increase the current position in the file with each loop 
   
   SET !DATASOURCE_LINE {{!LOOP}}
   
   ' Fill web form   
   
   'Click the "Add Contact" Link
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=A ATTR=TXT:AddContact
   
   '===============================================
   
   ' EDIT THE FOLLOWING LINES ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO
   
   ' Change the "COL" values to correspond to your CSV file.  For example, if 
   
   ' the first COLUMN of your CSV is Last Name, and the second COLUMN is First Name
   
   ' then change the first line to end with {{!COL2}}
   
   ' and the second line to {{!COL1}}
   
   '===============================================
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:firstName CONTENT={{!COL1}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:lastName CONTENT={{!COL2}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:mobile CONTENT={{!COL9}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:mobile2 CONTENT={{!COL10}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:home CONTENT={{!COL7}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:work CONTENT={{!COL6}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:fax CONTENT={{!COL11}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:email CONTENT={{!COL3}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:TEXT ATTR=NAME:email2 CONTENT={{!COL4}}
   
   TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:IMAGE FORM=NAME:contactForm ATTR=NAME:_save_&&SRC:https://backupassistant.vzw.com/mb/images/skin.110/buttons/save.gif
   
   '========= end here, cut this line ======================
   
   

   WARNING!!! The last line of code in that included text is very long and ends in "save.gif" ... you should probably copy the script code from the source of this webpage, rather than from the display page, which might be cut off
   

7. Now, you need to understand that your CSV may not line up its columns like mine -- so you may need to edit the script. First, find the place where you edit the number of columns and change that to the number of columns that have data in your spreadsheet. Next, edit the last lines so each field lines up with the right column.

   So, for example, if your CSV is Last Name, First Name ... then you'll need to change the "firstname" line to end with {{!COL2}}, and change the "lastname" to {{!COL1}} and so on.

8. NOW ... save the file and click the "Options" button in the iOpus window
   
9. Click "Paths" and make note of where Datasources are saved. In your Finder or File Explorer, save your CSV into that directory -- but save it with the name "addressbookforverizon.csv" in that directory.
   
10. My advice would be to test this with a 1 or 2 line CSV file first, to ensure that all the data is going into the right fields. Once you've seen it working -- put in the real file with 1,000 contacts in it.
    
11. UPDATE: Before you run the script, you need to be manually logged into Verizon's site -- this script WILL NOT log in for you (that would be bad). So first, go to http://backupassistant.vzw.com and log in -- that's all, doesn't matter what screen you're on after that, just log in.
    
12. Ok, ready? Click the "Play" tab, and click "Play (Loop)" -- you might need to set the Max value to your line count in the CSV file (e.g. 1000) -- now watch the robot upload data into your Verizon account.
    
13. Once it's complete, go to the applet on your phone, select update -- and presto -- you now have 1,000 contacts ON YOUR VERIZON PHONE
    

SPECIAL NOTE:
You may run the script, get one entry and then see nothing else. That's because your CSV was saved by Microsoft Excel with extra newlines and hidden characters in it. Try saving it as MS-DOS Comma-Separated (.csv) instead ... that will keep the output clean.