CardBase has two view options – a standard compact view and an expanded view containing the Contact Browser. The Contact Browser shows icons for each contact in a Windows^® Explorer-style window. In compact view, only a menubar and toolbar are visible, but every CardBase option is still available from this view.

Finding contacts with CardBase is easy. Just type the first few characters of the contact’s name into the Select Name field until the correct contact is shown, then press Enter. You can also perform a full text search of contacts in the current database by entering text into the Find Contacts field (such as a town or part of a phone number) and pressing Enter.

CardBase uses ‘live’ links to email and web addresses: a single click will open a web page in your browser or open your email program’s message window. CardBase will also copy a contact’s name and address to the clipboard ready for pasting into another application, and can import and export cards in vCard format. You can carry out almost all these actions in either compact or expanded view without even opening a contact’s card.

CardBase can optionally minimize to the system tray rather than the taskbar, remaining neatly hidden until the next time you need to use it. All CardBase options are automatically stored when CardBase is closed, and reapplied next time CardBase is opened.