Using AddressBookUI.framework with a different backend?

Question

Is it possible to use the AddressBookUI.framework but with a different database to store the data in.

I'd like to keep the look & feel of the "contacts" app, but don't want the data to be stored in the default address book.

Answer 1

We use the AddressBookUI.framework for displaying contacts, but have our own database. We have a translation middleman which translates our own objects into ABPersonRef objects and vice versa. You can then pass the reference to a person view controller or an unknown person view controller. This does not require the permission of the user to access the contacts, because you can create the temporary ABPersonRef into empty address books.