An applescript to find all un-grouped Address Book contacts

MacOSXHints does it again with a handy Applescript that can find any contacts in your Address Book who aren't already placed in at least one group. It will then create a new group, aptly named "orphans" in which to place these stray contacts. Why is this handy, you might ask? Well, one of the most useful reasons is for Mail rules. Having your contacts organized into groups will allow you to create a rule that organizes incoming messages based on who's in what group, or to even send automatic replies, say for a certain holiday vacation you might be leaving for in the coming weeks. The possibilities become nearly endless once you add the power of Applescript to Mail rules.

So head on over to MacOSXHints and check out this neat little applescript, as well as a little tip they threw in for good measure: in Address Book, you can click on any contact and hold down the opt + cmd keys to see any groups that contact belongs to. Pretty useful for checking to make sure you have your ninja-organizing skills honed to perfection.

[UPDATE: TUAW reader Alex pointed out in the comments that all you need is opt in Address Book to reveal the groups a contact relies in. Thanks Alex!]