Converting a smart group into a standard group

[rjm]

Is there a method one can use to convert a smart group into a standard group?  I would like to be able to have a user select a custom field which will move them into a smart group corresponding to that field.  As a secondary step, using a list of smart group members, I would like to be able to select certain of those smart group members and move them over to a group.  Any thoughts?

[joanne]

Once you have selected the contacts you want to move ( via advanced search  or find contacts etc) you can Add contacts to group to move them to a standard group.

However, you won't be able to remove them from the smart group unless for those contacts you change the value in the custom field that determines who belongs to the smart group. You do that via batch update via profile if you are dealing with more than one person at a time. They will automatically be removed from the smart group.

[rjm]

Ah, thank you for that Joanne.  So I guess we will need to move them to a group and then change the custom field to something else.  Is there some kind of update search that will allow this type of change?  For example, our group needs committee assignments.  We want to user to request a committee and then approve them into the committee, or reject the request.  In the circumstance where we have a field that is the various committees plus a "reassign" and an "assigned" choice, is there a way to 1. select all the users that are going into the group for that committee, and then 2. as a secondary operation on the same set of users, change their committee to "assigned"?  Thank you!

[joanne]

In my first reply I mentioned the two actions you would need to use: Add contacts to group and batch update via profile ] These are options in the -actions- selection box that appears above the search results generated by any of the search methods available in CiviCRM.  It is grey and inoperative before you select at least one contact from you results  but white and able to be used once you have made at least one selection.

I presume from your first post that each committee is a(n ordinary) group

• Create  a profile that contains the fields that will need updating
• use one of the many search methods available to find everyone who has asked to be assigned to Committee 1.
• On the results page for that search, select those you want to put onto Committee 1 by ticking the box beside their name
• Select Add contacts to group form the actions list and follow through the steps. When this is complete you will be returned to the search results screen
• Your selections should still be present, but if not, just select those people again. Choose batch update via profile as your action and follow the instructions

Have you read our user and administrator guide http://book.civicrm.org/user/?

[rjm]

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain in such detail.  I really appreciate it. 

I thought such a function existed but was not sure which sections of the manual to read.  (One of the issues with Civi for  nube is the vast quantity of information to on any particular topic.  It's a positive and also a challenge.)

My main interest was to know it could be done but you have also provided a road map, for which I am grateful. 

Thanks again!

[SemperFi]

Hello Joanne,

Thanks for the tip, I'd say that you circumvent the "convert" question by suggesting a transfer from a SMART to a STANDARD group, that needs to be created.

If I wanna keep the same group name between the Smart and the Standard Group, is it possible ? Right now it doesn't allow me to create a group if one exists with same name.

Do you think the 2 steps below performed directly in the DB will be sufficient to "convert" a SMART group into a "STANDARD" :

• removing the link with the save searched by setting "Saved_search_id" to NULL in "civicrm_group" table
• removing the associte saved search in "civicrm_saved_search" table

Thanks in advance.

[petednz]

Could one of you outline the real scenario for this usage as it may be there is an alternative approach that is easier.

[SemperFi]

We've created more than 60 smart groups based on event status and role and it seems that CiviCRM is having hard times when trying to display the "Smart groups" block in the contact profile. Most of the time the query is KO / exceed 60 sec and nothing is displayed.

I'd like to keep these groups but made them static/standard.
Will these 2 operations in the DB work ?

Thanks