Author Topic: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address? (Read 1273 times)

sbotts · September 20, 2010, 07:28:48 pm

In CiviCRM 3.2.1; Drupal 6.19

I am trying to export a csv for an offset printer to use in creating a bulk mailing, with all contacts at one address merged.

When using the Mailing Labels option, contacts at the same address are properly merged and look beautiful, but I need this as a csv file, instead of pdf. I've been using search>export, with merge contacts at same address, and trying different combinations of field selections, but nothing has worked for me and only the first contact at the residence appears on the exported csv file. I think I'm overlooking something simple here, but don't know what...

I would really appreciate any hints in the right direction or suggestions.

Donald Lobo · September 21, 2010, 11:53:42 am

Can you check and debug the code here:

CRM/Export/BAO/Export.php, function mergeSameAddress

if you find the bug, please file a patch and submit an issue

thanx

lobo

sbotts · September 21, 2010, 09:14:10 pm

Thanks. I poked around with it, without success. I'll keep on a-pokin'.

sbotts · September 26, 2010, 04:51:02 pm

I merged first and last names into an additional column in the csv and imported that field as "Addressee custom." It was probably inelegant and inefficient, but it worked.

lcdweb · September 27, 2010, 07:07:51 am

when contacts are merged and exported via that tool, we have no way of deciding which of the two (or more) contacts should land in the export. So Civi doesn't really worry about it -- it just merges the two based on matching addresses, assuming that's the key fields you're concerned with.

however, in the postal greeting and addressee fields, it does attempt to build a meaningful concatenation of the contacts. for example, if john doe and jane doe were merged, then the addressee should say "john and jane doe" -- or if they have different last names -- "john doe and jane smith"

in other words -- if you're using that function, you would basically abandon the first name/last name fields and rely on the addressee field for the concatenated value.

also note -- the best way to control this is via household shared addresses. the merge address function respects householded reocrds. so if you want to control how the combined value displays, you would do so in the household record.

sbotts · September 28, 2010, 12:46:25 am

Quote from: lcdweb on September 27, 2010, 07:07:51 am

also note -- the best way to control this is via household shared addresses. the merge address function respects householded reocrds. so if you want to control how the combined value displays, you would do so in the household record.

Thanks. That's good advice and I appreciate the explanation.

It's 100,000+ voter records, with many fields per record, and there will be additional data (the clerk tracks each voting instance as a new record) in a few weeks and then regularly thereafter. Although household records would be great, with the number of records involved, multiple entries per voter, time constraints--and more records on the way--it probably won't happen.

It's a favor for someone, so I was trying to find the quickest, least personal-time intensive way of getting all voters at one residence listed in one column, for printing and calling purposes. Editing the csv and reimporting was the lesser of two equally unattractive options. One alternative was to simply substitute "All registered voters at" in the csv "display name" column, which would have worked for snail mail, but was no help for consolidating phone banking (so households are only called once).

amoran · October 06, 2010, 09:34:20 am

I am trying to pull a list of current donors, those giving a gift between 4/1/2009 and 10/1/2010. So, if I pull the list using household instead of individuals, I am not able to query the gift date range since gifts are not related to households rather they are related to the individual within the household. How do I pull a list of households, while also including date range as a search parameter? Is this possible?
Also, is it best to put single individuals into a household of one?

CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

News:

Author Topic: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address? (Read 1273 times)

sbotts

Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?

Donald Lobo

Re: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?

sbotts

Re: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?

sbotts

Re: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?

lcdweb

Re: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?

sbotts

Re: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?

amoran

Re: Search > export to csv fields for merging contacts at same address?