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From memory Search Builder should still provide a list of Actions which would include 'New Smart Group' - which as you know is a 'saved search' - is that not the case?

From memory Search Builder should still provide a list of Actions which would include 'New Smart Group' - which as you know is a 'saved search' - is that not the case?

Yes - not exactly though. A search result is defined by its search parameters and its display parameters, iow which profile to use for display or what type of results (memberships, etc). A smart group is only the search parameters. What's in a group are only the contacts, not how to display them. There doesn't seem to be a real way to store a search result, except for saving the link and putting it in a menu somewhere ?

*-pike

I just built a test group with search builder, then went to contacts/manage groups, then 'settings' for the group, then 'edit smart group criteria' then clicked 'search criteria' (top of page) and it displayed the search builder criteria.  So search builder arguments can be saved in smart groups.

Thank you ClarkAC and PeteDNZ.
But I think that you have slightly misunderstood what's being asked here. 
Creating a Smart Group from a search is certainly the right way to go for saving a search. But see the example below:

Search builder criteria =
Include Contact where [Participant] [Voluntary Position] = [NOT NULL]
Include Contact where [Participant] [Event Title] = [CiviCON 2055]
Search result columns =
Participant Name, Voluntary Position, Event
CuriousGeorge, Monkey, CiviCON 2055
This search result produces a nice view of people who have checked the Participant option to volunteer at CiviCON 2055. You get a long list of names, what they have volunteered for, and the event. Very handy.

As you correctly say, processing the bulk action to assign the results to a Smart Group is certainly the best thing (new sign-ups would be automatically added to the group). However when the Event Admin selects the Smart Group, he is not presented with the original search view - showing who and what they have volunteered for. Rather, he is presented with just the Contact information for all those people who fulfilled the criteria.

What I would like to know (and what I believe NASACT is asking), is can you edit the Smart Group view to exactly replicate the result of the search? Or is there a way to produce the results of a search as a report? I must be missing something... 

Thank you,
CuriousGeorge.

I think @CuriousGeorge is asking about the columns that display for each contact when he searches using that smart group, not the criteria used to create the smart group.

@CuriousGeorge  As your post seems to be specifically about volunteer information it may have been better to start a new topic under CiviVolunteer http://forum.civicrm.org/index.php/board,84.0.html

There could already be a way to get exactly want you want, but by posting on the general board you may not reach the CiviVolunteer experts.

Are you aware that there is a Volunteer report in the Contact reports list?

Using this with your smart group should get you fairly close to what you want I think.   The possible sticking point will be that the volunteer reports refer to projects rather than events.  My understanding is that projects can consists of more than one event - but I could be wrong as I have never used CiviVolunteer, just sat in on a couple of presentations and read some posts on the forum.

If you have more than one event per project, but only have one event per day then you should be able to filter by activity date to display the information you want.  You could create a new report with the specific criteria you want for the event admin to run.