Creating and Configuring Smart Lists

What is a Smart List?

A Smart List is a saved, reusable query that lets you create a filtered, sorted view of any content type in your system. Think of it as a saved search with custom columns — you configure it once, and it's always up to date with the latest matching results.

Smart Lists are useful for creating quick-access views of your data. For example, you might create a smart list of all active volunteers, all overdue workflow cards, or all event attendees from the last month.

Creating a New Smart List

Step 1: Navigate to Smart Lists

From the admin dashboard sidebar, look for Smart Lists in your navigation menu. Click on it to view your existing smart lists, or navigate to the People or Events dashboard where relevant smart lists may be displayed.

Step 2: Create a New Smart List

Click the Create or + button to start building a new smart list. You'll be prompted to fill in the following:

• Title — Give your smart list a descriptive name (e.g. "Active Volunteers", "Overdue Tasks")
• Data Type — Select which content type this list should query (e.g. profile, event, workflowcard, submission)

Step 3: Configure Filters

Use the Filter Builder to define which records should appear in your smart list. You can combine multiple filter rules using AND/OR logic. For example:

• Show profiles where status equals active
• AND where tags contains volunteer

See the Using the Filter Builder article for detailed instructions on building complex filters.

Step 4: Choose Columns

Select which fields should be displayed as columns in your smart list results. Each column maps to a field on the content type you selected. Common choices include:

• Title / Name
• Email or phone number
• Status
• Created or updated date
• Any custom fields defined on the content type

You can reorder columns by dragging them into your preferred arrangement.

Step 5: Set Sorting

Configure how results should be ordered:

• Sort Key — Which field to sort by (e.g. title, created date, a custom field)
• Sort Data Type — The type of data in that field (string, date, number, etc.)
• Sort Direction — Ascending (A→Z, oldest first) or Descending (Z→A, newest first)

Step 6: Set Page Size

Choose how many results to display per page. The default is 50, but you can adjust this based on your needs. Smaller page sizes load faster; larger ones show more data at once.

Step 7: Date Range (Optional)

Enable the date filter to restrict results to a specific time window. Set a start date and end date to only show records created or updated within that range.

Configuring Security

Smart Lists have two security modes:

• Secure (default) — Only authenticated users with the appropriate permissions can view the list
• Public — The list can be accessed without authentication, which is useful for embedding or sharing externally

Permission Sets

You can attach permission sets to a smart list to control what data is visible. This is useful when you want to share a smart list with users who shouldn't see all fields or perform all actions on the listed items.

Using a Smart List

Once saved, your smart list appears in the Smart Lists section and can be accessed from the relevant dashboard pages (e.g. People dashboard shows profile/persona smart lists). Click on any smart list to view its live results, which always reflect the current state of your data.

Tips

• Smart lists update in real time — they always show current data matching your criteria
• You can search within a smart list's results using the search bar
• Smart lists can be used as data sources in interfaces for external-facing pages
• Pin your most-used smart lists for quick access from dashboard pages

FAQs