Import Contacts with Email field issue

Question

If I import contacts via a CSV file and indicate a home email, the email address does get imported without any issue.

However, in order to send an email to the contact (in my case sending to an entire group in CiviMail), I currently need to open the contact and select "Add or edit email", and re-save it in order for it to be active.

Once it is active (which can be determined when the field label "Home Email" is then bolded), CiviMail then recognizes the email address and can then send.

Update: I should add, this could likely be a bug since the issue is also present on the Civi demo site at https://civicrm.demo.civihosting.com

Answer 1

Yes it appears to be a bug. You should file one.

Here seems to be the conditions:

Importing update or fill, i.e. contact already exists Has no existing email address or any existing has is_primary flag = 0 Has a street address or are also importing one

There seems to be no way via import to fix these or to import them correct. Well, if you are also importing a street address, you can to do two imports, first just adding email address and second adding the address.

I guessing the design is for any new additional email address imports to not make them primary (makes sense) and for some reason the existence of a street address makes it think there is already an existing email address.

Here is some sql that will give you back any contacts with email addresses that don't have primary one.

select c.display_name,
       e.email,
       e.on_hold,
       e.is_primary,
       e.id eid,
       t.name,
       c.id cid,
from   civicrm_contact c,
       civicrm_email e,
       civicrm_location_type t
where  e.contact_id = c.id
and    e.location_type_id = t.id
and    not c.is_deleted
and    not exists 
       (select 'email primary'
        from   civicrm_email e2
        where  e2.contact_id = e.contact_id
        and    e2.is_primary)
order by 1

Answer 2

If you import the email address as type- Primary it will be available for mailings

Answer 3

Use the API Explorer to see what you have in the field "Do not email". Go to Support > Developer > API Explorer For Entity select Contact, leave Action as Get, Fields to Return select Do not Email (you can leave this blank and you will see all the fields). You can select a parameter so you get one or more of the imported contacts that is not working. Then below click Execute and you should see results. If the "Do not email" field is 0 then this will not be your problem. If it is 1 or Null then you need to add another column to your CSV file for "Do not Email" and set it to 0.