A smart list builds itself from a rule instead of being filled by hand. You describe what belongs in it once, and VerseDB keeps it current as new comics land in the catalog.
Smart lists are a Pro feature. Free accounts can build ordinary lists, but not rule-built ones.
Creating One#
Start a new list as usual, then open the Smart List section and turn on Build this list from a rule.
You pick one kind of item for the rule to match: issues, series, characters, creators, story arcs, or teams. An ordinary list holds any mix of those, but a rule matches a single type, so this is the one place you have to choose.
From there, either start from a template or build conditions yourself. Templates cover common cases such as new series launches, everything by a creator, everything featuring a character, and recent minis and one-shots.
The rule is attached when the list is created and cannot be added to an existing list later. If you want an existing list rule-built, create a new one.
What a Rule Can Filter On#
The fields available depend on the type you picked. Issues offer the most: release date, series, publisher, character, creator (optionally narrowed to a role such as writer or artist), team, story arc, key-issue reason, variant type and name, reprint and tie-in flags, and title.
Series rules filter on publisher, character, creator, team, first-issue release date, publication type, status, start and end year, issue count, and name. Characters, creators, teams, and story arcs each carry a smaller set built around their own relationships.
A rule can hold up to 25 conditions, grouped up to three levels deep. Before saving, use the preview to see what the rule actually matches.
A condition on a variant field pins the matching cover variant onto the list item, so an exclusive cover renders instead of the default one.
How Often It Updates#
Smart lists refresh on a rolling background sweep rather than instantly. Each list is picked up roughly every 24 hours, and a newly created list is queued right away, so items usually appear within a few minutes of building the rule.
You can also trigger a rebuild yourself, with a five-minute cooldown between manual refreshes.
One safety limit is worth knowing: a single refresh will not remove more than half of a list's existing items. If a catalog change or a rule edit would wipe most of the list, the refresh stops instead, and the list catches up over later passes.
What You Cannot Do to a Smart List#
The rule owns the contents, so several ordinary list actions are unavailable:
- Items cannot be added or removed by hand
- Another list cannot be merged into it
- It cannot be ranked, because the rule carries its own sort order
Turning a Smart List Back Into an Ordinary One#
Stop rule updates drops the rule and keeps whatever the last refresh left behind. The list becomes a normal list you edit by hand, and it opens up to hold any mix of item types.
This is one-way. Once the rule is gone, it cannot be reattached.
Limits#
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Smart lists per account | 10 |
| Items per smart list | 500 |
| Conditions per rule | 25 |
| Manual refresh cooldown | 5 minutes |
If Your Pro Subscription Lapses#
Your smart lists are not deleted and their rules are not thrown away. They pause: the items stand as they were at the last refresh, and nothing rebuilds them until Pro resumes.
If you would rather take the items back under your own control while Pro is inactive, Stop rule updates stays available and is not Pro-gated.