Default value

This article describes what the default value Field property is, and how to add a default value to a Field when designing a Form.

Overview

Default values are preset values that automatically appear in a Field when creating a new Record. This can streamline data entry and increase the quality of data by automating the data entry process, thus increasing consistency and saving time for users.

Behavior

Adding a default value for a Field means that the defined default value is automatically populated in that Field when adding a new Record.

Default values are only generated when adding new Records. Default values are not generated when editing an existing Record.

If you are using the importer or the API to add a new Record and you have not included the column for a Field that has a default value set, then the importer automatically populates the default value. But if you do include the column for a Field with a default value set and you have provided a value, then the value you provided overrides the default value. For more information, see Importing Records to a Form.

Supported Field types:

• Text
• Multi-Line Text
• Quantity
• Single selection
• Multiple selection
• Reference
• Geographic point
• Date
• Week
• Fortnight
• Month
• User

Example use cases

Setting fields with default values as read-only

Setting Fields that have default values defined as read-only means that the value provided as a default for a Field cannot be manually edited by users when adding a new Record and when editing an existing Record. The Field remains static with its default value, and users can't override it or input a different value.

You might choose to set a Field with default values as read-only in situations where the value must remain constant over time. For example, you might set as read-only fields that collect the date a Record was added or the user who added the Record to a Form to preserve the integrity of these key information.

To make the date field dynamic, meaning allowing users to add Records on different dates, you can utilize a Formula with the TODAY function. The use of “read-only” ensures that the value remains the same and cannot be updated.

Setting default values as read-only provides a way to enforce data consistency, accuracy, and control in your Database by ensuring certain field values remain unchanged throughout the life cycle of a Record.

When using the importer to add or edit Records, Fields set to read-only are not updated with the corresponding values from the imported file. For more information, see Importing Records to a Form.

Capturing the date a Record was added

If you need to report on the date a Record was added to a Form, for accountability reasons, you might want to set a default value for a Date field titled “Date record added.” If you expect Records to be added on different dates, you can generate the default value using a Formula with the TODAY function to dynamically populate the current date when the Record is added. You would then set the Field as read-only to ensure that users would not be able to modify the date in the future.

Defining the first stage of a workflow as the default value

You can set up a review workflow (where Records go through review stages) using default values.

1. Add a “Review status” Multiple Select Field to your Form.
2. Set the default value of this Field to “Pending review” so that the first stage in your review workflow is automatically set when the Record is first added to the Form.

3. Enjoy the streamlined data entry process where all new Records are consistently assigned to the correct (next) stage.