Define Default Field Values
Define a default value for a field. Use a formula to generate dynamic values or constants for static values.
Required Editions
| Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Contact Manager, Group, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions |
| User Permissions Needed | |
|---|---|
| To view default field values: | View Setup and Configuration |
| To define or change default field values: | Customize Application |
- Create a custom field. See Create Custom Fields. You can also define a default value for an existing custom field. See Edit Custom Fields.
- Choose the type of field and click Next. For a list of the types available for default values, see Default Field Values.
- Enter the attributes for the field.
-
Enter a default value or define a formula to calculate the
default value.
Note You can define a formula for default values only where appropriate. For example, the default value options for a checkbox field are limited to the options available for those types of fields, such as Checked or Unchecked.For picklists, a valid formula result is either a constant or the API name of an entry in the Values list. The formula result has higher precedence than the default assigned in the Values list. If the formula doesn’t generate a valid result, the default assigned in the Values list is entered in the field. If a default isn’t assigned to the Values list, no value is entered in the picklist field.
- Click Next.
- Set the field-level security to determine whether the field is visible for specific profiles, and click Next.
- Choose the page layouts that display the field. The field is added as the last field in the first two-column section on the page layout. For user custom fields, the field is added to the bottom of the user detail page.
- Click Save to finish or Save & New to create more custom fields.
You must specify a default value for required campaign member custom fields.
To avoid uniqueness errors, don’t assign default values to fields that are both required and unique.
- Default Field Values
Prepopulate field values with defaults to save your users time and improve consistency. Default field values make your users more productive by reducing the number of fields they must fill in manually. - Useful Default Field Value Formulas
How to apply default field values based on maximum discount rate, product language, or tax rate by city. - Default Field Value Considerations
Be aware of the behavior and rules when you assign default values to custom fields.
