Set the default values for a form
The default values for a form are the initial values that the form contains. They can be standard text or formulas. Default values are stored in fields and are displayed in the controls that are bound to those fields.
Note Fields that do not appear in the data source by default are not the same as fields with blank values. If a field does not appear in the data source by default, the control that is bound to that field should be an optional section or part of an optional section.
- In design mode, click Form Options on the Tools menu, and then click Edit Default Values.
- In the Edit Default Values dialog box, select the field whose default value you want to set.
Note To change the default value for a field, the check box for the field must be selected and the field name itself must also be selected. A field with a cleared check box will not initially appear in the data source.
- Do one of the following:
- To add a standard default value, type the default value for the field in the Default value box.
- To add a formula that calculates the default value, click Insert Formula
, and then, in the Insert Formula dialog box, create the formula. To automatically update the value in the selected field each time the formula is calculated, select the Update this value when the result of the formula is recalculated check box.
- If a field is a repeating field or repeating group and you want more than one instance of the field to initially appear on the form, right-click the repeating field or group, and then click Add another repeating field or group name above or Add another repeating field or group name below on the shortcut menu, depending on where you want the additional instance to appear in relation to the selected instance.
- Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each field whose default value you want to set.
Note The information in this topic may not apply if you are working with a form designed using Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 without the service pack installed. Learn more