Pre Default and Post Default Properties

Pre-Default and Post Default are two important field user properties available to us. 

Both properties have same purpose of assigning a Default value to a field in case user doesn’t provide any value. What is important to remember is that these values only take effect if user doesn’t provide any value.

Pre-Default value takes effect in case New Record and Copy Record event (In case copy record only if value of field is blank at the time of copy record)

Post-Default value takes effect when we save the record for the first time after its creation and the field value is blank. In Subsequent updates Post Default value doesn’t take effect.

Let’s have a look at requirement to understand these values better.

Requirement:

Status Field for Activities to be have value  “New Activity” as soon as a new Activity record is created and if user doesn’t provide value for field “Type” when creating New Activity then default value of field Type should be “Discount”

Solution:

In Pre-Default Value for Field “Status” give value as “New Activity” (without quotes).
In Post-Default value for Field “Type” give value as “Discount” (without quotes)

This brings an intersting question to my mind which I ask quite often when I take an interview.

What will happen if I Provide values in both ‘Pre-Default’ and ‘Post-Default’ properties of a field?

Read the interview section of this site to get an answer to above question.