SharePoint 2010 : Setting Metadata Standards with Default Values

List or library administrators can set default values for metadata when the column is being created, or can return to the list settings page at a later date to change the default values. Setting a default value may not be advisable in some cases because end users who are in a rush, or feeling lazy, may simply leave the default setting when uploading a document. So, consideration should be given to the pros and cons of using default values.

Figure 1 shows a section of the settings available for a choice column in a document library. In the Default Value section, the administrator can choose to set one of the choices in the list above as the default value, or can have a Calculated value. In this figure, the default value will be Choice #1. If the field is cleared of text, the default value will be left empty. If Calculated Value is chosen, the administrator will need to enter an equation in the field provided.

Figure 1. Default Value field for a choice column.

Note also that there is the option to Allow Fill-in choices for the choice column, which may be a good option if strict control over the metadata entries is not critical for this column and library.

Setting Default Values from the Settings Page

By accessing the Column Default Value Settings link from the Document Library Settings page, the administrator can set values based on folders, which can be a much more powerful and useful ability than setting default values on a column basis. The following section provides an example of using the Column Default Value Settings for folders within a document library:

1.	Choose a document library (or create a new one) that has one or more folders in it and one or more columns that have been added to the document library. In this example, the document library contains folders titled Folder 1 and Folder 2, and a column titled Subject and one titled Choice Column.
2.	From the document library, click the Library tab on the Ribbon, and then click Library Settings.
3.	Click Column Default Value Settings link in the General Settings section.
4.	From the Change Default Column Values page, click one of the folders in the left pane. In this example, Folder 2 is selected.
5.	Click the column name to change. In this example, the Choice Column link was selected.
6.	In the Edit Default Value window, check the circle next to Use This Default Value and enter the desired default value in the field. An error message will display if you enter an invalid choice. In this example, Choice #2 is entered, as shown in Figure 2. Click OK. Figure 2. Assign default column values for folder contents in a document library.
7.	As shown in Figure 3, the Change Default Column Values page will now show what the default value is by column and by folder. A folder with a gear icon on it has a default value assigned to it. Other folders without specific default values assigned and documents not stored in a folder will be assigned the document library default. Figure 3. Change Default Column Values page.

While at first glance this feature seems of limited use, if the document library uses folders or is designed to hold a specific type of documents that will share default settings, the default values can be a great time saver and help ensure that the proper values are set for documents. This is especially true for organizations where end users are “addicted” to folder structures and are reluctant to give them up. The administrator can create a column titled Folder Name and then assign default values to this column on a folder-by-folder basis that mirrors the names of the folders. Then views can be created that ignore the folder structure for more advanced users, but the documents will be tagged with the folder name so that information is still captured. This also solves the problem of users knowing which folder items “live” in when they are using a view that is set to ignore the folder structure.