Default rules in Jitterbit App Builder

Default rules are a rule purpose used to automatically populate one or more fields with a value. For example, a Default rule can set a Date field to today's date, or set a Price field based on a value looked up from a related table.

A full example walkthrough using demo values to create a Default rule and then register it on a panel can be found in the Default rules section of Introduction to App Builder - Lesson 7: More about rules.

Create a Default rule

1. In App Workbench > Rules, click + Rule. The Rule Builder opens.

2. Following App Builder's naming conventions, enter a name for the rule, using the pattern TableName (Default ColumnName).

3. In the Purpose field, scroll to locate the Default option under Edge Case and select it.

   

4. In the Target field, select the table or business object the default values should apply to. See Target a table or a business object below to decide which one to use.

5. Click Create. App Builder will take a few moments to create the rule.

6. In the Columns tab, add the logic that determines the default value for each column you want to default. For instance, you might click + Column and enter the expression Now() to default a date field to the current date and time using the Now() database function, or add a related table in the Tables tab and select one of its columns to look up a value from it.

7. Click Results in the Rule panel to confirm the rule returns the value you expect.

Target a table or a business object

A Default rule must target either its base table or a business object built on that same table. This choice determines its behavior:

• When the target is a table: A Default rule that targets a table can only default physical columns, not calculated columns, but it applies to every business object built on that table. For example, a Default rule targeting the Order table could default Quantity to 1 and Price to 5. If a business object built on Order has a calculated column such as LineTotal (Quantity*Price), that column shows NULL until the record is saved, since the database only calculates it once the defaulted values are written.

• When the target is a business object: A Default rule that targets a business object, such as Order (Source), can default both physical columns and in-memory calculated columns, and its calculated values recalculate live in the UI as the user changes related fields, even before the record is saved. For example, if Quantity defaults to 1, Price defaults to 5, and a calculated LineTotal column (Quantity*Price) is defaulted alongside them, LineTotal initially shows 5. Changing Quantity to 2 before saving immediately recalculates LineTotal to 10. After saving, editing Quantity again to 3 recalculates LineTotal to 15.

Register a Default rule

A Default rule has no effect until it's registered, either on the table it targets or on a panel built on the business object it targets.

On a table

Registering a Default rule on its table applies it to every business object built on that table:

1. In App Workbench > Tables, locate and select the table.

2. Click More > Defaults. The Defaults dialog opens.

3. Click Register. The Default dialog opens.

4. In the Type field, select Rule.

5. In the Rule field, select the Default rule you created.

6. In the Binding field, select a binding type. See Binding below for more information.

7. Click Save.

On a panel

Registering a Default rule on a panel applies it only within that panel:

1. Navigate to the panel where you want to register the rule, in one of two ways:

   • From the app preview, navigate to the page containing the panel and open the Live Designer by clicking the hamburger icon in the top right and selecting Live Designer.

   • From the App Workbench, open the Pages tab and select the page containing the panel.

2. If you're in the Live Designer, select the panel in the preview to populate the designer with its options, then click More > Defaults. If you're in the App Workbench, select the panel in Page Panel Layout, then click More > Defaults. The Defaults dialog opens:

   

3. Click Register. The Default dialog opens:

   

4. In the Type field, select Rule.

5. In the Rule field, select the Default rule you created.

6. In the Binding field, select a binding type. See Binding below for more information.

7. (Optional) In the Order field, enter a number to determine in which order the rule will run, if the panel has more than one rule registered to it. If the panel only has one rule, the default value is 10.

8. Leave the Active checkbox marked to enforce the rule. If you want to deactivate it without deleting it, deselect this checkbox.

9. Click Save.

Refresh the page. To test whether the Default rule is working, create a new record on that table or panel. The field should populate automatically.

Binding

A Default rule's binding determines which existing record's data is used to calculate the default value:

• Implicit binding uses the in-memory record's primary key, so it always matches exactly one record.

• Explicit binding matches on a column other than the primary key, such as a foreign key. For example, you could explicitly bind a Freight default to the selected ShipperID on an Order panel, so Freight defaults based on whichever shipper the user selects.

See Implicit and explicit binding for more information.

When Default rules run

• On a New event (when a record is first created), App Builder runs the full default logic before inserting the record into the database, initializing physical columns for every Default rule and calculated columns for rules that target a business object.

• On an Update event (when an existing record is edited), App Builder does not re-apply a Default rule's initial column values, so it won't overwrite a value the user has already changed. However, calculated columns from defaults that target a business object still recalculate whenever a field they depend on changes, both before and after the record is first saved. Explicitly-bound defaults behave the same way: they re-run whenever their bound field changes, regardless of whether the record has already been saved.