question Default Value using field's data in Community Central forum

Default Value using field's data

Daniel Vieira — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 14:38:16 GMT

Hi everyone,

When we create a child incident from a parent, some fields (like Parent Incident and Short Description) are automatically populated when the child form opens. I’ve created a custom field called u_parent1, and I’d like this field to also be automatically filled when the child incident form is opened.

Specifically, I want u_parent1 to be populated with the sys_id of the caller of the parent incident. This should happen as soon as the child form opens, before the user enters or saves any data.

I tried to set this value using the Default Value property in the dictionary with something like current.parent_incident.caller_id.sys_id, but it doesn't work — I assume because that context isn’t available when the form loads. In attachments, we can see an image with that approach.

Does anyone know how I could achieve this behavior?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Default Value using field's data

Chaitanya ILCR — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 16:38:49 GMT

Hi @Daniel Vieira ,

just put this in the default value

it's (:) not &colon;

javascript&colon;current.parent_incident.caller_id

Also check which is the linking field here is Parent field or Parent Incident field (based on that replace parent_incident with parent if you are using parent)

Please mark my answer as helpful/correct if it resolves your query.

Regards,
Chaitanya

Re: Default Value using field's data

StephenR0086629 — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:35:36 GMT

I’ve handled this in ServiceNow by using a business rule or client script on form load. You can fetch a value from a related field or table and set it as the default dynamically. Just make sure to add proper conditions to avoid overwriting user input. It’s a clean way to streamline form completion without hardcoding values.

Re: Default Value using field's data

Daniel Vieira — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 17:41:17 GMT

Hi @StephenR0086629,

I’ve built a solution in Workspace to automatically populate the Source field when creating a new HR Case, based on the parent case's value — but my current approach depends on the URL.

When we reach step 2 of the "Create New Case" flow in Workspace, the parent case's sys_id is available in the URL. I use a Client Script and a Script Include to retrieve the parent’s Source value and populate it into the child case. This works — but only because I check the URL to know I’m in step 2.

I’d like to find a more robust and upgrade-safe solution that does not rely on the URL. Since URL structures can change in future releases, I want to detect the current step (step 1 vs step 2) through a more stable method — ideally using Workspace context or component state.

Does you know a way to detect which step of the Workspace form flow we’re in, without using the URL?
Or do you have an alternative approach to this scenario?

Thanks in advance!