ACF Default Value Initializer

A WordPress plugin that automatically initializes default values for Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) on existing posts and users.

Description

When you add new ACF fields with default values to existing content, WordPress typically only applies these defaults to new posts/users created after the field was added. This plugin solves that problem by automatically applying default values to existing content that doesn't have a value for the field.

Features

• 🔄 Automatic Default Value Application: Applies default values to existing posts/users when fields are saved
• ⚙️ Field-Level Control: Enable/disable default value initialization per field
• 🎯 Selective Processing: Only processes content that doesn't already have a value for the field
• 🔧 Manual Processing: Admin interface button for manual initialization
• 📝 Multiple Post Types: Works with posts, pages, custom post types, and users
• 🛡️ Safe Processing: Only updates empty fields, preserves existing data
• 🎨 Clean Admin UI: Seamless integration with ACF field settings

Requirements

• WordPress: 6.4 or higher
• PHP: 8.1 or higher
• ACF: Advanced Custom Fields (free or Pro version)

Installation

Via Composer

composer require mituu/acf-default-value-initializer

Manual Installation

1. Download the plugin
2. Upload to /wp-content/plugins/acf-default-value-initializer/
3. Activate through the WordPress admin

Enabling Default Value Initialization

1. Go to Custom Fields > Field Groups in your WordPress admin
2. Edit any field group
3. For each field you want to initialize defaults:
   • Open the field settings
   • Enable the "Initialize Default Values" checkbox
   • Set your desired default value for the field
4. Save the field group

Supported Field Types

The plugin supports default value initialization for:

• Text, Textarea, Number, Email, URL, Password
• Select, Checkbox, Radio, Button Group, True/False
• Date Picker, Date Time Picker, Time Picker, Color Picker
• Range, WYSIWYG, oEmbed
• User, Post Object, Page Link, Relationship, Taxonomy
• Image, File, Gallery

Manual Processing

If you need to manually trigger default value initialization:

1. Edit a field group in the ACF admin
2. Look for the "🔄 Initialize Default Values" button
3. Click the button to manually process all existing content for this field group

How It Works

Automatic Processing

When you save a field group with fields that have "Initialize Default Values" enabled:

1. The plugin identifies all posts/users that match the field group's location rules
2. For each field with initialization enabled, it checks if the post/user has a value
3. If no value exists, it applies the field's default value
4. Existing values are never overwritten

Processing Flow

Field Group Save → Check Enabled Fields → Find Target Content → Apply Defaults

Technical Details

Plugin Structure

acf-default-value-initializer/
├── acf-default-value-initializer.php  # Main plugin file
├── composer.json                      # Composer configuration
├── assets/js/                         # JavaScript files
│   └── field-settings.js             # Admin UI enhancements
└── src/                              # PHP classes
    ├── Plugin.php                    # Main plugin class
    ├── Hooks.php                     # WordPress hooks
    ├── FieldSettings.php             # ACF field settings
    └── DefaultValueProcessor.php     # Core processing logic

Key Classes

• Plugin: Main plugin initialization and coordination
• Hooks: WordPress action/filter hooks management
• FieldSettings: ACF field settings modifications
• DefaultValueProcessor: Core logic for applying default values

Hooks and Filters

The plugin uses these WordPress hooks:

• acf/save_post - Triggers default value processing
• acf/render_field_settings - Adds the initialization checkbox
• wp_ajax_acf_dvi_process_field_group - Handles manual processing

Configuration

Field-Level Settings

Each ACF field can be individually configured:

// Field setting added by the plugin
'init_default_values' => 1  // Enable default value initialization

Location Rules

The plugin respects ACF location rules, so default values are only applied to content that matches the field group's location conditions.

Development

Local Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mituu-rs/acf-default-value-initializer.git

# Install dependencies (if using Composer)
composer install

Code Standards

• PHP 8.1+ with strict types
• PSR-4 autoloading
• WordPress coding standards
• Comprehensive error handling

Changelog

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release
• Automatic default value initialization
• Field-level control settings
• Manual processing interface
• Support for all major ACF field types

Support

For issues, feature requests, or contributions:

• Repository: GitHub
• Author: mituu

License

This project is licensed under the GPL v2 or later - see the LICENSE for details.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request