Formula-generated values only if field is empty

Ideas & Features
1

I have always wished there was such a thing as a formula field that would provide a value only if the field is empty. If a user clicks into the field, it becomes an editable field of the type defined by the formula result. Once edited by the user, the, formula is not calculated again unless the field is cleared by the user or automation. There is some visual indication to the user that the field value is either auto-generated or edited. (Maybe the value is italicized or there’s a little icon of some sort.)

I realize this is possible via automations, but that way lacks the ability to provide the user with visual feedback as to whether the field has been manually edited.

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2

Do you mean that you want a field to have a (formula-generated) default value, which is used if nothing else is provided?
Can you give some examples of the use cases you have in mind

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3

Yes, that’s a much clearer way to explain it. :slight_smile:

Here are a few use cases:

  • Formula generates a default record summary, but the user wants to change that.
  • Formula generates a default price or discount, but the user wants to change that for a given invoice.

Ideally, there would also be:

  • Some visual indication that the field has been user-edited,
  • A searchable attribute: “Find all records whose prices that have been user edited”, and
  • A means to reset the field to the formula-generated value.

If you think about it, we already (kind of!) see this concept in the formula editor:

  1. Ask AI what you want
  2. AI generates formula
  3. Admin tweaks formula as needed

Without the ability to tweak what AI generates, this would be less efficient because it would require the admin to keep tweaking the prompt.

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