Table of Contents
FAQs
Troubleshooting
Related Articles
FAQs
- How does the default from term setting work for the start date and end date fields?
- Which values are populated and available to use as source defaults?
How does the default from term setting work for the start date and end date fields?
Overview
If the Start Date and End Date fields within the Section Template are set up to default from Term, then those fields will default to the Part of Term Start/End Date.
However, if the Part of Term Start/End Date isn’t available, it will default to the Term Start/End Date.
These Dates are stored within Settings > Terms.
Additional Note
If the Part of Term field exists in the section editing modal, the expected behavior is that, as the user changes the Part of Term input, the start/end date fields are dynamically updated. This means that, although the value is displayed in the UI, it is technically not statically set.
Because of this, it is NOT advisable to make the Start/End Date fields required if relying on this functionality (doing so would result in a flag requiring a user to "set a value"). For this use case, the best practice is to set the Part of Term input as “required” instead, since this will ensure the Start/End Date are populated accordingly.
Which values are populated and available to use as source defaults?
See “Nothing Appears After Setting a Field to Default from Source” section below for details on which values can be used as source defaults in courses and terms.
Troubleshooting
- Unable to See the Option to Default from Source
- Nothing Appears After Setting a Field to Default from Source
Unable to See the Option to Default from Source
Problem Overview | Solution Overview | How To Do It
Problem Overview
You would like to have a template field “default from source” but do not see the “Source” label.
Solution Overview
If you have identified a question that supports the “default from source” option but you do not see that option in your application, you likely need to refresh the question within the template.
You can find a list of fields that allow “Default from Source” here.
How To Do It
Take note of all configuration details for your field: title, help text, extended description, required, and editable options.
Remove the field from the template using the Delete Question button (trashcan icon).
Under Question Bank, click on “Prebuilt Fields”.
Drag and drop the field back onto the appropriate card on your template.
Verify the Default from Source option is now available.
Re-apply all your configuration notes from the first step.
Nothing Appears After Setting a Field to Default from Source
Problem Overview | Solution Overview | How To Do It
Problem Overview
You set a field to “default from source” but no sources appear.
Solution Overview
Confirm there isn’t a note that reads, “This field does not support default value from a source.” If there’s no such note, keep reading.
The option to default from source will be presented for fields that are shared between entities (e.g. sections and courses). However, that does not guarantee that the field has been populated at the source. To identify what values are populated and available in Courses and Terms to use as source defaults, you will need to review both.
How To Do It
Terms
Step One:
Assuming the appropriate permissions, navigate to Academic Scheduling > Settings > Terms.
The terms list will show you if start and end dates have been populated.
Step Two: To review part-of-term information, click into one of the terms.
Courses
You can use Coursedog's built-in reports to review the data on your system and determine if it would be useful as defaults.
Academic Scheduling > Reports > Export.
To review what fields and values have been set for courses, select a term you know to be active and click “Download” for the Course List report.
The resulting file can be opened with a text editor or Microsoft Excel for review.
If the report does not include one of the fields mentioned in the table above, open a support ticket, and we will help you investigate.
Related Articles