README

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

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

Enabling Default Value Initialization

Go to Custom Fields > Field Groups in your WordPress admin
Edit any field group
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
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:

Edit a field group in the ACF admin
Look for the "🔄 Initialize Default Values" button
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:

The plugin identifies all posts/users that match the field group's location rules
For each field with initialization enabled, it checks if the post/user has a value
If no value exists, it applies the field's default value
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

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

mituu / acf-default-value-initializer

Maintainers

Details