Title: Please explain Theme Customization setting default value
Last modified: August 21, 2016

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# Please explain Theme Customization setting default value

 *  [Robert.Vidrine](https://wordpress.org/support/users/robertvidrine/)
 * (@robertvidrine)
 * [12 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/please-explain-theme-customization-setting-default-value/)
 * I was very excited in 3.4 to see the Theme Customization come about, and have
   read a ton of stuff about it (including the OttoPress posts). I wrote a bunch
   of customizations for my theme, which will greatly add to the functionality and
   remove the need for most people to write any CSS or PHP at all. However, when
   I started testing it out on installs that had never set the specific theme mods
   before (I’m using `theme_mod` instead of `option`), I realized that the defaults
   I defined in the `add_setting` statement were not getting used at all. (I know
   that I could define the default directly in the `get_theme_mod( 'modname', mydefaultvalue);`
   but that defeats the purpose of defining the default in the `add_setting`.
 * I just re-read the Theme Customization API documentation in the codex, and noticed
   something in one of Otto’s comments I hadn’t noticed again. Next to one of the
   defaults defined in his add_setting example it says “//Default setting/value 
   to save”.
 * This makes me think that I’ve been misunderstanding completely how the default
   works. Should this be passed to `get_theme_mod( 'somemod');` if somemod isn’t
   set in the theme mods, or is it just the default value that will be saved if 
   ome saves the theme customizer without entering a value? (I’m hoping that the
   default value will be used if somemod isn’t saved in the database, but a default
   is defined in the add_setting, so the default will work even before they save
   the Theme Customizer.)
 * Do I just need to pass the default during each `get_theme_mod` call, even though
   it’s defined in the `add_setting`?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  Moderator [bcworkz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bcworkz/)
 * (@bcworkz)
 * [12 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/please-explain-theme-customization-setting-default-value/#post-4395266)
 * It may be a good idea, depending on how you use the returned data. By some chance
   if the `add_setting()` method were not run for this instance, the lack of a valid
   setting could cause an issue in your script. Providing a default in `get_theme_mod()`
   ensures a valid setting is always returned no matter what has or has not preceded
   this instance.
 * In other words, the ‘add_setting()`default gets saved if nothing more specific
   is specified. The`get_theme_mod()` default is more of an override in case no 
   setting was ever saved, default or otherwise.
 *  Thread Starter [Robert.Vidrine](https://wordpress.org/support/users/robertvidrine/)
 * (@robertvidrine)
 * [12 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/please-explain-theme-customization-setting-default-value/#post-4395347)
 * Thanks bcworkz!
    I had been going on the understanding that the default set during
   add_setting() was used if get_theme_mod() was not found, but this would be a 
   lot more complex. (The code would have to look for the add_setting() and find
   if the not found mod name was specified there, then get the default value.)
 * My theme update can finally be released!
    (Now that I’m not searching for an 
   error that’s not there…)
 *  [flamenco](https://wordpress.org/support/users/flamenco/)
 * (@flamenco)
 * [11 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/please-explain-theme-customization-setting-default-value/#post-4395487)
 * Hi,
    Thanks for clearing that up. I couldn’t find anything else on this topic.
 * I added a default in add_setting, just as Robert did. Then I wrote code to display
   the field. Nothing showed up, and indeed, nothing in the database for that field.
   So I thought I’d try saving the Customizer settings and see if that did anything.
   You can’t just Save, because you have to change something in the Customizer settings
   to allow a Save. I found that unless you change the default value to something
   else, or change another field, the default value does nothing except sit there
   looking pretty in the Customizer. 🙂
 * Kind of funny design, but at least I get how it works now. I now know that if
   I want the a default as I envisioned it, best to do it in the get_theme_mod call,
   and ignore add_settings.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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## Tags

 * [api](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/api/)
 * [customization](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/customization/)

 * In: [Hacks](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/plugins-and-hacks/hacks/)
 * 3 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [flamenco](https://wordpress.org/support/users/flamenco/)
 * Last activity: [11 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/please-explain-theme-customization-setting-default-value/#post-4395487)
 * Status: not resolved

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