Change default `Change method` to `Replace the current value" in Views Bulk Edit

Created on 3 September 2025, 2 days ago

Problem/Motivation

When configuring the "Modify field values" action in Views Bulk Edit, the default Change method is set to Append to the current value.

In most editorial workflows, the expected and safer behavior is to Replace the current value rather than appending. Leaving it as "Append" by default can cause unexpected data concatenation, especially for text fields.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Go to a View with Views Bulk Edit enabled.
  2. Select some content and apply the "Modify field values" action.
  3. Observe that Change method defaults to Append to the current value.

Proposed resolution

Change the default selection of Change method from Append to the current value → Replace the current value.
This ensures more predictable and safer behavior for content editors.

Other options:
Have 3 new VBO actions like
0- Not just modify field values
1- Replace field values
2- Append field values
3- prepend field values ( something like Add a "Prepend to the current value" to the "Modify field values" action Postponed but as its own VBO action )

Remaining tasks

User interface changes

API changes

Data model changes

📌 Task
Status

Active

Version

3.0

Component

Code

Created by

🇯🇴Jordan Rajab Natshah Jordan

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