No option should be selected by default for required select fields

I fully agree. If it is not preset to Null, anyone missing a field will not be prompted to select one. The result will just be a lot of false selections.

Me too

Subscribe, I believe this is an old and controverse issue, CCK 5.x had this problem too and I never found a solution!

+1

I agree that this is a problem.

I have found a workaround: You can include a "null" first item in your allowed value list by using an empty string for the key. If a user selects this "null" item the form will not validate. So for example you could put this in your allowed values list:

|-- Please select --
mr|Mr.
ms|Ms.
mrs|Mrs.

Since this is actually quite flexible, perhaps the only "fix" needed is to better document this behavior.

Also see core issue #206844: Select elements which are required can be submitted without any user input

Subscribe

|-- Please select --

That workaround doesn't work that well, the field will be printed even if no selection has been made.

EDIT #1:

A better way to do it is using the following syntax.

< none >|-- Please select --

(without spaces)

That'll do.

The workaround is also breaking the View filter based on that field.
An optional filter will show the options ALL and --Select--

Everyone interested in this issue should check out this module CCK Required Single Select http://drupal.org/project/cck_required_single_select

Hey, great. Thanks!

Neither #5 nor the cck_required_single_select module appeared to be good solutions to me.
The simple attached patch fixes this issue.

@arnrikun - Tried your patch. Although this does add a blank field, Drupal still validates that field as 'blank' and accepts it as a valid submission. So this really doesn't work for a required field...which is the point of this thread.

Edit: Clarifying...it does not validate if using with the Content Profile module...not sure about a standard CCK form.

Let's mark this as Needs review again then.

Does anybody have any workarounds to be sure that a user verifies the content in a required field of any kind so that the lazy user doesn't accept the incorrect default?

Although CCK Required Single Select module works well for a select list, it does not support other types, including Node References.

This bug (it is a bug) has been present for years and it is difficult to understand why the issues keep getting closed with no solution. I have not seen any workarounds either, for example a dummy value and php to be sure that dummy value isn't selected.

@walt: This issue is about "select" only. Please open a separate issue about other fields.

I also think that required fields should be non selected/empty by default

Use this minimodule http://drupal.org/node/789116#comment-3365604 It works without patching optionwidgets module.

Thanks! At first install, this appears to work very well and very simply, until the core functionality catches up (or the bug is fixed). Much appreciated.

@kndr: if you think that your mini-module is better than patch at #11, please provide a patch-for-CCK version of your mini-module. It would be better if this could directly get fixed in CCK without the use of an extra module.

@anrikun: I don't think, that minimodule is better than #11 but long waiting for commit could be frustrating. Minimodule is the alternative way.

@kndr: I meant that many people seem to find your mini-module useful and that it fixes the problem. So if you have time for it, please turn it into a real patch for CCK. This way, your code could be reviewed and committed, and the bug could be fixed in CCK.