How do you set a default input text format per content type?

Question

I want to be able to set a different default input text format per content type and per content field.

For example, the format type choices might be "Plain text" and "Rich text editor" and in some cases I want the format to default to "Rich text editor" but keep "Plain text" as a choice in the dropdown. I know that I can change the order of the text formats to make "Rich text editor" the first choice, but this method changes all of them, that's not what I want to do.

Answer 1

In the absence of a stable release of Better Formats module, you can create a custom module to do this for specific content types or fields.

Create a module (modulename.info and modulename.module, inside a folder 'modulename'). Example: default_text_format.module:

<?php
/**
* Implements hook_element_info_alter().
*
* Sets the text format processor to a custom callback function.
* This code is taken from the Better Formats module.
*/
function default_text_format_element_info_alter(&$type) {
  if (isset($type['text_format']['#process'])) {
    foreach ($type['text_format']['#process'] as &$callback) {
      if ($callback === 'filter_process_format') {
        $callback = 'default_text_format_filter_process_format';
      }
    }
  }
}

/**
* Callback for MODULENAME_element_info_alter().
*/
function default_text_format_filter_process_format($element) {
  $element = filter_process_format($element);
  // Change input format to "Filtered HTML" for body fields of article nodes
  if ($element['#bundle'] == 'article' && $element['#field_name'] == 'body') {
    $element['format']['format']['#default_value'] = 'filtered_html';
  }
  return $element;
}

And default_text_format.info:

name = Default text format
description = Adapt the module code to set a default format for a content type.
package = Custom modules
core = "7.x"

Put these files in a folder 'default_text_format' in sites/all/modules/custom.

Change bundle name as appropriate for your content type. And you can substitute 'body' with your own 'field_contenttype_fieldname'. (After this comment / better_formats code.)

Answer 2

Use the Better Formats module:

Better formats is a module to add more flexibility to Drupal's core input format system. It will allow you to set the default format per content type and much more.

Answer 3

I just bumped into this problem myself, but I didn't want to use a beta module (Better Formats), and I had to extend the functionality and automate it, so that such settings are not hardcoded, but set from the back-office.

So I did the following:

• I added a setting on the Edit Settings form of the field that I need the default text format for
• I used the code provided the above and modified it slightly so that it gets sets the default text format as saved in the settings of the field
• I used Features to export the content type so that I have my settings preserved in code

Field Edit Settings part

/**
 * Implements hook_form_FIELD_UI_FIELD_EDIT_FORM_alter().
 */
function MY_MODULE_form_field_ui_field_edit_form_alter(&$form, &$form_state) {
  if ($form['#field']['type'] == 'text_long') {
    $instance = $form['#instance'];
    // Fieldset for Default Formats settings.
    $filters = filter_formats();
    $options = array('_none' => t('None'));
    foreach ($filters as $key => $filter) {
      $options[$key] = $filter->name;
    }
    $form['instance']['settings']['default_filter'] = array(
      '#type' => 'fieldset',
      '#title' => t('Default Filter Settings'),
      '#collapsible' => FALSE,
      '#collapsed' => FALSE,
    );
    $form['instance']['settings']['default_filter']['wysiwyg_profile'] = array(
      '#type' => 'select',
      '#title' => t('Select a default format for this field'),
      '#description' => t('The selected text format will influence the button and plugin configuration of WYSIWYG.'),
      '#default_value' => isset($instance['settings']['default_filter']['wysiwyg_profile'])
          ? $instance['settings']['default_filter']['wysiwyg_profile'] : '_none',
      '#options' => $options,
    );
  }
}

So this part of the code should evident enough...it adds a fieldset and adds a select list in it, which is populated by the WYSIWYG profiles existing on your site. Those WYSIWYG profiles are tied to the text formats, so when someone selects a text format/filter, it actually selects the profile that is configured.

Now the 2nd part is the same code as provided above by another user, and which is taken from the Better Formats module.

/**
 * Implements hook_element_info_alter().
 *
 * Sets the text format processor to a custom callback function.
 * This code is taken from the Better Formats module.
 */
function MY_MODULE_element_info_alter(&$type) {
  if (isset($type['text_format']['#process'])) {
    foreach ($type['text_format']['#process'] as &$callback) {
      if ($callback === 'filter_process_format') {
        $callback = 'MY_MODULE_filter_process_format';
      }
    }
  }
}

/**
 * Callback for MY_MODULE_element_info_alter().
 *
 * Alters the default text format of fields.
 */
function MY_MODULE_filter_process_format($element) {
  $element = filter_process_format($element);
  // Configuration array that specifies the fields that need to be altered.
  $field_info = field_info_instance($element['#entity_type'],
                                    $element['#field_name'], 
                                    $element['#bundle']);
  // Change input format to configured value.
  if (isset($field_info['settings']['default_filter']['wysiwyg_profile']) && $field_info['settings']['default_filter']['wysiwyg_profile'] != '_none') {
    $element['format']['format']['#default_value'] = $field_info['settings']['default_filter']['wysiwyg_profile'];
  }
  return $element;
}

So the settings are saved, therefore Features Export is possible or whatever method you use to save your settings.

I hope this helps anyone else who encountered this problem!