Defaults (how to select and restrict the range of your database)

If you have set up a Checklist (My Taxa) that contains many groups you may find that the process of matching an abbreviated Taxa name that you enter is slow and returns an excessive number of possible matches. You can restrict the search to just the species in a specific group (e.g. "Lepidoptera: Butterflies" or "Diptera"). Open the 'Records' > 'Properties' menu and select the 'Defaults' Tab (or press 'Ctrl+D') from the 'Data Entry: New Record' form. You can now select the group you are recording (remember to change back to your normal settings after you change your Defaults to enter species from other groups). 

Similarly, if you have a large number of sites to match you can set your Defaults to only look for sites in a chosen area (e.g. a Vice-County). 

WARNING: leaving Defaults set to a restricted taxa or site range means that records that are not included in the Default ranges are excluded from Query results; which can be very confusing if you do not realise why records that you know you have entered are not displayed. 

If you have a regularly used set of defaults you can save them by clicking on the 'Save Favourites' button, these settings will then be set each time you start the program and can be reset from the 'Data Entry' > 'Records', > 'Get Favourite Defaults' menu (or Ctrl+F). (Note that Ctrl+G is 'Get Common Settings' to enter standard values in 'Data Entry: New Record' fields). You can change your Defaults and just click the 'OK' button instead of the 'Save Favourites' button to make a change while you are working, this allows them to revert to your normal settings when you next run the program. 

In many contexts 'Defaults' may be thought of as 'Restrictions', 'Selection' or 'Limits'. 
When you have a Map open the Site and Taxa settings for that Map become your current Defaults, another source of confusion if you do not realise what is happening. 

The Analysis Query, 'Browse all records (ignoring defaults)' used when Defaults are restricted to a subset of your records may show records with the Taxa names blank except those in the Default group. 

When setting your Checklist in the 'My Configuration...' wizard a list of subdivisions within a group will often be available. For example you may assume that if you want to record all Diptera you should select Diptera and do not need to select any of the Families within Diptera. This will include all the Diptera names in 'My Taxa' and allow you to record them. However only the category 'Diptera' will be included in the list of options available in Defaults. If, for example, you will need to select Syrphid records for the Hoverfly Recording Scheme you should also select 'Diptera: Syrphidae' when setting up your checklist so that you will then be able to set your Defaults to 'Diptera: Syrphidae' to select only Syrphid records. See also example in Initial Configuration Section.