smarty/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-default.md

# default

This is used to set a default value for a variable. If the variable is
unset or an empty string, the given default value is printed instead.
Default takes the one argument.

## Basic usage
```smarty
{$myVar|default:"(none)"}
```

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type   | Required | Default | Description                                                   |
|-----------|--------|----------|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | string | No       | *empty* | This is the default value to output if the variable is empty. |

## Examples

```php
<?php

    $smarty->assign('articleTitle', 'Dealers Will Hear Car Talk at Noon.');
    $smarty->assign('email', '');

```

Where template is:

```smarty
{$articleTitle|default:'no title'}
{$myTitle|default:'no title'}
{$email|default:'No email address available'}
```  

Will output:

```
Dealers Will Hear Car Talk at Noon.
no title
No email address available
```

See also the [default variable handling](../../appendixes/tips.md#default-variable-handling) and
the [blank variable handling](../../appendixes/tips.md#blank-variable-handling) pages.