How to insert blank fields, keep blank subfields, and preserve fixed field values when applying bibliographic constant data

Constant data does not retain empty fields or empty subfields that you may want to add to records as part of applying constant data. Also, if you apply constant data to a record and select to apply the fixed field from the constant data, fixed field values in the original record are overwritten, but you may not want to overwrite them all.

Use these methods when you create or edit constant data to keep blank fields, blank subfields, and fixed-field values when you apply a constant data record:

• To insert empty fields via constant data
  In the constant data record, add a field with a tag and instead of adding real data:When you apply the constant data, the tag and empty field or placeholder characters appear in the record.
  • Enter one or more placeholder characters (for example x).
    Or
  • Enter ‡a |BLANK|, that is, enter a double dagger (or use shortcut key <Ctrl><D>) as a delimiter character, followed by the letter a, a space, a vertical bar character, the word BLANK in all upper case letters, and another vertical bar.
• To keep empty subfields in variable fields
  If variable fields in a constant data record include subfields that contain valid values, the subfields remain in the field added to the bibliographic record. Blank subfields are removed.
  
  To keep empty subfields, enter a subfield code followed by one or more placeholder characters (for example, x), or type |BLANK| (that is, type a vertical bar character, the word BLANK in all upper case letters, and another vertical bar).
  
  When you apply the constant data, the subfield code (followed by a space and the placeholder data if you added it) appears in the field.

   Caution: If you apply constant data to records selected in a list and you want to preserve empty subfields, you must add placeholder characters in the subfield of the constant data record. In this case, adding |BLANK| does not work.

• To keep fixed-field values in the original record
  If you select to apply the fixed field when you apply constant data, by default, the constant data fixed field overwrites the record fixed field. To prevent one or more specific fixed field values from being replaced:
  • In the constant data record, enter asterisks (*) in the text box for the element. Enter one asterisk for each character of the element value.
  • For example, to preserve the value for the Lang element in bibliographic records, enter ***.