How to define default values for snippet placeholders? - visual-studio-code

Question

When creating snippets I would like to know if it is possible to define a default value for a placeholder if no value is assigned.
For example, having this php snippet:
{
"get_list": {
"prefix": "get_list",
"body": "$${1:beanList} = $${2:bean}->get_list('${3:order_by}', \"${4:where}\", ${5:row_offset}, ${6:limit}, ${7:max}, ${8:show_deleted});",
"description": "Get a paginate bean list"
},
}
Where placeholders from tabstops 5 to 8 have the following default values:
$row_offset = 0
$limit= -1
$max= -1
$show_deleted = 0
I tried with choices in the following way, but with no success:
{
"get_list": {
"prefix": "get_list",
"body": "$${1:beanList} = $${2:bean}->get_list('${3:order_by}', \"${4:where}\", ${5:row_offset|0|}, ${6:limit}, ${7:max}, ${8:show_deleted});",
"description": "Get a paginate bean list"
},
}
Please take a look to the row_offset definition. When the snippet is rendered I get the following
$beanList = $bean->get_list('order_by', "where", row_offset|0|, limit, max, show_deleted);
In this scenario what I would like to happen is in case I omit a placeholder value 0 is assigned.
Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

The closest you will get to what you want are "choices". See snippet choices.
Your terminology is a little off. In ${6:limit} for example - that entire thing is the placeholder and limit is the default value for it. So it already has a default value - limit - and now you want to have another. So try this syntax:
${6:|limit,-1|}
Placeholders can have choices as values. The syntax is a comma
separated enumeration of values, enclosed with the pipe-character, for
example ${1|one,two,three|}. When the snippet is inserted and the
placeholder selected, choices will prompt the user to pick one of the
values.