@node default
@subsection default
-If this variable is set, it identifies a menu entry that should be selected
-by default, possibly after a timeout (@pxref{timeout}). The entry may be
-identified by number or by id.
+If this variable is set, it identifies a menu entry that should be
+selected by default, possibly after a timeout (@pxref{timeout}). The
+entry may be identified by number (starting from 0 at each level of
+the hierarchy), by title, or by id.
For example, if you have:
default=example-gnu-linux
@end example
-If the entry is in a submenu, then it must be identified using the titles of
-each of the submenus starting from the top level followed by the number or
-title of the menu entry itself, separated by @samp{>}. For example, take
-the following menu structure:
+If the entry is in a submenu, then it must be identified using the
+number, title, or id of each of the submenus starting from the top
+level, followed by the number, title, or id of the menu entry itself,
+with each element separated by @samp{>}. For example, take the
+following menu structure:
@example
-Submenu 1
- Menu Entry 1
- Menu Entry 2
-Submenu 2
- Submenu 3
- Menu Entry 3
- Menu Entry 4
- Menu Entry 5
+GNU/Hurd --id gnu-hurd
+ Standard Boot --id=gnu-hurd-std
+ Rescue shell --id=gnu-hurd-rescue
+Other platforms --id=other
+ Minix --id=minix
+ Version 3.4.0 --id=minix-3.4.0
+ Version 3.3.0 --id=minix-3.3.0
+ GRUB Invaders --id=grub-invaders
@end example
-``Menu Entry 3'' would then be identified as
-@samp{Submenu 2>Submenu 3>Menu Entry 3}.
+The more recent release of Minix would then be identified as
+@samp{Other platforms>Minix>Version 3.4.0}, or as @samp{1>0>0}, or as
+@samp{other>minix>minix-3.4.0}.
This variable is often set by @samp{GRUB_DEFAULT} (@pxref{Simple
configuration}), @command{grub-set-default}, or @command{grub-reboot}.