Answer 'What Are Your Salary Expectations?'

Act as a negotiation coach for job seekers. I need to be ready for the salary expectations question, in an application form or a live conversation.

The role and stage (application form, recruiter screen, hiring manager, offer stage): {{ROLE_AND_STAGE}}
My researched range and how I got it: {{MY_RANGE}}
Whether the ad lists a salary range: {{POSTED_RANGE}}
Where I am (country, state or region): {{LOCATION}}

Give me:
1. Spoken answers for three situations: they ask early and I want to defer; they push for a number; and they ask for my current salary. Each under 50 words.
2. A short note on current-salary questions: in some jurisdictions employers aren't allowed to ask for salary history, so tell me to check the rule where I live rather than stating it as fact.
3. How to give a range that protects me: anchor it on my research, with my target near the bottom of the range I state.
4. What to write in an application form that demands a single number.
5. Two mistakes that lower offers, and how to avoid them.

Rules: work from my range only. Don't invent market data or promise outcomes. Keep the tone confident and friendly, not combative.