# Allow for names in the link nodes

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734>\
**Category:** Core Development\
**Created:** [3 June 2020 20:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734 "2020-06-03T20:58:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SteveMann](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/stevemann/32/3810_2.png) [@SteveMann](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/SteveMann)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 20:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/1 "2020-06-03T20:58:37Z")

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Allow for names in the link nodes. Why should I have to double-click just to see where it goes if I could put it in the node "Name" field?  
If you want to keep the links anonymous for some reason, just don't put anything in the name field.  
 ![links](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/f/c/fca9e7dd81da5235ab0bae5f3e2ad51a1995ecfa.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![ristomatti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/ristomatti/32/5857_2.png) [@ristomatti](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ristomatti)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 21:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/2 "2020-06-03T21:07:17Z")

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You can make the name visible from the appearance tab of the link node settings. Just make the label to "Show". They default to hide the label to not distract from the overall flow I assume. Similarly you can hide the label from other nodes.

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**Author:** ![Paul-Reed](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/paul-reed/32/66906_2.png) [@Paul-Reed](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Paul-Reed)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 21:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/3 "2020-06-03T21:15:21Z")

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![link](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/a/4/a4d43c696b9d16d9ee1f22dd7648d32e30b8d3dd.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![ristomatti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/ristomatti/32/5857_2.png) [@ristomatti](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ristomatti)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 21:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/4 "2020-06-03T21:17:17Z")

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Thanks! Would've added a screenshot if it wasn't too tedious on an Android tablet...

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**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 21:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/5 "2020-06-03T21:45:13Z")

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Have a read of this too.

[Thoughts on using the LINK node](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/suggestions-of-how-to-use-link-nodes/25707)

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**Author:** ![cymplecy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/cymplecy/32/2773_2.png) [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 21:53 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/6 "2020-06-03T21:53:54Z")

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> [@SteveMann](#):
>
> If you want to keep the links anonymous for some reason, just don't put anything in the name field.

The link nodes used to default to being big and showing the label but many of us wanted it to default to no label as they take up a lot of real estate on the tab when You have many of them.

Having them show where they go/what they are called to by simply clicking on them/hovering over them has worked well for most of us

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/0/3/0349b3850c256dd1a7dd0e9eec1d8363b0ba2d70.png)

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**Author:** ![ristomatti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/ristomatti/32/5857_2.png) [@ristomatti](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ristomatti)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 22:01 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/7 "2020-06-03T22:01:22Z")

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> [@SteveMann](#):
>
> If you want to keep the links anonymous for some reason, just don't put anything in the name field.

It sounds like you haven't thought about the fact the name is also used to identify the links on rhe link in node listing.

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**Author:** ![cinhcet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/cinhcet/32/438_2.png) [@cinhcet](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cinhcet)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 22:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/8 "2020-06-03T22:56:44Z")

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if you can wait for 1.1, there is an editor action (which you can assign a keyboard shortcut to), to show the label for selected nodes [https://github.com/node-red/node-red/pull/2569](https://github.com/node-red/node-red/pull/2569) making it much faster to show the "name" of your link nodes

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**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [3 June 2020 23:03 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/9 "2020-06-03T23:03:45Z")

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Also you can hover over any link node to see its name in a tooltip.

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/3/d/3d4634d04dc14a2f15c6e1a9689833d14dcacf99.png)

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [2 August 2020 23:03 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/allow-for-names-in-the-link-nodes/27734/10 "2020-08-02T23:03:51Z")

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