# Change dropdowns placeholder dynamically

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350>\
**Category:** Dashboard\
**Created:** [13 July 2021 08:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350 "2021-07-13T08:45:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CHLINDE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/chlinde/32/44854_2.png) [@CHLINDE](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CHLINDE)\
**Post date:** [13 July 2021 08:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/1 "2021-07-13T08:45:50Z")

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Is it possible to modify the placeholder dynamically? I like to change it depending on language selection.

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [13 July 2021 09:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/2 "2021-07-13T09:11:11Z")

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Hi, currently that is not possible.

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**Author:** ![CHLINDE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/chlinde/32/44854_2.png) [@CHLINDE](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CHLINDE)\
**Post date:** [13 July 2021 09:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/3 "2021-07-13T09:33:47Z")

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Ok, that's bearable. But another wish is more important: For multilingual support I have to change the names of the flows dynamically. Otherwise the menu-items stay in default language. But I discovered that this is still not possible at the moment. Is there any workaround?

Thanks 🙂

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [13 July 2021 16:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/4 "2021-07-13T16:25:28Z")

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What do you mean by flows on this context? Can you cut/paste the bit of screen you mean ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CHLINDE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/chlinde/32/44854_2.png) [@CHLINDE](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CHLINDE)\
**Post date:** [14 July 2021 04:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/5 "2021-07-14T04:59:09Z")

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Ah I think it is the wrong designation. I mean UI-tabs. The settings page contains a dropdown to select the language.  
Depending on this selection I like to switch the text of the menu items.

![Node-Red-Menu](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/e/6/e68ec746864bca2b1c74628d30ec55a0fe679759.png)

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**Author:** ![PdeJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c89c15/32.png) [@PdeJ](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/PdeJ)\
**Post date:** [15 July 2021 01:32 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/7 "2021-07-15T01:32:32Z")

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A work round would be to hide and show menu tabs specific to the language as selected in settings using ui control.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/5/2/52a79cbae42576560e9d3421fe34733eb474a98f.png)

template contains e.g.  
`{"tabs":{"hide":["Recipes","Process","Measurements"]},{"show":["Rezepte","Prozess","Messungen"]}}`

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CHLINDE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/chlinde/32/44854_2.png) [@CHLINDE](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CHLINDE)\
**Post date:** [16 July 2021 06:42 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/8 "2021-07-16T06:42:53Z")

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> [@PdeJ](#):
>
> {"tabs":{"hide":["Recipes","Process","Measurements"]},{"show":["Rezepte","Prozess","Messungen"]}}

But then I have to have several tabs for each language, don't I?

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [16 July 2021 07:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/9 "2021-07-16T07:21:28Z")

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Not very dynamic - but what you can do is set up environment variables outside of Node-RED (at the operating system level) eg TAB1="Recipes" etc then set the Tab to be ${TAB1} - when restarted then it will pick up those names.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CHLINDE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/chlinde/32/44854_2.png) [@CHLINDE](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CHLINDE)\
**Post date:** [16 July 2021 07:39 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/10 "2021-07-16T07:39:26Z")

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Ok, that might be possible.  
It would be fine, when something like "this.name = "Recipes"" inside a function node would be possible. I hope, it will be implemented in the next version 😉

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![X21de](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/x21de/32/45462_2.png) [@X21de](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/X21de)\
**Post date:** [25 July 2021 10:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/11 "2021-07-25T10:05:54Z")

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Well, it is possible with ui\_control.  
Connect e.g. a Inject Node with the following content:  
msg.ui\_control  
{ "place":"This is the dynamic Placeholder" }

And voila the Placeholder Text changes.  
 ![Bildschirmfoto 2021-07-25 um 12.04.20](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/7/2/7298c09b5fee9b0532d38e544a4f2d666b445719.png)

 ![Bildschirmfoto 2021-07-25 um 12.03.29](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/4/7/47457a238691e31a77f27d414867cf9cf0356bac.png)

Nice reference over all the possibilities here:

> <https://github.com/node-red/node-red-dashboard/blob/master/config-fields.md>

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [8 August 2021 10:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/change-dropdowns-placeholder-dynamically/48350/12 "2021-08-08T10:06:00Z")

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