# Dashboard 2.0: Drop down node "placeholder"?

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037>\
**Category:** Dashboard\
**Tags:** dashboard-2\
**Created:** [8 July 2025 12:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037 "2025-07-08T12:30:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rakgupta](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/rakgupta/32/42535_2.png) [@rakgupta](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/rakgupta)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 12:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/1 "2025-07-08T12:30:48Z")

</div>

Upgrading from Dashboard 1 to Dashboard 2, is there a way to replicate the "placeholder" functionality in the Dropdown node in Dashboard 1? The "Placeholder" value is displayed as the default if nothing is selected.

**Dashboard 1 Dropdown:**

 ![Screenshot 2025-07-08 at 7.21.29 AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/7/4/74ff771e0bc45423c50ba43cdded0021f36bd27a.png)

**Dashboard 2 Dropdown:**

 ![Screenshot 2025-07-08 at 7.20.42 AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/1/a/1aa53f60fdaa12abc9efbedc9828f23f6e4d0600.png)

**Dashboard 2 Dropdown Node Configuration:**

 ![Screenshot 2025-07-08 at 7.19.51 AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/7/5/75a8c088d7baa237c4656ca6a55877be44dd92be.png)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![E1cid](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/e1cid/32/77971_2.png) [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 12:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/2 "2025-07-08T12:47:01Z")

</div>

Have you tried sending the selection value with the options. [Dropdown ui-dropdown | Node-RED Dashboard 2.0](https://dashboard.flowfuse.com/nodes/widgets/ui-dropdown#programmatic-selections)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rakgupta](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/rakgupta/32/42535_2.png) [@rakgupta](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/rakgupta)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 13:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/3 "2025-07-08T13:05:40Z")

</div>

> [@E1cid](#):
>
> Have you tried sending the selection value with the options

I think the options let you select a particular item in the drop down array. What the "placeholder" did was to display default that was not in the list of valid values (eg: All Devices vs a selected device).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![E1cid](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/e1cid/32/77971_2.png) [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 13:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/4 "2025-07-08T13:35:17Z")

</div>

So to work around the lack of placeholder add "all devices" as an option, then send the value in the payload to have it selected by default. the forward flow can detect if all is selected and filter if needed.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rakgupta](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/rakgupta/32/42535_2.png) [@rakgupta](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/rakgupta)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 13:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/5 "2025-07-08T13:43:59Z")

</div>

> [@E1cid](#):
>
> add "all devices" as an option

Thanks - that was the conclusion I was coming to as well. Seems a lot more work since the options are coming from a database query 🙁

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 14:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/6 "2025-07-08T14:16:01Z")

</div>

I suggest that you submit a feature request at [GitHub · Where software is built](https://github.com/FlowFuse/node-red-dashboard/issues), though I don't think there is much manpower available for working on the dashboard at the moment. More volunteers required.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![E1cid](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/e1cid/32/77971_2.png) [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 14:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/7 "2025-07-08T14:23:29Z")

</div>

This was raised but closed in 2024 [UI Dropdown - Placeholder · Issue #386 · FlowFuse/node-red-dashboard · GitHub](https://github.com/FlowFuse/node-red-dashboard/issues/386)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rakgupta](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/rakgupta/32/42535_2.png) [@rakgupta](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/rakgupta)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 14:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/8 "2025-07-08T14:29:01Z")

</div>

> [@Colin](#):
>
> I suggest that you submit a feature request

Yep - will do that.

> [@Colin](#):
>
> though I don't think there is much manpower available for working on the dashboard

I saw the earlier thread that addressed the lack of available resources. Unfortunately, I am not a developer so can't help. Now wondering if I should shelve DB2 till DB1 is not supported any longer...☹.

I may just try and get as much working as I can and then put it on "hold" until there is some more activity on DB2.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rakgupta](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/rakgupta/32/42535_2.png) [@rakgupta](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/rakgupta)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 14:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/9 "2025-07-08T14:35:32Z")

</div>

Thanks - I've added a comment to that issue (I cannot re-open it). I don't think the "label" functionality in DB2 is the same as "placeholder" in DB1.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 14:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/10 "2025-07-08T14:50:50Z")

</div>

Please raise a new FR issue and link back to this. It wont get added otherwise.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jbudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jbudd](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jbudd)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 14:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/11 "2025-07-08T14:51:32Z")

</div>

> [@rakgupta](#):
>
> I saw the earlier thread that addressed the lack of available resources. Unfortunately, I am not a developer so can't help. Now wondering if I should shelve DB2 till DB1 is not supported any longer...☹.

The original dashboard is already unsupported, at least in the sense of no new enhancements or bugfixes.  
A critical vulnerability may be discovered at any time, with no possibility of a fix.

Flowfuse dashboard is a development by a commercial company and who knows they may one day be unwilling to devote any more resources to it.  
It's open source of course.

And the main (only?) alternative dashboard _seems_ to be largely the work of one person.

Not an enviable task to decide on the most appropriate dashboard, especially if one were choosing for a commercial organisation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rakgupta](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/rakgupta/32/42535_2.png) [@rakgupta](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/rakgupta)\
**Post date:** [8 July 2025 15:26 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/12 "2025-07-08T15:26:24Z")

</div>

> [@Steve-Mcl](#):
>
> Please raise a new FR issue and link back to this. It wont get added otherwise.

@Steve-Mcl - @joepavitt replied to my comment on GitHub. I'm going to try working with the dropdown node as it is and may be able to do what I need with some workaround. Thanks

---

<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:** [7 August 2025 15:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/dashboard-2-0-drop-down-node-placeholder/98037/13 "2025-08-07T15:27:05Z")

</div>

This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.