# How to disable/enable specific options on change
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466
**Category:** General
**Created:** [18 October 2020 17:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466 "2020-10-18T17:25:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@hepcat72](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hepcat72)
#### Post date: [18 October 2020 17:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/1 "2020-10-18T17:25:19Z")
I have figured out how to disable/enable all select list options on change with:
```auto
for (var x = 0; x < $("#node-input-event")[0].childElementCount; x++) {
$('#node-input-event')[0][x].disabled = true;
}
$("#node-input-event").val("arrive");
```
But I can't quite seem to figure out how to enable/disable specific ones. I've searched quite a bit and haven't been able to locate a solution that works. In fact, it took quite some searching to stumble on the above.
---
### Author:  [@Nodi.Rubrum](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Nodi.Rubrum)
#### Post date: [18 October 2020 17:41 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/2 "2020-10-18T17:41:08Z")
There are different ways to do this... disable all, then re-enable the specific one desired, for example. I tend to use an array and pass that out of a function node that I feed back into the UI object(s).
So if I have three buttons, and I want to and enable one, disable two... [true, false, false] for example, then the function node is set to have 3 outputs, so a message is send to each UI element as msg.enabled = true for 1, msg.enabled = false for 2, and msg.enabled = false for 3. Would think the same would be similar for options in a list, drop down menu, etc. Just all depends on how the given UI object accepts change of state? For example, ui-list nodes, want to have an array of objects, where each object has a title and value.
But I think for disable or enable on some UI nodes you will need to use msg.control method. Or maybe this node can help? [https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-ui-actions](https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-ui-actions). All comes down to which widget your are planning to use and where.
---
### Author:  [@hepcat72](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hepcat72)
#### Post date: [18 October 2020 18:24 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/3 "2020-10-18T18:24:20Z")
> [@Nodi.Rubrum](#):
>
> then re-enable the specific one desired
OK. My question is, "How?". I'm not adept at javascript. I tried to find out what other attributes there are other than `.disabled`. Like, if I knew how to get the value of an option (whether or not it was selected), I could put a conditional in the loop to decide whether to enable or disable. I even tried setting the selected option first and use the selected state to decide whether to enable/disable. But I just don't know the structure of these objects. Is there a way to print the attribute names so I can see what's there to use?
---
### Author:  [@hepcat72](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/hepcat72)
#### Post date: [18 October 2020 18:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/4 "2020-10-18T18:40:53Z")
I figured out a work-around for my lack of javascript knowledge and inability to execute suitable documentation searches ( 😉 ). I know the order of the elements. I can just hinge on the index:
```
$("#node-input-event").val("leave");
for (var x = 0; x < $("#node-input-event")[0].childElementCount; x++) {
if (x !== 1) {
$('#node-input-event')[0][x].disabled = true;
} else {
$('#node-input-event')[0][x].disabled = false;
}
}
```
It would be nice to be able to know which option I'm on other than indirectly using the index, but whatever. It works.
---
### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [18 October 2020 19:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/5 "2020-10-18T19:07:35Z")
> [@hepcat72](#):
>
> But I can't quite seem to figure out how to enable/disable specific ones
Off the top of my head...
`$("#node-input-event > option[value='item1']").attr("disabled", "disabled");`
Where item1 is the value of the option you want to disable.
(Untested - the selector might not be 100%)
---
### Author:  [@Nodi.Rubrum](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Nodi.Rubrum)
#### Post date: [18 October 2020 22:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/6 "2020-10-18T22:08:01Z")
> I can just hinge on the index
Actually, some of the UI nodes, return the index as the only way of knowing which item is selected, the ui-list is one such, that returned the 'selected item' as an index of the array of 'list items' that were used to create the list.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [17 December 2020 22:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-disable-enable-specific-options-on-change/34466/7 "2020-12-17T22:08:03Z")
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