# How to identify a node by its ID

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [14 June 2020 21:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328 "2020-06-14T21:43:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 19\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [14 June 2020 21:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/1 "2020-06-14T21:43:57Z")

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Hi! I have an error on the debug window and I can't understand which node created it. For example:

14/6/2020, 23:12:12[node: 4495dab5.337c9c](http://127.0.0.1:1880/#)  
msg : string[36]  
"Error stopping node: Close timed out"

When I open any node I can't see its ID ( 4495dab5.337c9c) and I don't know where can I find it. May I please suggest 2 features? Let's make the things easier ))  
Please make visible the ID number when we open the proprieties window on a specific module  
Please add to the ID the name of the module, something like this:

14/6/2020, 23:12:12[node: 4495dab5.337c9c - Telegram receiver](http://127.0.0.1:1880/#)  
msg : string[36]  
"Error stopping node: Close timed out"

Thank you a lot

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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:** [14 June 2020 22:13 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/2 "2020-06-14T22:13:59Z")

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You can cut/paste that id into the search field (ctrl-f) and it should find it - then clicking on the result will highlight the node in the editor.

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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:** [14 June 2020 22:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/3 "2020-06-14T22:16:27Z")

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As well as use the search, you can also just click on the `node: 4495...` bit in the Debug message and it will take you to the node.

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**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [14 June 2020 22:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/4 "2020-06-14T22:18:59Z")

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thank you, yes clicking on message it displays the node, also pressng the "i" will display it. Anyway introducing the node name on the debug window will make it more intuitive, 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:** [14 June 2020 22:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/5 "2020-06-14T22:21:43Z")

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If you give the node a name it will indeed show it in the debug.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/8/3/83177024b457df1ad80d79613753cc9d38f310c1.png)

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**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [14 June 2020 22:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/6 "2020-06-14T22:30:47Z")

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I'm experiencing this problem, actually I click on the debug message an no nodes on the flow are put on evidence, is it possibile there are hided nodes? How to understand what is that?  
Thanks

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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:** [14 June 2020 22:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/7 "2020-06-14T22:34:45Z")

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Do you have subflows? If the error is coming from a node inside a subflow then it can be slight trickier to track down.

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**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:** [15 June 2020 07:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/8 "2020-06-15T07:55:44Z")

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I try to give all nodes in subflows names so that it is easier to track this sort of problem down.

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**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [15 June 2020 08:42 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/9 "2020-06-15T08:42:43Z")

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Honestly I've never seen a subflow )) and I don't know how to create it. Chances are the modules on the flow involve other modules which are hided in background?  
Thanks for your kind support

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**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:** [15 June 2020 09:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/10 "2020-06-15T09:02:14Z")

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When you click on the node id does it change the visible tab? Obviously do it once, then change the tab and do it again. If it does change the tab then the node is on there somewhere. It should be highlighted. If you are not using a recent version of node-red then, if I remember correctly, it is possible that the node may be off the edge of the screen.

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**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [15 June 2020 10:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/11 "2020-06-15T10:34:59Z")

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I've created you 2 screenshots, in the first is possible to see the node visible, named Prova (but on debug there isn't the name, only node ID), on the second no node are selected, probably it's something related with Telegram node.

 ![s0](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/4/c/4cb0c64257f6ec2412c9db5609188368d8024231.jpeg)  
 ![s1](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/f/7/f7d6719496102c6b0226ce22afb5f008f06669b3.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [15 June 2020 10:37 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/12 "2020-06-15T10:37:04Z")

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And have you tried searching for the id 4495... using the Ctrl-F search option?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [15 June 2020 11:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/13 "2020-06-15T11:02:08Z")

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yes it's the telegram bot, the icon is the classic gear for the settings and it's actually the window which appears when I need to configure the bot, it's a sub menu on the Telegram nodes. Not a visible node, but now I got how to understand what it is.  
You probably just need to add the node name after the ID and it will be suddenly clear, thank you!  
PS: yesterday I've updated nodes js and Node red to the latest version

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [15 June 2020 11:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/14 "2020-06-15T11:11:04Z")

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> [@GiovanniG](#):
>
> You probably just need to add the node name after the ID

If you have given the node a name, then we _do_ show the name.

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**Author:** ![michaelblight](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/michaelblight/32/445_2.png) [@michaelblight](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/michaelblight)\
**Post date:** [15 June 2020 11:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/15 "2020-06-15T11:14:50Z")

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Is there some info on how to track the node down if it's inside a subflow? I've had this a couple of times and I want to know where the subflow is called from, not just which node it was inside the subflow.

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**Author:** ![afelix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/afelix/32/9743_2.png) [@afelix](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/afelix)\
**Post date:** [15 June 2020 11:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/16 "2020-06-15T11:15:57Z")

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> [@GiovanniG](#):
>
> Not a visible node, but now I got how to understand what it is.

By not-visible, do you mean it’s a configuration node? One that holds properties/connections for a visible node in your flow, but is not directly visible in the flow itself?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [15 June 2020 11:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/17 "2020-06-15T11:17:53Z")

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> [@michaelblight](#):
>
> Is there some info on how to track the node down if it's inside a subflow

The main recommendation is to give your node's names so you can more readily identify them.

We made some changes to this in one of the 1.0.x releases, and if my memory is correct, if it is a node inside a subflow, then clicking on the id should take you to the subflow-instance node that contains the node in question. So that, combined with giving your nodes names, ought to help.

For more persistent issues, you can enable trace level logging in the runtime and you'll see a complete log of all the node ids inside subflows - a bit more leg work needed, but the information is there.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GiovanniG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GiovanniG](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GiovanniG)\
**Post date:** [15 June 2020 11:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/18 "2020-06-15T11:52:11Z")

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yes it is a configuration node, not visible in the list, I can see it only if I search the ID.  
THis node has a name, the bot name I used, and description under it "telegram bot", but none of these infos are displayed in debug.  
ALso the other name Prova, which has originally name "Telegram Receiver" and after rename by me for a check, has no name reported on the debug, you can see it in the pictures

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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:** [14 August 2020 11:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/how-to-identify-a-node-by-its-id/28328/19 "2020-08-14T11:52:12Z")

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