# Missing socketID impacts dashboard template

**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/missing-socketid-impacts-dashboard-template/43634
**Category:** Dashboard
**Created:** [4 April 2021 09:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/missing-socketid-impacts-dashboard-template/43634 "2021-04-04T09:23:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 2

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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: [4 April 2021 12:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/missing-socketid-impacts-dashboard-template/43634/2 "2021-04-04T12:04:35Z")

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It's not template node specific - it is the way the whole dashboard works... Only messages arriving from a UI widget will contain a valid socketid. The dashboard will then (if the socketid is intact) then only reply back to that socketid - precisely so you can do things like only set an alert/notification popup back to that socket (otherwise everyone has to hit OK/Cancel which gets very annoying) - or you can use it to send a ui\_control back to only one socket so they can switch tabs without switching all screens.

So if the socketid exists the msg gets sent to that socketid - if not (ie has been either deleted deliberately or a new message generated eg via node.send) then the msg is sent to all.

So yes - working as designed.

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