# Wanting to confirm how a dashboard button is supposed to work
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800
**Category:** Dashboard
**Created:** [5 October 2020 21:38 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800 "2020-10-05T21:38:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [5 October 2020 21:38 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800/1 "2020-10-05T21:38:05Z")
I'm helping someone and feel it is a valid question:
[original thread](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/switch-node-icons-color-problem/33758/26)
And I see that others are posting helpful examples:
[like this one.](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/switch-button-ui-node-how-to-change-color-background-color-size/33799)
But I'd like to raise the question:
@mariulin was wanting to change the colour of the `switch` node with a `message` property.
I tried and after a bit of trying, I believe it can only be set with direct colour names entered where it has the fields to enter the colour/s.
So as to be sure:
1 - can you use `msg.(something)` to set the colours?
2 - can you enter RGB values like: `#e6d00b`?
Or are you limited to colour names? (eg: `red` `pink` `yellow` etc)
---
### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [5 October 2020 21:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800/2 "2020-10-05T21:50:37Z")
1. No - you can't use variables in there
2. Yes - you can use any valid html5 value - so name rgb or hex.
---
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [5 October 2020 21:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800/3 "2020-10-05T21:51:58Z")
Not urgently, but could you pass that onto @mariulin so he too knows.
I have branched out and replaced the `switch` with the `button` node.
---
### Author:  [@SuperNinja](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/SuperNinja)
#### Post date: [6 October 2020 07:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800/4 "2020-10-06T07:04:15Z")
> [@dceejay](#):
>
> No - you can't use variables in there
🤔 however, in my [button change example](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/switch-button-ui-node-how-to-change-color-background-color-size/33799) it is possible:
you have to inject:
```auto
node.send({ui_control:{onicon:"fa-3x fa-lightbulb-o",oncolor:"#e6d00b"},label:"on",payload:true});
```
and this one to change icon, color ... :
```auto
node.send({ui_control:{officon:"fa-2x fa-lightbulb-o",offcolor:"grey"},label:"off",payload:false});
```
to a Switch node , and put variables in :
_optionnal : {{msg.label}}_
@Trying_to_learn did you try this example ?
What makes this work ? @dceejay says it's not possible? magic? lol
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [20 October 2020 07:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/wanting-to-confirm-how-a-dashboard-button-is-supposed-to-work/33800/5 "2020-10-20T07:04:24Z")
This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.