# Dropdown

`Alias: Umbraco.DropDown.Flexible`

`Returns: String` or `IEnumerable<string>`

Displays a list of preset values. Either a single value or multiple values (formatted as a collection of strings) can be returned.

## Settings

### Enable multiple choice

If enabled, editors will be able to select multiple values from the dropdown otherwise only a single value can be selected.

### Prevalues

Prevalues are the options which are shown in the dropdown list. You can add, edit, or remove values here.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can use dictionary items to translate the values of a Dropdown property editor in a multilingual setup. For more details, see the [Creating a Multilingual Site](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/13.latest/tutorials/multilanguage-setup#translating-multi-value-property-editors) article.
{% endhint %}

## Data Type Definition Example

![Dropdown Data Type Definition](https://3872888104-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgEH4FChbCn7eDDqREvdE%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-51a442213de417ee23f0cabc861936a6a81024fe%2FDropdown-DataType-v10.png?alt=media\&token=a5186c52-7208-4016-84f6-040f1226197f)

## Content Example

### Single Value

![Single dropdown content example](https://3872888104-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgEH4FChbCn7eDDqREvdE%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-be48cc06e30eb4c5e2610d24173186389e3d6461%2FDropdownSingle-Content.png?alt=media)

### Multiple Values

![Multiple dropdown content example](https://3872888104-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FgEH4FChbCn7eDDqREvdE%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9d2fd30a993190ebb91d47162ce0ca9ed4ec5937%2FDropdownMultiple-Content.png?alt=media)

## MVC View Example

### Single item - without Modelsbuilder

```csharp
@if (Model.HasValue("category"))
{
    <p>@(Model.Value<string>("category"))</p>
}
```

### Multiple items - without Modelsbuilder

```csharp
@if (Model.HasValue("categories"))
{
    var categories = Model.Value<IEnumerable<string>>("categories");
    <ul>
        @foreach (var category in categories)
        {
            <li>@category</li>
        }
    </ul>
}
```

### Single item - with Modelsbuilder

```csharp
@if (!Model.HasValue(Model.Category))
{
   <p>@Model.Category</p>
}
```

### Multiple items - with Modelsbuilder

```csharp
@if (Model.Categories.Any())
{
    <ul>
        @foreach (var category in Model.Categories)
        {
            <li>@category</li>
        }
    </ul>
}
```

## Add values programmatically

See the example below to see how a value can be added or changed programmatically. To update a value of a property editor you need the [Content Service](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/13.latest/reference/management/services/contentservice).

{% hint style="info" %}
The example below demonstrates how to add values programmatically using a Razor view. However, this is used for illustrative purposes only and is not the recommended method for production environments.
{% endhint %}

```csharp
@using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services;
@inject IContentService Services;
@using Newtonsoft.Json
@{
    // Get access to ContentService
    var contentService = Services;

    // Create a variable for the GUID of the page you want to update
    var guid = Guid.Parse("32e60db4-1283-4caa-9645-f2153f9888ef");

    // Get the page using the GUID you've defined
    var content = contentService.GetById(guid); // ID of your page

    // Set the value of the property with alias 'categories'. 
    content.SetValue("categories", JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new[] { "News" }));

    // Save the change
    contentService.Save(content);
}
```

Although the use of a GUID is preferable, you can also use the numeric ID to get the page:

```csharp
@{
    // Get the page using it's id
    var content = contentService.GetById(1234); 
}
```

If Modelsbuilder is enabled you can get the alias of the desired property without using a magic string:

```csharp
@using Umbraco.Cms.Core.PublishedCache;
@inject IPublishedSnapshotAccessor _publishedSnapshotAccessor;
@{
    // Set the value of the property with alias 'categories'
    content.SetValue(Home.GetModelPropertyType(_publishedSnapshotAccessor, x => x.Categories).Alias, JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new[] { "News" }));
}
```


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