> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.agenticflow.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.agenticflow.ai/workflows/workflow-inputs/select-dropdown.md).

# Select Dropdown

The **Select** control (also known as a dropdown) is an input component that lets a user choose a single option from a list that you define.

## When to Use

Use the Select control when you want to restrict a user's choice to a specific set of options. This is useful for:

* Selecting a category (e.g., `Marketing`, `Sales`, `Support`).
* Choosing an action to perform (e.g., `Summarize`, `Translate`, `Rewrite`).
* Setting a specific mode or parameter (e.g., `Fast`, `Balanced`, `High Quality`).

## How to Add

1. From your workflow's **Build** page, click on **+ Add Input**.
2. Select **Select** from the list of available controls.

## Configuration

* **Title:** The main label for the dropdown field.
* **Description:** Optional helper text to provide more context.
* **Options:** This is where you define the items that will appear in the dropdown. Add one option per line.
* **Variable Name:** The name used to access the user's selected value.
* **Optional/Required:** A toggle to specify if the user must make a selection.

## Setting a Default Value

You can pre-select one of the options as the default:

1. Add all your desired options to the **Options** list.
2. From the dropdown menu in the control, select the option you want to be the default.
3. Click the settings icon (⚙️) at the bottom right of the control.
4. Select **Set Current Value as Default**.

## Accessing the Value

You access the selected option using its variable name in double curly braces `{{}}`. For example, if the variable name is `analysis_type`:

* You can use `{{analysis_type}}` in a prompt or parameter field.
* You can use it as the input to a **Switch Node** to route the workflow down different paths based on the user's selection.

### Example

**Goal:** Allow a user to choose a language and then translate a piece of text into that language.

1. **Add a Select Control:**
   * Title: "Target Language"
   * Variable Name: `target_language`
   * Options:

     ```
     Spanish
     French
     German
     ```
2. **Add a Long Text Input:**
   * Title: "Text to Translate"
   * Variable Name: `source_text`
3. **Add an OpenAI MCP Node:**
   * **Action:** `Chat`
   * **Prompt:** \`Translate the following text into {{target\_language}}:

     {{source\_text}}\`

Now, when a user runs the workflow, they can pick a language from the dropdown, and that choice will be used to generate the correct translation prompt.