# Setting focus on a select option
**URL:** https://discourse.elm-lang.org/t/setting-focus-on-a-select-option/2728
**Category:** Learn
**Created:** [December 8, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/t/setting-focus-on-a-select-option/2728 "2018-12-08T21:29:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Libbum](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/u/Libbum)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/t/setting-focus-on-a-select-option/2728/1 "2018-12-08T21:29:53Z")
I’m having trouble selecting a given option in a drop down selection.
An ellie app outlining my problem is running here:
[https://ellie-app.com/46PqBT8q73ja1](https://ellie-app.com/46PqBT8q73ja1)
Specifically, I have one select that I fill with strings from different lists:
```elm
select []
<| List.map (\item -> option [Attributes.selected (initial == item)] [text item] ) model.data
```
I would assume that the `selected` attribute sets which item is selected, but that doesn’t seem to ring true all the time. `initial` here is the head of the `model.data` list, so my expectation is that this code would focus on the first item in the list.
If you run the ellie though, and select _large_ from the dropdown (i.e. the last item in the list), then click the _Weather_ button to update the select’s contents, you’ll see _rain_ is the selected option.
How can I set the focus to the first option in the list (in this case _sun_)?
---
### Author:  [@malaire](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/u/malaire)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/t/setting-focus-on-a-select-option/2728/2 "2018-12-08T22:04:08Z")
One problem with your code is that you always set first item as selected, even when user selects something else.
This ellie seems to work: [https://ellie-app.com/46Q2ykw6mf9a1](https://ellie-app.com/46Q2ykw6mf9a1)
Changes I made:
1. keep track of currently selected value in `Model.selected`
2. update selected value when user selects something else
3. reset selected value when `Model.data` changes
---
### Author:  [@Libbum](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/u/Libbum)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/t/setting-focus-on-a-select-option/2728/3 "2018-12-08T22:13:05Z")
Ah, yes—that makes sense. I was only thinking about the initial state rather than when the user updates the model themselves.
This should totally work for my purposes, thanks!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/t/setting-focus-on-a-select-option/2728/4 "2018-12-18T22:13:10Z")
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