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JS & DOM Reference

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Select selectedIndex Property

Select Object

Definition and Usage

The selectedIndex property sets or returns the index of the selected option in a dropdown list.

The index starts at 0.

Note: If the dropdown list allows multiple selections it will only return the index of the first option selected.

Syntax

Set the selectedIndex property:

selectObject.selectedIndex=integer

Return the selectedIndex property:

selectObject.selectedIndex

Browser Support

The selectedIndex property is supported in all major browsers.

Example

Display the index and text of the selected option in the dropdown list:

<html>
<head>
<script>
function displayResult()
{
var x=document.getElementById("mySelect").selectedIndex;
var y=document.getElementById("mySelect").options;
alert("Index: " + y[x].index + " is " + y[x].text);
}
</script>
</head>
<body>

<form>
Select your favorite fruit:
<select id="mySelect">
<option>Apple</option>
<option>Orange</option>
<option>Pineapple</option>
<option>Banana</option>
</select>
</form>

<button type="button" onclick="displayResult()">Display index</button>

</body>
</html>

Try it yourself »

Select Object