How do you save a status dropdown value in an Adalo form?
Save a reusable status by relating each main record to one seeded Status record, exposing that relationship in the form, and testing both Create and Update flows.
Short answer
Create a Statuses collection with records such as Waiting, Completed, and Problem. Add a many-to-one Status relationship on the main collection so each request has one Status and each Status can belong to many requests. Expose that relationship as a visible form field; Adalo renders the available Status records as the dropdown and saves the selected record on Create or Update.
The intended outcome
A new or edited request stores one reusable Status record and displays a populated status dropdown in the form.
Use a relationship-backed field when several records must reuse the same controlled set of statuses. Store each allowed option once in Statuses, then place the Status relationship on the main collection. Adding that relationship as a visible form field turns the related records into choices and lets the form save the selected Status on the request. This avoids inconsistent free-text values and supports filtering requests by status later.
Requirements
- A main collection such as Scanner Requests
- A Statuses collection with a Name text property
- A Create form for new records or an Edit form with the current record available
Step by step
Step 1: Create the Statuses collection
Add a Statuses collection with a Name text property, then create the option records Waiting, Completed, and Problem.
Step 2: Add the relationship
On Scanner Requests, add a Status relationship where one Scanner Request has one Status and one Status can have many Scanner Requests.
Step 3: Connect the form
Set the form's collection to Scanner Requests and choose whether the form creates a new request or edits the current request.
Step 4: Expose Status as a field
Under the form's visible fields, add the Status relationship. Adalo uses the related Statuses records as the dropdown choices.
Step 5: Save with the right action
Use Create Scanner Request for a new request, or Update Current Scanner Request when changing an existing request's status.
Step 6: Preview the saved relationship
Submit the form, inspect the request record, and confirm its Status points to the selected Statuses record.
The underlying logic
A status is reusable reference data, so each option should be one Statuses record rather than free text copied into every request.
Scanner Requests are the child records: each request belongs to one Status, while the same Status can classify many requests.
When the relationship is included as a visible form field, the dropdown selects a Status record and the form's Create or Update action persists that relationship.
Data model
| Collection | Important properties | Relationships |
|---|---|---|
| Scanner Requests | Request details; optional timestamps and assignment fields | Status: each Scanner Request belongs to one Status |
| Statuses | Name (Text), seeded with Waiting, Completed, and Problem | Each Status can relate to many Scanner Requests |
What still needs checking?
- This answer is forum-native and uses the current documented child-to-parent relationship model for dropdown fields.
Common failure modes
Testing checklist
0 of 9 checked on this device
Current limitations
- This pattern assumes each main record has exactly one current status; status history requires a separate Status Changes collection rather than overwriting one relationship.
- Adalocado has checked the accepted answer and current public documentation but has not reproduced the workflow or captured a current builder screenshot yet.
What the Adalo community is reporting
These are concise editorial summaries of public forum posts, not endorsements or independently reproduced results.
Status dropdown in form? I'm getting desperate here
The accepted answer models Statuses as reusable records, relates each Scanner Request to one Status, seeds the option records, and saves the selected relationship through the form's Create or Update action.
Boundary: The forum answer is specific to the author's Scanner Requests example and does not include current editor screenshots.
eternity555 (question) and Flawless (accepted answer) · June 2026
Sources and status
This page was last reviewed on Aug 14, 2026. Its current status is Documented from current sources.
Verification owner: Pending Adalocado screenshot and editorial review. Next review: Oct 14, 2026.
Changelog
Automatically posted from a solved Adalo forum topic; corrections are monitored on the live site.
Automatically organized and maintained by the Adalocado editorial team under the editorial and verification policy.
Report this answer.
Automated Answers still pass evidence and publication checks, but they can be wrong, outdated, unclear, or missing an important boundary. Send the exact correction and the editor will check the live page.
Did this solve your problem?
One-click check
We’ll handle the tech. You can exhale.
Bugs fixed. Updates shipped. Publishing handled.
$97/mo for your first 3 months.
Cancel anytime. That’s about 90% off the usual cost. 🤯
- Bug fixes and troubleshooting
- App updates and integrations
- Publishing and store releases
Bring us the messy version.
Describe what you expected, what happened instead, and what you already tried.
