# 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.

- Canonical URL: https://adalocado.com/answers/how-do-you-save-a-status-dropdown-value-in-an-adalo-form
- Verification: Documented from current sources
- Topic: Database and Relationships
- Skill level: Beginner
- Last reviewed: 2026-08-14
- Index status: index-now

## 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.

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.

## Intended outcome

A new or edited request stores one reusable Status record and displays a populated status dropdown in the form.

## 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

1. **Create the Statuses collection**

   Add a Statuses collection with a Name text property, then create the option records Waiting, Completed, and Problem.

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.

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.

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.

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.

6. **Preview the saved relationship**

   Submit the form, inspect the request record, and confirm its Status points to the selected Statuses record.

## Why it works

- 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 | 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 |

## Common failures

### The dropdown is empty

Open the Statuses collection and create the option records first. A relationship dropdown has nothing to display when the related collection has zero records.

### Status is not available as a form field

Confirm Scanner Requests has a relationship property pointing to Statuses and that the form itself is connected to Scanner Requests.

### The selection does not save

Make sure the form's submit action creates a Scanner Request or updates the current Scanner Request, and that Status is included as a visible form field.

### The edit form creates duplicates

Pass the existing Scanner Request into the screen and use Update Current Scanner Request instead of a Create action.

### There are duplicate status choices

Keep one record per allowed status in Statuses and remove case or spelling variants such as completed and Completed.

## Testing checklist

- [ ] Create a request with Waiting and confirm the saved Scanner Request points to the Waiting record.
- [ ] Edit that request to Completed and confirm the same request changes status without creating a duplicate request.
- [ ] Create a second request with Waiting and confirm both requests can share the same Status record.
- [ ] Remove all Statuses records in a test copy and confirm the empty dropdown exposes the expected setup dependency.
- [ ] Statuses contains one record for each allowed option
- [ ] Scanner Requests has one Status while a Status can have many Scanner Requests
- [ ] The Status relationship is a visible field on the Scanner Requests form
- [ ] New forms create and edit forms update the intended request
- [ ] A current editor screenshot is still missing and should be added when available

## 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.

## Community evidence

### [Status dropdown in form? I'm getting desperate here](https://forum.adalo.com/t/status-dropdown-in-form-im-getting-desperate-here/67273/2)

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.

## Sources

- [Adalo forum accepted solution](https://forum.adalo.com/t/status-dropdown-in-form-im-getting-desperate-here/67273/2)
- [Adalo Help: How to have a Dropdown Menu in a Form](https://help.adalo.com/how-to/how-to-have-a-dropdown-menu-in-a-form)

Markdown version: https://adalocado.com/answers/how-do-you-save-a-status-dropdown-value-in-an-adalo-form.md