The HTMLSelectElement.value property contains the value of the first selected <option> element associated with this <select> element.

This property can also be set directly, for example to set a default value based on some condition.

Value

A string containing the value of the first selected <option> element in this <select> element, or the empty string if no options are selected.

Examples

Retrieving the selected value

<label for="bird-select">Choose a bird:</label>

<select name="birds" id="bird-select">
  <option value="">--Please choose an option--</option>
  <option value="Scarlet ibis">Scarlet ibis</option>
  <option value="Marabou stork">Marabou stork</option>
  <option value="Roseate spoonbill">Roseate spoonbill</option>
</select>

<pre id="log"></pre>

const logElement = document.querySelector("#log");
function log(text) {
  logElement.innerText = text;
}

const select = document.querySelector("#bird-select");
select.addEventListener("change", () => {
  log(`Selection: ${select.value}`);
});

#log {
  height: 20px;
  padding: 0.5rem;
  border: 1px solid black;
}

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• The <select> HTML element, implementing this interface.