# Help on "Drop down list with values from input file"

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/help-on-drop-down-list-with-values-from-input-file/9377
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [April 6, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/help-on-drop-down-list-with-values-from-input-file/9377 "2022-04-06T16:27:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![MiguelAngelAGUIRRE](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/miguelangelaguirre/32/2986_2.png) [@MiguelAngelAGUIRRE](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/MiguelAngelAGUIRRE)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/help-on-drop-down-list-with-values-from-input-file/9377/1 "2022-04-06T16:27:05Z")

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Hello,

I’m trying to implement the XML code to get some specific arrays from the input as explained here:

[https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView/Plugin\_HowTo](https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView/Plugin_HowTo) (i repeated the XML code below for simplicity)

I managed to generate the related GUI but **I don’t know how to get the related data inside the Python code** (i’m using a Python programmable filter). Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance !

Miguel

 ![DropdownListFromFile](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/2X/0/06137469cbc17f63e4ed9f251cb2e0fa87c98363.jpeg)

```
  <StringVectorProperty command="SetCellArrayStatus" 
                        element_types="2 0" 
                        information_property="CellArrayInfo" 
                        label="Cell Arrays" 
                        name="CellArrayStatus" 
                        number_of_elements="0" 
                        number_of_elements_per_command="2" 
                        repeat_command="1"> 
    <ArrayListDomain name="array_list"
                     attribute_type="Scalars"
                     input_domain_name="inputs_array">
      <RequiredProperties>
        <Property name="Input"
                  function="Input" />
      </RequiredProperties>
    </ArrayListDomain>
  </StringVectorProperty>
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![MiguelAngelAGUIRRE](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/miguelangelaguirre/32/2986_2.png) [@MiguelAngelAGUIRRE](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/MiguelAngelAGUIRRE)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2022, 10:02am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/help-on-drop-down-list-with-values-from-input-file/9377/2 "2022-04-28T10:02:21Z")

</div>

Hello,

After looking some examples I have seen that **initial\_string=“_MyInitialString_”** is used to define the variable name for **StringVectorProperty** that it is recognized by the Python code, but somehow this does not applies to this particular case. Any hint?

Thanks !

Miguel