Why doesn't setting the selectedValue in the Selectlist make that value highlighted in the browser?

Question

When I do this:

new SelectList(items, dataValueField, dataTextField, items.First());

I get a SelectList with that item selected (it is inserted as SelectedValue), but not highlighted.

What should I do to get a dropdown with a list where I decide in advance what item is selected when the page loads?

Answer 1

Let's say that dataFieldValue = "Id", try this:

new SelectList(items, dataValueField, dataTextField, items.First().Id);

It's looking for the value, not the item.