<input id="dropdownlist" /> <script> $("#dropdownlist").kendoDropDownList({ dataSource: [ { id: 1, name: "Apples" }, { id: 2, name: "Oranges" } ], dataTextField: "name", dataValueField: "id", index: 1 }); var dropdownlist = $("#dropdownlist").data("kendoDropDownList"); dropdownlist.refresh(); </script>