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Getting started with Angular AutoComplete component

10 Feb 202612 minutes to read

This guide demonstrates how to set up and configure the Syncfusion Angular AutoComplete component, from initial installation through enabling core features like data binding and popup customization. The AutoComplete component provides suggestions as users type, offering filtering and selection capabilities for efficient text input in various scenarios.

Note: This guide supports Angular 21 and other recent Angular versions. For detailed compatibility with other Angular versions, please refer to the Angular version support matrix. Starting from Angular 19, standalone components are the default, and this guide reflects that architecture.

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Prerequisites

Ensure your development environment meets the System Requirements for Syncfusion Angular UI Components.

Dependencies

The following dependencies are required to use the AutoComplete component in your application.

|-- @syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-base
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-data
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-lists
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-inputs
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-navigations
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-notifications
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-popups
        |-- @syncfusion/ej2-buttons
    |-- @syncfusion/ej2-angular-base

SetUp the Angular application

A straightforward approach to beginning with Angular is to create a new application using the Angular CLI. Install Angular CLI globally with the following command:

npm install -g @angular/cli

Angular 21 Standalone Architecture: Standalone components are the default in Angular 21. This guide uses the modern standalone architecture. If you need more information about the standalone architecture, refer to the Standalone Guide.

Installing a specific version

To install a particular version of Angular CLI, use:

npm install -g @angular/[email protected]

Create a new application

With Angular CLI installed, execute this command to generate a new application:

ng new syncfusion-angular-app
  • This command will prompt you to configure settings like enabling Angular routing and choosing a stylesheet format.
? Which stylesheet format would you like to use? (Use arrow keys)
> CSS             [ https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/CSS                     ]
  Sass (SCSS)     [ https://sass-lang.com/documentation/syntax#scss                ]
  Sass (Indented) [ https://sass-lang.com/documentation/syntax#the-indented-syntax ]
  Less            [ http://lesscss.org                                             ]
  • By default, a CSS-based application is created. Use SCSS if required:
ng new syncfusion-angular-app --style=scss
  • During project setup, when prompted for the Server-side rendering (SSR) option, choose the appropriate configuration.

Initial_setup

  • Select the required AI tool or ‘none’ if you do not need any AI tool.

Initial_setup

  • Navigate to your newly created application directory:
cd syncfusion-angular-app

Note: In Angular 19 and below, it uses app.component.ts, app.component.html, app.component.css etc. In Angular 20+, the CLI generates a simpler structure with src/app/app.ts, app.html, and app.css (no .component. suffixes).

Adding Syncfusion® Angular packages

Syncfusion®’s Angular component packages are available on npmjs.com. To use Syncfusion® Angular components, install the necessary package.

This guide uses the Angular AutoComplete component for demonstration. Add the Angular AutoComplete component component with:

ng add @syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns

This command will perform the following configurations:

  • Add the @syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns package and peer dependencies to your package.json.
  • Import the AutoComplete component component in your application.
  • Register the default Syncfusion® Material theme in angular.json.

For more details on version compatibility, refer to the Version Compatibility section.

Syncfusion® offers two package structures for Angular components:

  1. Ivy library distribution package format
  2. Angular compatibility compiler (ngcc), which is Angular’s legacy compilation pipeline.
    Syncfusion®’s latest Angular packages are provided as Ivy-compatible and suited for Angular 12 and above. To install the package, execute: 
    ng add @syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns

    For applications not compiled with Ivy, use the ngcc tagged packages:

    The ngcc packages are still compatible with Angular CLI versions 15 and below. However, they may generate warnings suggesting the use of IVY compiled packages. Starting from Angular 16, support for the ngcc package has been completely removed. If you have further questions regarding ngcc compatibility, please refer to the following FAQ.

    npm add @syncfusion/[email protected]

Import Syncfusion® CSS styles

Syncfusion® Angular component themes can be added in various ways: via CSS or SCSS styles from npm packages, CDN, CRG, or Theme Studio.

The Material theme is added to your styles.css when you run ng add (this happens automatically by default).

To stylize only specific Syncfusion® components, import the necessary styles. For example, to style only the AutoComplete component:

@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-base/styles/material.css';  
@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-buttons/styles/material.css';  
@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-inputs/styles/material.css';  
@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns/styles/material.css';  
@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-lists/styles/material.css';  
@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-popups/styles/material.css';
@import '../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns/styles/material.css';

Ensure that the import order aligns with the component’s dependency sequence.

For using SCSS styles, refer to this guide.

Add AutoComplete component

Modify the template in [src/app/app.ts] file to render the AutoComplete component.
Add the Angular AutoComplete by using <ejs-autocomplete> selector in template section of the app.ts file.

import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { AutoCompleteModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns'

@Component({
    imports: [
      AutoCompleteModule
    ],
    standalone: true,
    selector: 'app-root',
    // specifies the template string for the AutoComplete component
    template: `<ejs-autocomplete></ejs-autocomplete>`
})
export class AppComponent implements OnInit {

    ngOnInit(): void {
    }
}

Binding data source

Bind data to the AutoComplete component using the dataSource property. The property accepts either an array of JavaScript objects or a DataManager instance.

import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { AutoCompleteModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns'

@Component({
    imports: [
      AutoCompleteModule
    ],
    standalone: true,
    selector: 'app-root',
    // specifies the template string for the AutoComplete component
    template: `<ejs-autocomplete id='atcelement' [dataSource]='sportsData'></ejs-autocomplete>`
})
export class App implements OnInit {
  public sportsData: string[] = [];
  ngOnInit(): void {
    this.sportsData = ['Badminton', 'Basketball', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Gymnastics', 'Hockey', 'Rugby', 'Snooker', 'Tennis'];
  }
}

Running the application

Use the following command to run the application in the browser.

ng serve

The following example illustrates the output in your browser.

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core'
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser'
import { FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule } from '@angular/forms'
import { AutoCompleteModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns'
import { ButtonModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-buttons'



import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
imports: [
        FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule, AutoCompleteModule, ButtonModule
    ],


standalone: true,
    selector: 'app-root',
    // specifies the template string for the AutoComplete component with dataSource
    template: `<ejs-autocomplete id='atcelement' [dataSource]='sportsData'></ejs-autocomplete>`
})
export class AppComponent {
    constructor() {
    }
    // defined the array of data
    public sportsData: string[] = ['Badminton', 'Basketball', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Gymnastics'];
}
import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { AppComponent } from './app.component';
import 'zone.js';
bootstrapApplication(AppComponent).catch((err) => console.error(err));

Configure the popup list

By default, the width of the popup list automatically adjusts to match the AutoComplete input element’s width, and the height defaults to 300px.

The height and width of the popup list can be customized using the popupHeight and popupWidth properties.

In the following sample, the popup list’s width and height are configured.

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core'
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser'
import { FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule } from '@angular/forms'
import { AutoCompleteModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns'
import { ButtonModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-buttons'



import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
imports: [
        FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule, AutoCompleteModule, ButtonModule
    ],


standalone: true,
    selector: 'app-root',
    // specifies the template string for the AutoComplete component with dataSource
    template: `<ejs-autocomplete id='atcelement' [dataSource]='sportsData' [popupHeight]='height' [popupWidth]='width' [placeholder]='text'></ejs-autocomplete>`
})
export class AppComponent {
    constructor() {
    }
    // defined the array of data
    public sportsData: string[] = ['Badminton', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Hockey', 'Rugby', 'Snooker', 'Tennis'];
    // set width of the popup list
    public width: string = '250px';
    // set height of the popup list
    public height: string = '200px';
    // set placeholder to autocomplete element
    public text: string = "Find a game"
}
import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { AppComponent } from './app.component';
import 'zone.js';
bootstrapApplication(AppComponent).catch((err) => console.error(err));

Two-way binding

In AutoComplete, the value property supports two-way binding functionality. The following example demonstrates how to use two-way binding in the AutoComplete component.

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core'
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser'
import { FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule } from '@angular/forms'
import { AutoCompleteModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns'
import { ButtonModule } from '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-buttons'



import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
imports: [
        FormsModule, ReactiveFormsModule, AutoCompleteModule, ButtonModule
    ],


standalone: true,
    selector: 'app-root',
    // specifies the template string for the AutoComplete component and
    // input element for checking the two-way binding support using value property
    template: `<ejs-autocomplete id='atcelement' [dataSource]='sportsData' [(value)]='value'></ejs-autocomplete>
    <div style='margin-top: 50px'>
        <input type="text" [(ngModel)]="value" style="width:245px;height:25px" />
     </div>`
})
export class AppComponent {
    constructor() {
    }
    // defined the array of complex data
    public sportsData: string[] = ['Badminton', 'Basketball', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Gymnastics'];
    // set a value to pre-select
    public value: string = 'Badminton';
}
import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { AppComponent } from './app.component';
import 'zone.js';
bootstrapApplication(AppComponent).catch((err) => console.error(err));

See Also