Getting started in EJ2 TypeScript AutoComplete control

31 Jul 202611 minutes to read

This section explains the steps to create a simple AutoComplete and demonstrates the basic usage of the AutoComplete component using Essential® JS 2 quickstart seed repository. This seed repository is pre-configured with the Essential® JS 2 package.

This application is integrated with the webpack.config.js configuration and uses the latest version of the webpack-cli. It requires node v14.15.0 or higher. For more information about webpack and its features, refer to the webpack documentation.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following tools are installed on your machine:

Set up the development environment

Clone the Syncfusion® TypeScript (Essential® JS 2) quickstart project from GitHub in the command prompt:

git clone https://github.com/SyncfusionExamples/ej2-quickstart-webpack ej2-quickstart

Navigate to the project folder in the command prompt:

cd ej2-quickstart

Install Syncfusion® AutoComplete package

Syncfusion® TypeScript (Essential® JS 2) packages are available on the npmjs.com public registry. You can install all Syncfusion® TypeScript (Essential® JS 2) controls in a single @syncfusion/ej2 package or individual packages for each control.

Use the following command to install the @syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns package:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns --save

Then, install the remaining dependent npm packages using the following command:

npm install

For more information about individual package and alternative installation methods, see the installation guide.

Import Syncfusion® AutoComplete CSS styles

Syncfusion® JavaScript controls provide built-in themes, which are available from the npm theme packages. Additionally, themes can be loaded via CDN or customized using the Theme Studio. For more information, refer to the themes documentation.

The quickstart application is preconfigured to use the Fluent2 theme. To install the Fluent2 theme package, use the following command:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-fluent2-theme --save

The required styles are imported in the ~/src/styles/styles.css file, as shown below:

@import "../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-fluent2-theme/styles/auto-complete/index.css";

Learn more about built-in themes and individual control CSS references.

Add Syncfusion® AutoComplete control to the application

The AutoComplete can be initialized using an input element.

Add the HTML input element which needs to be initialized as AutoComplete in index.html.

Open the application in Visual Studio Code and add the Syncfusion® TypeScript UI controls.

In this article, the AutoComplete control is used as an example. Add the following AutoComplete element to the ~/src/index.html file.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>AutoComplete component</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />
    <meta name="description" content="Essential JS 2" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.7/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    ....
    ....
</head>

<body>
    <div id='container' style="margin:0 auto; width:300px;">
        <!--element which is going to render the AutoComplete-->
        <input type="text" tabindex="1" id='atcelement' />
    </div>

</body>

</html>

Now, to render the AutoComplete control, add the following TypeScript code to the ~/src/app/app.ts file.

import { AutoComplete } from '@syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns';

// define the array of data
let sportsData: string[] = ['Badminton', 'Basketball', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Gymnastics', 'Hockey', 'Rugby', 'Snooker', 'Tennis'];

// initialize AutoComplete component
let atcObject: AutoComplete = new AutoComplete({
    //set the data to dataSource property
    dataSource: sportsData
});

// render initialized AutoComplete
atcObject.appendTo('#atcelement');

Run the application

Now, run the application in the browser using the following command.

npm run start

The following example illustrates the output in your browser.

import { AutoComplete } from '@syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns';

// defined the array of data
let sportsData: string[] = ['Badminton', 'Basketball', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Gymnastics', 'Hockey', 'Tennis'];

// initialize AutoComplete component
let atcObject: AutoComplete = new AutoComplete({
    //set the data to dataSource property
    dataSource: sportsData,
    // set placeholder to AutoComplete input element
    placeholder: "Find a game"
});

// render initialized AutoComplete
atcObject.appendTo('#atcelement');
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>Essential JS 2 AutoComplete</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link href="styles.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-base/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-inputs/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-dropdowns/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/systemjs/0.19.38/system.js"></script>
    <script src="systemjs.config.js"></script>
</head>

<body>
    <div id='loader'>LOADING....</div>
    <div id='container' style="margin:0 auto; width:250px;">
        <input type="text" tabindex="1" id='atcelement' />
    </div>
</body>

</html>

Custom values

The AutoComplete allows the user to give input as custom value which is not required to present in predefined set of values. By default, this support is enabled by allowCustom property. The custom value will be sent to post back handler when a form
is about to be submitted.

import { AutoComplete } from '@syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns';

// defined the array of data
let sportsData: { [key: string]: Object }[] = [
    { Id: 'Game1', Game: 'Badminton' },
    { Id: 'Game2', Game: 'Basketball' },
    { Id: 'Game3', Game: 'Cricket' },
    { Id: 'Game4', Game: 'Football' },
    { Id: 'Game5', Game: 'Golf' },
    { Id: 'Game6', Game: 'Hockey' },
    { Id: 'Game7', Game: 'Rugby' },
    { Id: 'Game8', Game: 'Snooker' }
];

// initialize AutoComplete component
let atcObject: AutoComplete = new AutoComplete({
    //set the data to dataSource property
    dataSource: sportsData,
    // By default, its enabled. For your better understanding, showcase this property.
    allowCustom: true,
    // maps the appropriate column to fields property
    fields: { value: 'Game' },
    // set placeholder to AutoComplete input element
    placeholder: "Find a game"
});

// render initialized AutoComplete
atcObject.appendTo('#atcelement');
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>Essential JS 2 AutoComplete</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link href="styles.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-base/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-inputs/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-dropdowns/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/systemjs/0.19.38/system.js"></script>
    <script src="systemjs.config.js"></script>
</head>

<body>
    <div id='loader'>LOADING....</div>
    <div id='container' style="margin:0 auto; width:250px;">
        <input type="text" tabindex="1" id='atcelement' />
    </div>
</body>

</html>

Configure the suggestion list

By default, suggestion list width automatically adjusts according to the AutoComplete input element’s width, and the height of the suggestion list has ‘300px’.

The height and width of the popup list can also be customized using the popupHeight and popupWidth property respectively.

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

import { AutoComplete } from '@syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns';

// define the array of data
let sportsData: string[] = ['Badminton', 'Basketball', 'Cricket', 'Football', 'Golf', 'Gymnastics', 'Hockey', 'Rugby', 'Snooker', 'Tennis'];

// initialize AutoComplete component
let atcObject: AutoComplete = new AutoComplete({
    //set the data to dataSource property
    dataSource: sportsData,
    //set width to suggestion list
    popupWidth: '250px',
    // set placeholder to AutoComplete input element
    placeholder: "Find a game",
    // set the popup list height
    popupHeight: "250px"
});

// render initialized AutoComplete
atcObject.appendTo('#atcelement');
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>Essential JS 2 AutoComplete</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript UI Controls" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link href="styles.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-base/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-inputs/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-dropdowns/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/systemjs/0.19.38/system.js"></script>
    <script src="systemjs.config.js"></script>
</head>

<body>
    <div id='loader'>LOADING....</div>
    <div id='container' style="margin:0 auto; width:250px;">
        <input type="text" tabindex="1" id='atcelement' />
    </div>
</body>

</html>

See Also