Combobox"

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(40 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown)
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= Employment/Purpose =
 
= Employment/Purpose =
  
Components: <tt>combobox</tt> and <tt>comboitem</tt>.
+
Components: <code>combobox</code> and <code>comboitem</code>.
  
A <tt>combobox</tt> is a special text box that embeds a drop-down list. With <tt>comboboxes</tt>, users are allowed to select from a drop-down list, in addition to entering the text manually.  
+
A <code>combobox</code> is a special text box that embeds a drop-down list. With <code>comboboxes</code>, users are allowed to select from a drop-down list, in addition to entering the text manually.
  
= Example =
+
The authoritative field of the combobox is the text value accessed by the value field. While the Combobox provides a selectedItem field and onSelect event, the selected item may be null if the user typed in any text that is not part of the list of prefilled values.
  
[[Image:ZKComRef_Combobox_Example.PNG]]  
+
For the use case of searching and selecting items in a list of options, without allowing custom text, refer to the [[ZK_Component_Reference/Input/Searchbox|Searchbox]] component instead.
 +
 
 +
= Examples =
 +
 
 +
== Selection Only ==
 +
Recommend to use [[ZK_Component_Reference/Input/Searchbox|Searchbox]], [[ZK_Component_Reference/Data/Listbox#Select_Mold | Listbox select mold]] or [[ZK%20Component%20Reference/Essential%20Components/Selectbox| Selectbox]].
 +
 
 +
 
 +
<source lang="xml" >
 +
<style>
 +
.z-combobox-readonly>input{
 +
    background-color: initial;
 +
}
 +
</style>
 +
 
 +
<combobox model="${model}" readonly="true"/>
 +
</source>
 +
* a read-only combobox can avoid users from entering non-existed items
 +
 
 +
== AutoComplete by Default==
 +
When you type a character, this component will auto-complete your typing with first-matched, existing items.
  
 +
Assume you create a combobox like:
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
  <combobox>
 
  <combobox>
Line 25: Line 46:
 
  </combobox>
 
  </combobox>
 
</source>
 
</source>
 +
 +
When you type 'C', it will auto-complete with "Cool".
 +
[[Image:ZKComRef_Combobox_Example.PNG]]
 +
 +
Be aware that a user still can enter a non-existing item.
 +
 +
== Default Selection ==
 
[[Image:combobox_onAfterRender.png]]
 
[[Image:combobox_onAfterRender.png]]
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
<source lang="xml" >
<zk>
 
 
<zscript><![CDATA[
 
<zscript><![CDATA[
ListModelList lm = new ListModelList(Arrays.asList(new String[] { "David",
+
ListModelList model = new ListModelList(Arrays.asList(new String[] { "David",
 
"Thomas", "Steven" }));
 
"Thomas", "Steven" }));
 +
model.addToSelection(model.get(2));
 
]]></zscript>
 
]]></zscript>
 
 
<combobox model="${lm}" onAfterRender="self.setSelectedIndex(2)"/>
+
<combobox model="${model}"/>
</zk>
 
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
=Mouseless Entry Combobox=
+
* Line 4: When you assign a model object to a component, set the selection through the model object e.g. <code>model.addToSelection()</code>
 +
 
 +
=Keyboard Navigation Combobox=
  
* <tt>Alt+DOWN</tt> to pop up the list.
+
* <code>Alt+DOWN</code> to pop up the list.
* <tt>Alt+UP</tt> or <tt>ESC</tt> to close the list.
+
* <code>Alt+UP</code> or <code>ESC</code> to close the list.
* <tt>UP</tt> and <tt>DOWN</tt> to change the selection of the items from the list.
+
* <code>UP</code> and <code>DOWN</code> to change the selection of the items from the list.
 +
* <code>ENTER</code> to confirm the change of selection.
 +
* <code>ESC</code> to abort the change of selection. It is meaningful if <code>instantSelect</code> is false.
  
 
=Live Data=
 
=Live Data=
Line 47: Line 78:
 
By specifying the selection, you can invoke the addSelection() to select a default value,
 
By specifying the selection, you can invoke the addSelection() to select a default value,
 
For example,
 
For example,
<source lang="java" high="8">
+
<source lang="xml" highlight="8">
 
<combobox id="combobox" width="100px">
 
<combobox id="combobox" width="100px">
 
<attribute name="onCreate"><![CDATA[
 
<attribute name="onCreate"><![CDATA[
Line 55: Line 86:
 
list2.add("Steven");
 
list2.add("Steven");
 
ListModelList lm2 = new ListModelList(list2);
 
ListModelList lm2 = new ListModelList(list2);
lm2.addSelection(lm2.get(0));
+
lm2.addToSelection(lm2.get(0));
 
combobox.setModel(lm2);
 
combobox.setModel(lm2);
 
]]></attribute>
 
]]></attribute>
 
</combobox>
 
</combobox>
 
</source>
 
</source>
[Since 5.0.4]
+
{{versionSince| 5.0.4}}
  
 
=Properties=
 
=Properties=
 +
== Value and selectedItem ==
 +
The <code>value</code> stores the selected `comboitem`'s <code>label</code> value and <code>selectedItem</code> stores the selected `comboitem`'s <code>value</code> value:
 +
 +
If you select the 1st item:
 +
<source lang='xml'>
 +
        <combobox value="@bind(vm.inputValue)" selectedItem="@bind(vm.selectedValue)" >
 +
            <comboitem label="label 1" value="value1" />
 +
            <comboitem label="label 2" value="value2" />
 +
        </combobox>
 +
</source>
 +
* <code>vm.inputValue</code> is <code>label 1</code>.
 +
* <code>vm.selectedValue</code> is <code>value1</code>.
  
 
== Autocomplete ==
 
== Autocomplete ==
 +
 +
By default, it will autocomplete your input with the first item in the list that has the same starting string in a case-insensitive way.
  
 
=== Autocomplete in a Brute-force Way ===
 
=== Autocomplete in a Brute-force Way ===
  
The straightforward way to implement the autocomplete feature is to listen the onChanging event. For example,
+
The straightforward way to implement the autocomplete feature is to listen to the onChanging event. For example,
  
<source lang="xml">
+
<source lang="xml" highlight='4'>
 
<combobox>
 
<combobox>
 
   <attribute name="onChanging"><![CDATA[
 
   <attribute name="onChanging"><![CDATA[
Line 79: Line 124:
 
</combobox>
 
</combobox>
 
</source>
 
</source>
 +
Line 4: We assume <code>getMatched()</code> is an application-specific method that returns a collection of matched values.
 +
 +
=== Autocomplete by ListSubModel ===
  
where we assume getMatched() is an application-specific method that returns a collection of matched values.
+
To separate the data from the view (Combobox) better, we can implement <javadoc type="interface">org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc> and set it to Combobox. There are 2 ways:
  
=== Autocomplete by ListSubModel ===
+
==== Use <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.SimpleListModel</javadoc>====
 +
Unlike <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModelList</javadoc> and others, <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.SimpleListModel</javadoc> implements <javadoc type="interface">org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc> by default. You can use <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.SimpleListModel</javadoc> directly but it handles only an array of data.
 +
==== Convert <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModel</javadoc> with <javadoc method="toListSubModel(org.zkoss.zul.ListModel)">org.zkoss.zul.ListModels</javadoc> ====
 +
The methods convert ListModel to ListSubModel which proxies the original ListModel.
  
To separate the data from the view (combobox) better, we could implement a list model with <javadoc type="interface">org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc>. ZK provides a set of utilities in <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModels</javadoc> to convert an instance of <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModel</javadoc> to another instance that proxies the original list model and implements <javadoc type="interface">org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc>. For example,
+
For example,
  
 
<source lang="xml">
 
<source lang="xml">
<combobox id="combo" apply="MyAutoComplete">
+
<combobox apply="org.zkoss.reference.component.input.MyAutoCompleteComposer"/>
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
then in <tt>MyAutoComplete.java</tt>, you could have
+
<source lang="java" highlight='9'>
 +
public class MyAutoCompleteComposer extends SelectorComposer<Component> {
 +
    @Wire("combobox")
 +
    private Combobox combobox;
 +
    private List<Locale> items = Arrays.asList(Locale.getAvailableLocales());
  
<source lang="java">
+
     @Override
public class MyAutoComplete extends GenericForwardComposer {
+
     public void doAfterCompose(Component comp) throws Exception {
     Combobox combo;
+
         super.doAfterCompose(comp);
     public void afterCompose() {
+
         combobox.setModel(ListModels.toListSubModel(new ListModelList(getAllItems())));
         super.afterCompose();
 
         combo.setModel(ListModels.toListSubModel(new ListModelList(getAllItems())));
 
 
     }
 
     }
 +
 
     List getAllItems() {
 
     List getAllItems() {
         //return all items
+
         return items;
 
     }
 
     }
 
}
 
}
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
By default, it shows the first 15 items that matches the value entered by the user. If you want to have a different value or a different comparator to find out matched items, you could invoke <javadoc method="toListSubModel(org.zkoss.zul.ListModel, java.util.Comparator, int)">org.zkoss.zul.ListModels</javadoc> instead.
+
==== Default Matching Rule ====
 +
By default, it shows the first 15 items whose prefix starts with the user input. If you want to have a different value or a different comparator to find out matched items, you can invoke <javadoc method="toListSubModel(org.zkoss.zul.ListModel, java.util.Comparator, int)">org.zkoss.zul.ListModels</javadoc> instead.
  
 
<blockquote>
 
<blockquote>
 
----
 
----
 
'''Note''': Passing an instance of <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModelList</javadoc> directly to a combobox will show up all items in the list model, since it doesn't implement <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc>.
 
'''Note''': Passing an instance of <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModelList</javadoc> directly to a combobox will show up all items in the list model, since it doesn't implement <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc>.
 
'''Note''': Unlike <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.ListModelList</javadoc> and others, <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.SimpleListModel</javadoc> implements <javadoc type="interface">org.zkoss.zul.ListSubModel</javadoc> by default. You can use <javadoc>org.zkoss.zul.SimpleListModel</javadoc> directly but it handles only an array of data.
 
 
</blockquote>
 
</blockquote>
  
 
== Readonly ==
 
== Readonly ==
 
+
Default:false
Once set, the user is not allowed to enter type, but he still can select the items in the combobox.
+
Once set, a user is not allowed to type characters, but he still can select the items in the Combobox.
(Default:false )
 
 
 
 
 
<source lang="xml">
 
<combobox readonly="true"/>
 
</source>
 
  
 
== Autodrop ==
 
== Autodrop ==
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<source lang="xml">
 
<source lang="xml">
<combobox w:onfocus="this.open()" xmlns:w="client"/>
+
<combobox w:onFocus="this.open()" xmlns:w="client"/>
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
Line 161: Line 208:
 
[[Image:ZKComRef_Combobox_Description.PNG]]
 
[[Image:ZKComRef_Combobox_Description.PNG]]
  
Akin to other components that support images, you are able to use the <tt>setImageContent</tt> method to assign a dynamically generated image to the <tt>comboitem</tt> component. Please refer to the '''Image''' section for details.
+
Akin to other components that support images, you are able to use the <code>setImageContent</code> method to assign a dynamically generated image to the <code>comboitem</code> component. Please refer to the '''Image''' section for details.
  
 
== The onOpen Event ==
 
== The onOpen Event ==
The <tt>onOpen</tt> event is sent to the application when a user opens the drop-down list. To defer the creation of combo items, you can use the <tt>fulfill</tt> attribute as shown below.
+
The <code>onOpen</code> event is sent to the application when a user opens the drop-down list. To defer the creation of combo items, you can use the <code>fulfill</code> attribute as shown below.
  
 
[[Image:ZKComRef_Combobox_Example.PNG]]  
 
[[Image:ZKComRef_Combobox_Example.PNG]]  
Line 178: Line 225:
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
Alternatively, you can listen to the <tt>onOpen</tt> event and prepare the drop-down list or change it dynamically as demonstrated below.  
+
Alternatively, you can listen to the <code>onOpen</code> event and prepare the drop-down list or change it dynamically as demonstrated below.  
  
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
<source lang="xml" >
Line 197: Line 244:
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
The <tt>appendItem</tt> method is equivalent to creating a combo item and then setting the combobox as its parent.
+
The <code>appendItem</code> method is equivalent to creating a combo item and then setting the combobox as its parent.
  
 
== The onChanging Event ==
 
== The onChanging Event ==
Since a combobox is also a text box, you are also able to listen to an <tt>onChanging</tt> event. By listening to this event, you can manipulate the drop-down list as demonstrated by Google Suggests (http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en). This feature is sometimes called auto-complete.
+
Since a combobox is also a text box, you are also able to listen to an <code>onChanging</code> event. By listening to this event, you can manipulate the drop-down list as demonstrated by Google Suggests (http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en). This feature is sometimes called auto-complete.
  
 
As illustrated below, you can populate the drop-down list based on what user is entering.
 
As illustrated below, you can populate the drop-down list based on what user is entering.
Line 225: Line 272:
 
</source>
 
</source>
  
Notice that, when the <tt>onChanging</tt> event is received, the content of the combobox has not changed. Therefore, you cannot use the <tt>value</tt> property of the combobox. Instead, you should use the <tt>value</tt> property of the <javadoc>org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.InputEvent</javadoc>.
+
Notice that, when the <code>onChanging</code> event is received, the content of the combobox has not changed. Therefore, you cannot use the <code>value</code> property of the combobox. Instead, you should use the <code>value</code> property of the <javadoc>org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.InputEvent</javadoc>.
  
 
== Constraint ==
 
== Constraint ==
You could specify what value to accept for input controls by use of the <tt>constraint </tt>property.
+
Please see [[ZK_Component_Reference/Base_Components/InputElement#Constraint]].
It could be a combination of <tt>no empty</tt>, and/or a regular expression.  
 
 
 
To specify two or more constraints, use comma to separate them as follows.
 
 
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
<combobox constraint="no empty,/^A/">
 
<comboitem label="Simple and Rich" />
 
<comboitem label="Cool!" />
 
<comboitem label="Ajax and RIA" />
 
</combobox>
 
  
</source>
+
== PopupWidth ==
 +
{{versionSince| 8.0.3}}
 +
By specifying this property, the width of the popup will be set and ignore the default behavior.<br>
 +
If percentage is specified to this property, the width of the popup will be calculated with the width of the bandbox.<br>
 +
For example, if it's set to 130%, and the width of the bandbox is 300px, the popup of the bandbox will be 300px * 130% = 390px<br>
 +
If others is specified, it will be set to the width of the popup directly.<br>
  
To specify a regular expression, you may have to use the character <tt>/</tt> to enclose the regular expression as follows.  
+
== InstantSelect ==
 +
{{versionSince| 8.6.1}}
 +
By default, any change of selection using the keyboard will trigger <code>onSelect</code> and <code>onChange</code> events instantly. Once set this property <code>false</code>, users need to confirm the change by pressing Enter key or make combobox lose its focus so <code>onSelect</code> and <code>onChange</code> events will be triggered. And pressing Esc key can abort the change and revert to previous selection.
  
<source lang="xml" >
+
==IconSclass==
<combobox constraint="/^A/"/>
+
{{versionSince| 8.6.2}}
</source>
+
Specify the sclass name of the Combobox button icon.
 
 
Notes:
 
 
 
* The above statement is XML, so do ''not'' use <tt>\\</tt> to specify a backslash. However typing <tt>\\</tt> is necessary, if writing in Java.
 
 
 
<source lang="java" >
 
new Combobox().setConstraint("/.+@.+\\.[a-z]+/");
 
</source>
 
 
 
* You are allowed to mix regular expressions with other constraints by separating them with a comma.
 
 
 
If you prefer to display different message to the default one, you can append the error message to the constraint with a colon.
 
 
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
<combobox constraint="/^A/: only allowed the item start with A"/>
 
</source>
 
 
 
Notes:
 
 
 
* The error message, if specified, must be the last element and start with colon.
 
* To support multiple languages, you could use the 「l」 function as depicted in the '''Internationalization''' chapter.
 
 
 
<source lang="xml" >
 
<combobox constraint="/^A/: ${c:l('err.startwith.required')}"/>
 
</source>
 
  
 
=Inherited Functions=
 
=Inherited Functions=
Line 279: Line 298:
 
=Supported Events=
 
=Supported Events=
  
{| border="1" | width="100%"
+
{| class='wikitable' | width="100%"
 
! <center>Name</center>
 
! <center>Name</center>
 
! <center>Event Type</center>
 
! <center>Event Type</center>
Line 289: Line 308:
  
 
|-
 
|-
| <center><tt>onOpen</tt></center>
+
| <center><code>onOpen</code></center>
 
| '''Event:''' <javadoc>org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.OpenEvent</javadoc>
 
| '''Event:''' <javadoc>org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.OpenEvent</javadoc>
  
 
Denotes that the user has opened or closed a component.  
 
Denotes that the user has opened or closed a component.  
Note: unlike <tt>onClose</tt>, this event is only a notification. The client sends this event after opening or closing the component.
+
Note: unlike <code>onClose</code>, this event is only a notification. The client sends this event after opening or closing the component.
  
It is useful to implement ''load-on-demand ''by listening to the <tt>onOpen </tt>event, and creating components when the first time the component is opened.
+
It is useful to implement ''load-on-demand ''by listening to the <code>onOpen </code>event, and creating components when the first time the component is opened.
 
|-
 
|-
| <center><tt>onAfterRender</tt></center>
+
{{onAfterRender}}
| '''Event:'''  <javadoc>org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.Event</javadoc>
 
 
 
Notifies one that the model's data has been rendered.
 
 
|}
 
|}
 
*Inherited Supported Events: [[ZK_Component_Reference/Input/Textbox#Supported_Events | Textbox]]
 
*Inherited Supported Events: [[ZK_Component_Reference/Input/Textbox#Supported_Events | Textbox]]
Line 306: Line 322:
 
=Supported Molds=
 
=Supported Molds=
 
Available molds of a component are defined in lang.xml embedded in zul.jar.
 
Available molds of a component are defined in lang.xml embedded in zul.jar.
{| border="1" | width="100%"
+
{| class='wikitable' | width="100%"
 
! <center>Name</center>
 
! <center>Name</center>
 
! <center>Snapshot</center>
 
! <center>Snapshot</center>
Line 315: Line 331:
 
| <center>rounded</center>
 
| <center>rounded</center>
 
|[[Image:combobox_mold_rounded.png ]]
 
|[[Image:combobox_mold_rounded.png ]]
[Since 5.0.0]
+
{{versionSince| 5.0.0}}
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
=Supported Children=
 
=Supported Children=
  
  * [[ZK_Component_Reference/Input/Comboitem | Comboitem]]
+
  * [[ZK_Component_Reference/Input/Combobox/Comboitem | Comboitem]]
  
 
=Use Cases=
 
=Use Cases=
  
{| border='1px' | width="100%"
+
{| class='wikitable' | width="100%"
 
! Version !! Description !! Example Location
 
! Version !! Description !! Example Location
 
|-
 
|-
Line 334: Line 350:
 
=Version History=
 
=Version History=
 
{{LastUpdated}}
 
{{LastUpdated}}
{| border='1px' | width="100%"
+
{| class='wikitable' | width="100%"
 
! Version !! Date !! Content
 
! Version !! Date !! Content
 +
|-
 +
| 8.6.1
 +
| January 2019
 +
| [https://tracker.zkoss.org/browse/ZK-4185 ZK-4185]: Combobox: provide option to reduce onSelect/onChange events when using keyboard
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 5.0.4
 
| 5.0.4

Latest revision as of 09:01, 11 January 2024

Combobox

Employment/Purpose

Components: combobox and comboitem.

A combobox is a special text box that embeds a drop-down list. With comboboxes, users are allowed to select from a drop-down list, in addition to entering the text manually.

The authoritative field of the combobox is the text value accessed by the value field. While the Combobox provides a selectedItem field and onSelect event, the selected item may be null if the user typed in any text that is not part of the list of prefilled values.

For the use case of searching and selecting items in a list of options, without allowing custom text, refer to the Searchbox component instead.

Examples

Selection Only

Recommend to use Searchbox, Listbox select mold or Selectbox.


<style>
.z-combobox-readonly>input{
    background-color: initial;
}
</style>

<combobox model="${model}" readonly="true"/>
  • a read-only combobox can avoid users from entering non-existed items

AutoComplete by Default

When you type a character, this component will auto-complete your typing with first-matched, existing items.

Assume you create a combobox like:

 <combobox>
     <comboitem label="Simple and Rich"/>
     <comboitem label="Cool!"/>
     <comboitem label="Ajax and RIA"/>
 </combobox>

When you type 'C', it will auto-complete with "Cool". ZKComRef Combobox Example.PNG

Be aware that a user still can enter a non-existing item.

Default Selection

Combobox onAfterRender.png

	<zscript><![CDATA[
		ListModelList model = new ListModelList(Arrays.asList(new String[] { "David",
				"Thomas", "Steven" }));
		model.addToSelection(model.get(2));
	]]></zscript>
	
	<combobox model="${model}"/>
  • Line 4: When you assign a model object to a component, set the selection through the model object e.g. model.addToSelection()

Keyboard Navigation Combobox

  • Alt+DOWN to pop up the list.
  • Alt+UP or ESC to close the list.
  • UP and DOWN to change the selection of the items from the list.
  • ENTER to confirm the change of selection.
  • ESC to abort the change of selection. It is meaningful if instantSelect is false.

Live Data

Selectable

By specifying the selection, you can invoke the addSelection() to select a default value, For example,

<combobox id="combobox" width="100px">
	<attribute name="onCreate"><![CDATA[
		List list2 = new ArrayList();
		list2.add("David");
		list2.add("Thomas");
		list2.add("Steven");
		ListModelList lm2 = new ListModelList(list2);
		lm2.addToSelection(lm2.get(0));
		combobox.setModel(lm2);
	]]></attribute>
</combobox>

Since 5.0.4

Properties

Value and selectedItem

The value stores the selected `comboitem`'s label value and selectedItem stores the selected `comboitem`'s value value:

If you select the 1st item:

        <combobox value="@bind(vm.inputValue)" selectedItem="@bind(vm.selectedValue)" >
            <comboitem label="label 1" value="value1" />
            <comboitem label="label 2" value="value2" />
        </combobox>
  • vm.inputValue is label 1.
  • vm.selectedValue is value1.

Autocomplete

By default, it will autocomplete your input with the first item in the list that has the same starting string in a case-insensitive way.

Autocomplete in a Brute-force Way

The straightforward way to implement the autocomplete feature is to listen to the onChanging event. For example,

<combobox>
  <attribute name="onChanging"><![CDATA[
  self.getChildren().clear(); //remove all children
  for (String value: getMatched(event.getValue())
    self.appendChild(new Comboitem(value));
  ]]></attribute>
</combobox>

Line 4: We assume getMatched() is an application-specific method that returns a collection of matched values.

Autocomplete by ListSubModel

To separate the data from the view (Combobox) better, we can implement ListSubModel and set it to Combobox. There are 2 ways:

Use SimpleListModel

Unlike ListModelList and others, SimpleListModel implements ListSubModel by default. You can use SimpleListModel directly but it handles only an array of data.

Convert ListModel with ListModels.toListSubModel(ListModel)

The methods convert ListModel to ListSubModel which proxies the original ListModel.

For example,

<combobox apply="org.zkoss.reference.component.input.MyAutoCompleteComposer"/>
public class MyAutoCompleteComposer extends SelectorComposer<Component> {
    @Wire("combobox")
    private Combobox combobox;
    private List<Locale> items = Arrays.asList(Locale.getAvailableLocales());

    @Override
    public void doAfterCompose(Component comp) throws Exception {
        super.doAfterCompose(comp);
        combobox.setModel(ListModels.toListSubModel(new ListModelList(getAllItems())));
    }

    List getAllItems() {
        return items;
    }
}

Default Matching Rule

By default, it shows the first 15 items whose prefix starts with the user input. If you want to have a different value or a different comparator to find out matched items, you can invoke ListModels.toListSubModel(ListModel, Comparator, int) instead.


Note: Passing an instance of ListModelList directly to a combobox will show up all items in the list model, since it doesn't implement ListSubModel.

Readonly

Default:false

Once set, a user is not allowed to type characters, but he still can select the items in the Combobox.

Autodrop

By default, the drop-down list won't be opened until the user clicks the button, or presses Alt+DOWN. However, you could set the autodrop property to true, meaning as soon as the user types a character the drop-down list will be opened. This is helpful for novice users, but it might be annoying for experienced users.

If you prefer the combobox to drop down the list when the user types a character, you could specify the autodrop attribute as follows.

<combobox autodrop="true"/>

If you prefer to drop down the list when gaining the focus, you could provide a client-side listener as follows.

<combobox w:onFocus="this.open()" xmlns:w="client"/>

Description

You are able to add a description to each combo item to make it more descriptive or assign an image to every item.

<zk>
	<combobox>
		<comboitem label="Simple and Rich"
			image="/img/Centigrade-Widget-Icons/GoldBar-32x32.gif"
			description="The simplest way to make Web applications rich" />
		<comboitem label="Cool!"
			image="/img/Centigrade-Widget-Icons/CogwheelEye-32x32.gif"
			description="The coolest technology" />
		<comboitem label="Ajax and RIA"
			image="/img/Centigrade-Widget-Icons/WindowGlobe-32x32.gif"
			description="Rich Internet Application by Ajax" />
	</combobox>
</zk>

ZKComRef Combobox Description.PNG

Akin to other components that support images, you are able to use the setImageContent method to assign a dynamically generated image to the comboitem component. Please refer to the Image section for details.

The onOpen Event

The onOpen event is sent to the application when a user opens the drop-down list. To defer the creation of combo items, you can use the fulfill attribute as shown below.

ZKComRef Combobox Example.PNG

<zk>
	<combobox fulfill="onOpen">
	    <comboitem label="Simple and Rich"/>
	    <comboitem label="Cool!"/>
	    <comboitem label="Ajax and RIA"/>
	</combobox>	
</zk>

Alternatively, you can listen to the onOpen event and prepare the drop-down list or change it dynamically as demonstrated below.

<zk>
	<zscript>
		void prepare() 
		{
			if (combo.getItemCount() == 0) 
			{
				combo.appendItem("Simple and Rich");
				combo.appendItem("Cool!");
				combo.appendItem("Ajax and RIA");
			}
		}
	</zscript>
	<combobox id="combo" onOpen="prepare()" />		
</zk>

The appendItem method is equivalent to creating a combo item and then setting the combobox as its parent.

The onChanging Event

Since a combobox is also a text box, you are also able to listen to an onChanging event. By listening to this event, you can manipulate the drop-down list as demonstrated by Google Suggests (http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en). This feature is sometimes called auto-complete.

As illustrated below, you can populate the drop-down list based on what user is entering.

<zk>
	<zscript>
	     void suggest() 
	     {
	         combo.getItems().clear();
	         if (event.value.startsWith("A")) {
	             combo.appendItem("Ace");
	             combo.appendItem("Ajax");
	             combo.appendItem("Apple");
	         } else if (event.value.startsWith("B")) {
	             combo.appendItem("Best");
	             combo.appendItem("Blog");
	         }
	     }
	</zscript>
	
	<combobox id="combo" autodrop="true" onChanging="suggest()"/>
</zk>

Notice that, when the onChanging event is received, the content of the combobox has not changed. Therefore, you cannot use the value property of the combobox. Instead, you should use the value property of the InputEvent.

Constraint

Please see ZK_Component_Reference/Base_Components/InputElement#Constraint.

PopupWidth

Since 8.0.3 By specifying this property, the width of the popup will be set and ignore the default behavior.
If percentage is specified to this property, the width of the popup will be calculated with the width of the bandbox.
For example, if it's set to 130%, and the width of the bandbox is 300px, the popup of the bandbox will be 300px * 130% = 390px
If others is specified, it will be set to the width of the popup directly.

InstantSelect

Since 8.6.1 By default, any change of selection using the keyboard will trigger onSelect and onChange events instantly. Once set this property false, users need to confirm the change by pressing Enter key or make combobox lose its focus so onSelect and onChange events will be triggered. And pressing Esc key can abort the change and revert to previous selection.

IconSclass

Since 8.6.2 Specify the sclass name of the Combobox button icon.

Inherited Functions

Please refer to Textbox for inherited functions.

Supported Events

Name
Event Type
onSelect
Event: SelectEvent

Represents an event caused by user's the list selection is changed at the client.

onOpen
Event: OpenEvent

Denotes that the user has opened or closed a component. Note: unlike onClose, this event is only a notification. The client sends this event after opening or closing the component.

It is useful to implement load-on-demand by listening to the onOpen event, and creating components when the first time the component is opened.

onAfterRender
Event: Event

Notifies one that the model's data has been rendered as components on the server side.

Supported Molds

Available molds of a component are defined in lang.xml embedded in zul.jar.

Name
Snapshot
default
Combobox mold default.png
rounded
Combobox mold rounded.png

Since 5.0.0

Supported Children

*  Comboitem

Use Cases

Version Description Example Location
     

Version History

Last Update : 2024/01/11


Version Date Content
8.6.1 January 2019 ZK-4185: Combobox: provide option to reduce onSelect/onChange events when using keyboard
5.0.4 August 2010 ListModels was introduced to simply the implementation of autocomplete.
5.0.4 July 2010 Combobox supported Selectable if it is also implemented with the specified ListModel.
5.0.4 July 2010 Supported onAfterRender event



Last Update : 2024/01/11

Copyright © Potix Corporation. This article is licensed under GNU Free Documentation License.