Sorry for another answer in C# but I have a more improved answer based on xDisruptor's code.
Using kinda behavior (decorator).
You don't have to subclass ComboBox and change all existing combos in the designed.
Be careful when using Datasource instead of Items collection, because it'll raise an exception.
Code:
public class AutoCompleteBehavior
{
private readonly ComboBox comboBox;
private string previousSearchterm;
private object[] originalList;
public AutoCompleteBehavior(ComboBox comboBox)
{
this.comboBox = comboBox;
this.comboBox.AutoCompleteMode = AutoCompleteMode.Suggest; // crucial otherwise exceptions occur when the user types in text which is not found in the autocompletion list
this.comboBox.TextChanged += this.OnTextChanged;
this.comboBox.KeyPress += this.OnKeyPress;
this.comboBox.SelectionChangeCommitted += this.OnSelectionChangeCommitted;
}
private void OnSelectionChangeCommitted(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (this.comboBox.SelectedItem == null)
{
return;
}
var sel = this.comboBox.SelectedItem;
this.ResetCompletionList();
this.comboBox.SelectedItem = sel;
}
private void OnTextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.comboBox.Text) || !this.comboBox.Visible || !this.comboBox.Enabled)
{
return;
}
this.ResetCompletionList();
}
private void OnKeyPress(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e)
{
if (e.KeyChar == '\r' || e.KeyChar == '\n')
{
e.Handled = true;
if (this.comboBox.SelectedIndex == -1 && this.comboBox.Items.Count > 0
&& this.comboBox.Items[0].ToString().ToLowerInvariant().StartsWith(this.comboBox.Text.ToLowerInvariant()))
{
this.comboBox.Text = this.comboBox.Items[0].ToString();
}
this.comboBox.DroppedDown = false;
// Guardclause when detecting any enter keypresses to avoid a glitch which was selecting an item by means of down arrow key followed by enter to wipe out the text within
return;
}
// Its crucial that we use begininvoke because we need the changes to sink into the textfield Omitting begininvoke would cause the searchterm to lag behind by one character That is the last character that got typed in
this.comboBox.BeginInvoke(new Action(this.ReevaluateCompletionList));
}
private void ResetCompletionList()
{
this.previousSearchterm = null;
try
{
this.comboBox.SuspendLayout();
if (this.originalList == null)
{
this.originalList = this.comboBox.Items.Cast<object>().ToArray();
}
if (this.comboBox.Items.Count == this.originalList.Length)
{
return;
}
while (this.comboBox.Items.Count > 0)
{
this.comboBox.Items.RemoveAt(0);
}
this.comboBox.Items.AddRange(this.originalList);
}
finally
{
this.comboBox.ResumeLayout(true);
}
}
private void ReevaluateCompletionList()
{
var currentSearchterm = this.comboBox.Text.ToLowerInvariant();
if (currentSearchterm == this.previousSearchterm)
{
return;
}
this.previousSearchterm = currentSearchterm;
try
{
this.comboBox.SuspendLayout();
if (this.originalList == null)
{
this.originalList = this.comboBox.Items.Cast<object>().ToArray(); // backup original list
}
object[] newList;
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(currentSearchterm))
{
if (this.comboBox.Items.Count == this.originalList.Length)
{
return;
}
newList = this.originalList;
}
else
{
newList = this.originalList.Where(x => x.ToString().ToLowerInvariant().Contains(currentSearchterm)).ToArray();
}
try
{
// clear list by loop through it otherwise the cursor would move to the beginning of the textbox
while (this.comboBox.Items.Count > 0)
{
this.comboBox.Items.RemoveAt(0);
}
}
catch
{
try
{
this.comboBox.Items.Clear();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
}
this.comboBox.Items.AddRange(newList.ToArray()); // reset list
}
finally
{
if (currentSearchterm.Length >= 1 && !this.comboBox.DroppedDown)
{
this.comboBox.DroppedDown = true; // if the current searchterm is empty we leave the dropdown list to whatever state it already had
Cursor.Current = Cursors.Default; // workaround for the fact the cursor disappears due to droppeddown=true This is a known bu.g plaguing combobox which microsoft denies to fix for years now
this.comboBox.Text = currentSearchterm; // Another workaround for a glitch which causes all text to be selected when there is a matching entry which starts with the exact text being typed in
this.comboBox.Select(currentSearchterm.Length, 0);
}
this.comboBox.ResumeLayout(true);
}
}
}
Usege:
new AutoCompleteBehavior(this.comboBoxItems);
this.comboBoxItems.Items.AddRange(new object[] { "John", "Tina", "Doctor", "Alaska" });
TIP: Can be further improved by making an extension to the ComboBox class like myCombo.ToAutoComplete()
