Combobox

A searchable select component that filters and selects from a list of options with keyboard navigation and floating-positioned content.

An autocomplete input combined with a selectable list. It supports two layout modes — inline input and popup input — filters items as the user types, highlights matching options, and positions its content panel relative to the trigger using floating UI.

import { Combobox } from "@areia/slots";

document.querySelector("#root")!.innerHTML = `
  <div data-slot="combobox" class="flex w-72 flex-wrap gap-1">
    <input
      data-slot="combobox-input"
      placeholder="Search..."
      class="win95-input min-w-0 flex-1"
    />
    <button
      data-slot="combobox-trigger"
      aria-label="Toggle list"
      class="win95-button px-2"
    >
      ▼
    </button>
    <div data-slot="combobox-content" hidden class="win95-menu w-full">
      <div data-slot="combobox-list">
        <div data-slot="combobox-empty" hidden class="px-3 py-1 text-neutral-600">
          No results found.
        </div>
        <div data-slot="combobox-group">
          <div data-slot="combobox-label" class="win95-label">
            Fruits
          </div>
          <div
            data-slot="combobox-item"
            data-value="apple"
            class="win95-menu-item"
          >
            Apple
          </div>
          <div
            data-slot="combobox-item"
            data-value="banana"
            class="win95-menu-item"
          >
            Banana
          </div>
        </div>
        <div data-slot="combobox-separator" class="win95-separator"></div>
        <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="other" class="win95-menu-item">
          Other
        </div>
        <div
          data-slot="combobox-item"
          data-value="disabled"
          data-disabled
          class="win95-menu-item"
        >
          Disabled
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
`;

const root = document.querySelector('[data-slot="combobox"]')!;
const controller = Combobox.createCombobox(root, {
  placeholder: "Search...",
  openOnFocus: true,
  autoHighlight: true,
});

Import

import { Combobox } from "@areia/slots";

Usage

import { Combobox } from "@areia/slots";

// Auto-bind a single root
const root = document.querySelector('[data-slot="combobox"]');
const controller = Combobox.createCombobox(root, {
  placeholder: "Choose an option...",
  onValueChange: (value) => console.log("selected:", value),
  onOpenChange: (open) => console.log("open changed:", open),
});

// Auto-bind all unbound roots in scope
const controllers = Combobox.create();

Expected Markup

Inline Input Mode

The input lives outside the content panel alongside the trigger button.

<div data-slot="combobox">
  <input data-slot="combobox-input" placeholder="Search..." />
  <button data-slot="combobox-trigger" aria-label="Toggle list">
    ▼
  </button>
  <button
    data-slot="combobox-clear"
    aria-label="Clear selection"
    hidden
  >
    ✕
  </button>
  <div data-slot="combobox-content" hidden>
    <div data-slot="combobox-list">
      <div data-slot="combobox-empty" hidden>
        No results found.
      </div>
      <div data-slot="combobox-group">
        <div data-slot="combobox-label">Fruits</div>
        <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="apple">
          Apple
        </div>
        <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="banana">
          Banana
        </div>
      </div>
      <div data-slot="combobox-separator"></div>
      <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="other">
        Other
      </div>
      <div
        data-slot="combobox-item"
        data-value="disabled"
        data-disabled
      >
        Disabled
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

The input moves inside the content panel and the trigger displays the selected value.

<div data-slot="combobox">
  <button data-slot="combobox-trigger">
    <span data-slot="combobox-value">Select an option...</span>
  </button>
  <div data-slot="combobox-content" hidden>
    <input data-slot="combobox-input" placeholder="Search..." />
    <div data-slot="combobox-list">
      <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="apple">
        Apple
      </div>
      <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="banana">
        Banana
      </div>
      <div data-slot="combobox-item" data-value="cherry">
        Cherry
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Data Slots

Slot	Required	Description
`combobox`	Yes	Root container.
`combobox-input`	Yes	Text input for typing and filtering.
`combobox-trigger`	No	Button that opens and closes the popup.
`combobox-content`	Yes	Popup panel that contains the list and optionally an input.
`combobox-list`	Yes	Scrollable container for items, groups, separators, and empty slot.
`combobox-item`	Yes	Selectable option. Requires `data-value`.
`combobox-group`	No	Wraps a set of related items with a label.
`combobox-label`	No	Visible heading inside a group.
`combobox-empty`	No	Message shown when no items match the filter.
`combobox-separator`	No	Visual divider between items or groups.
`combobox-clear`	No	Button that clears the current selection.
`combobox-value`	No	Displays the selected value inside a button trigger (popup-input mode).

Generated Attributes

Attribute	Element(s)	Description
`data-state`	Root	`"open"` or `"closed"`.
`data-highlighted`	`combobox-item`	Present on the currently highlighted item.
`data-selected`	`combobox-item`	Present on the currently selected item.
`data-disabled`	`combobox-item`	Present when the item is disabled.
`aria-expanded`	`combobox-input`, `combobox-trigger`	`"true"` when open, `"false"` when closed.
`aria-activedescendant`	Root	Points to the highlighted item `id` when keyboard-navigating.
`role`	`combobox-input`	Set to `"combobox"`.
`role`	`combobox-list`	Set to `"listbox"`.
`role`	`combobox-item`	Set to `"option"`.
`role`	`combobox-group`	Set to `"group"`.
`hidden`	`combobox-content`	Toggled based on open state.

Events

Outbound

Event	Detail	Description
`combobox:change`	`{ value: string \| null, label: string \| null, open?: boolean }`	Fired on the root when the selected value changes.

Inbound

Event	Detail	Description
`combobox:select`	`{ value: string }`	Dispatch on the root to programmatically select a value.

API Reference

Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`defaultValue`	`string`	—	Initial selected value.
`defaultOpen`	`boolean`	`false`	Initial open state.
`placeholder`	`string`	—	Placeholder text for the input.
`disabled`	`boolean`	`false`	Disable interaction.
`required`	`boolean`	`false`	Mark the field as required for form validation.
`name`	`string`	—	Form field name. Creates a hidden input for native form submission.
`openOnFocus`	`boolean`	`true`	Open the popup when the input receives focus.
`autoHighlight`	`boolean`	`false`	Auto-highlight the first visible item when filtering.
`filter`	`(inputValue: string, itemValue: string, itemLabel: string) => boolean`	—	Custom filter function. Return `true` to show the item.
`onValueChange`	`(value: string \| null) => void`	—	Called when the selected value changes.
`onOpenChange`	`(open: boolean) => void`	—	Called when the popup opens or closes.
`onInputValueChange`	`(inputValue: string) => void`	—	Called when the user types in the input (not on programmatic syncs).
`side`	`"top" \| "bottom"`	`"bottom"`	Preferred side of the popup relative to the trigger.
`align`	`"start" \| "center" \| "end"`	`"start"`	Alignment of the popup relative to the trigger.
`sideOffset`	`number`	`4`	Distance from the trigger in pixels.
`alignOffset`	`number`	`0`	Offset along the alignment axis in pixels.
`avoidCollisions`	`boolean`	`true`	Flip the popup to stay inside the viewport when it would overflow.
`collisionPadding`	`number`	`8`	Viewport edge padding used for collision detection.
`itemToStringValue`	`(item: HTMLElement \| null, value: string \| null) => string`	—	Custom text resolver for the selected-value display.

Controller

Member	Type	Description
`value`	`string \| null` (getter)	Current selected value.
`inputValue`	`string` (getter)	Current input text.
`isOpen`	`boolean` (getter)	Current open state.
`select(value)`	`(value: string) => void`	Select a value programmatically.
`clear()`	`() => void`	Clear the selected value.
`open()`	`() => void`	Open the popup.
`close()`	`() => void`	Close the popup.
`setItemToStringValue`	`(fn: (item: HTMLElement \| null, value: string \| null) => string \| null) => void`	Set or clear a runtime selected-value text resolver.
`destroy()`	`() => void`	Remove all listeners, observers, and clean up.

Controller

The controller is returned by Combobox.createCombobox() and provides imperative control over the combobox’s state.

const controller = Combobox.createCombobox(root, {
  placeholder: "Choose an option...",
});

// Select a value programmatically
controller.select("apple");

// Clear the selection
controller.clear();

// Open and close the popup
controller.open();
controller.close();

// Read current state
console.log(controller.value); // "apple" | null
console.log(controller.inputValue); // "ap"
console.log(controller.isOpen); // true | false

// Set a custom value display resolver
controller.setItemToStringValue((item, value) => {
  return item?.getAttribute("data-label") ?? value ?? "";
});

// Clean up
controller.destroy();