Autocomplete for ComboBox in WPF anywhere in text (not just beginning)

Question

I\'ve got a ComboBox in WPF that I\'ve mucked around with quite a lot (it has a custom template and a custom item template). I\'ve got it to the point now where it is workin

Answer 1

WPF Combo box don't support Autocomplete

Here is a sample that allows you to do this in an indirect manner, by applying a filter to the items.

See http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wpf/thread/cec1b222-2849-4a54-bcf2-03041efcf304/

Answer 2

As far as I know there's no way to force standard ComboBox to behave this way by just changing a setting. So you'll have to implement your own combo box derivative for that or search for ready made 3rd party control (I believe there are plenty of them).

Answer 3

Check out the following article in CodeProject: A Reusable WPF Autocomplete TextBox

Answer 4

You could try handling the ComboBox's TextInput or PreviewTextInput events, doing the text search yourself, selecting the most appropriate item, and setting "e.Handled = true." Just a thought. Hope this helps!

edit:

This works for a single character (i.e. if you enter the letter "j", it will select the first item that contains a "j" or "J"), but I'm sure there's a way to do this with your control. Enjoy!

private void MyComboBox_PreviewTextInput(object sender, TextCompositionEventArgs e) {
    foreach (ComboBoxItem i in MyComboBox.Items) {
        if (i.Content.ToString().ToUpper().Contains(e.Text.ToUpper())) {
            MyComboBox.SelectedItem = i;
            break;
        }
    }
    e.Handled = true;
}

Answer 5

The combobox now supports autocomplete, just make sure in the xaml for the combobox put

IsEditable="True"