Introduction
The main purpose of the
autocomplete widget is to augment the capabilities of the standard HTML form input
element. Instead of the user having to type out the full value of the input field each time, the autocomplete widget offers suggestions as to what the value might be. For example, let's say you're adding a new product. The product field could be a text input, a select input, and so on. In this scenario, one would use the existing product in the system as the source for an autocomplete widget. Chances are, the user who is entering the product, or another user for that matter, has entered that product before. With autocompletes, users have some assurance that they're providing valid inputs.