SearchableChipSelectControl

A complete searchable multi-select field with chips, integrated label, and description.

import { SearchableChipSelectControl } from '@wordpress/ui';

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View source on GitHub

PropsPermalink to this section

NameDefaultDescription
form

string

Identifies the form that owns the internal input. Useful when the combobox is rendered outside the form.

filter

((item: Item, query: string, itemToString?: ((item: Item) => string) | undefined) => boolean) | null | undefined

Filter function used to match items vs input query. Receives the source item, which is the derived value’s item when items is a createItems() collection, and the item itself otherwise.

disabledfalse

boolean

Whether the component should ignore user interaction.

name

string

Identifies the field when a form is submitted.

value

Item[] | null | undefined

The selected value of the combobox. Use when controlled.

defaultValue

Item[] | null | undefined

The uncontrolled selected value of the combobox when it’s initially rendered.

To render a controlled combobox, use the value prop instead.

id

string

The id of the component.

gridfalse

boolean

Whether list items are presented in a grid layout. When enabled, arrow keys navigate across rows and columns inferred from DOM rows.

inlinefalse

boolean

Whether the list is rendered inline without using the component’s own popup.

Specify open unconditionally in conjunction with this prop so the list is considered visible: <Combobox.Root inline open>

In a Combobox.Root > Dialog.Root composition, bind the Combobox’s open and onOpenChange props to the Dialog‘s open and onOpenChange state instead so the component resets its transient state (filter query, highlighted item, and input value) when the dialog closes.

open

boolean

Whether the popup is currently open. Use when controlled.

autoComplete

string

Provides a hint to the browser for autofill.

readOnlyfalse

boolean

Whether the user should be unable to choose a different option from the popup.

requiredfalse

boolean

Whether the user must choose a value before submitting a form.

defaultOpenfalse

boolean

Whether the popup is initially open.

To render a controlled popup, use the open prop instead.

limit-1

number

The maximum number of items to display in the list.

locale

LocalesArgument

The locale to use for string comparison. Defaults to the user’s runtime locale.

onValueChange

(value: Item[], eventDetails: ChangeEventDetails) => void

Event handler called when the selected value of the combobox changes.

onOpenChange

(open: boolean, eventDetails: ChangeEventDetails) => void

Event handler called when the popup is opened or closed.

itemToStringValue

(itemValue: Item) => string

When the item values are objects (<Combobox.Item value={object}>), this function converts the object value to a string representation for form submission. If the shape of the object is { value, label }, the value will be used automatically without needing to specify this prop. With a createItems() collection, this receives the derived value.

isItemEqualToValue

(itemValue: Item, value: Item) => boolean

Custom comparison logic used to determine if a combobox item value matches the current selected value. Useful when item values are objects without matching referentially. With a createItems() collection, both arguments are derived values. Defaults to Object.is comparison.

inputValue

string | number | readonly string[] | undefined

The input value of the combobox. Use when controlled.

defaultInputValue

string | number | readonly string[] | undefined

The uncontrolled input value when initially rendered.

To render a controlled input, use the inputValue prop instead.

onInputValueChange

(inputValue: string, eventDetails: ChangeEventDetails) => void

Event handler called when the input value changes.

itemToStringLabel

(itemValue: Item) => string

When the item values are objects (<Combobox.Item value={object}>), this function converts the object value to a string representation for display in the input. If the shape of the object is { value, label }, the label will be used automatically without needing to specify this prop. With a createItems() collection, this receives the derived value, and the collection’s getLabel takes precedence for values it can resolve.

autoHighlightfalse

boolean

Whether the first matching item is highlighted automatically while filtering.

highlightItemOnHovertrue

boolean

Whether moving the pointer over items should highlight them. Disabling this prop allows CSS :hover to be differentiated from the :focus (data-highlighted) state.

actionsRef

RefObject<Actions | null>

A ref to imperative actions.

  • unmount: Manually unmounts the combobox. Call this after any externally controlled closing animation finishes.
openOnInputClicktrue

boolean

Whether the popup opens when clicking the input.

filteredItems

readonly Item[] | readonly Group<Item>[] | undefined

Filtered items to display in the list. When provided, the list uses these items instead of filtering the items prop internally. When items is also provided, this array must preserve its flat or grouped structure. With a createItems() collection, pass source items rather than derived values. Nullish entries are not supported, as in items. Use when you want to control filtering logic externally with the useFilter() hook.

onOpenChangeComplete

(open: boolean) => void

Event handler called after any animations complete when the popup is opened or closed.

loopFocustrue

boolean

Whether to loop keyboard focus back to the input when the end of the list is reached while using the arrow keys. The first item can then be reached by pressing <kbd>ArrowDown</kbd> again from the input, or the last item can be reached by pressing <kbd>ArrowUp</kbd> from the input. The input is always included in the focus loop per ARIA Authoring Practices. When disabled, focus does not move when on the last element and the user presses <kbd>ArrowDown</kbd>, or when on the first element and the user presses <kbd>ArrowUp</kbd>.

onItemHighlighted

(highlightedValue: Item | undefined, eventDetails: HighlightEventDetails) => void

Callback fired when an item is highlighted or unhighlighted. Receives the highlighted item value (or undefined if no item is highlighted) and event details with a reason property describing why the highlight changed. The reason can be:

  • 'keyboard': the highlight changed due to keyboard navigation.
  • 'pointer': the highlight changed due to pointer hovering.
  • 'none': the highlight changed programmatically.
inputRef

Ref<HTMLInputElement> | undefined

A ref to the hidden input element.

virtualizedfalse

boolean

Whether the items are being externally virtualized.

modalfalse

boolean

Determines if the popup enters a modal state when open.

  • true: user interaction is limited to the popup: document page scroll is locked and pointer interactions on outside elements are disabled.
  • false: user interaction with the rest of the document is allowed.

On touch devices, a true modal blocks outside taps but leaves the page scrollable unless the popup spans nearly the full viewport width, matching native iOS behavior.

aria-describedby

string

Identifies the element (or elements) that describes the object.

aria-label

string

Defines a string value that labels the current element.

aria-labelledby

string

Identifies the element (or elements) that labels the current element.

popupWidth'anchor'

"content" | "anchor" | "sm" | "md" | "lg" | "available"

Controls how the popup width is constrained relative to its anchor.

For all presets, the popup is never narrower than its anchor.

  • 'anchor': Fixed width matching the anchor width.
  • 'content': Width grows with item labels between the anchor and available viewport bounds.
  • 'sm': Fixed width at the small surface width token (--wpds-dimension-surface-width-sm).
  • 'md': Fixed width at the medium surface width token (--wpds-dimension-surface-width-md).
  • 'lg': Fixed width at the large surface width token (--wpds-dimension-surface-width-lg).
  • 'available': Fixed width at the available viewport width (--available-width).
items

Item[] | ItemGroup[] | undefined

The array of option items.

When using grouped children, pass an array of groups instead of a flat list of items. Grouped items require a custom children renderer.

Mark a creatable action with creatable: true. It renders in the list footer, not the main list, when it is in the filtered items. Handle the creation of the item in onValueChange.

children

(item: any, index: number) => ReactNode

A render function for custom rendering the list of matching items. Required when items contains groups.

chipsContent

(value: Item[]) => ReactNode

A render function for custom rendering the selected chips.

chipsContent={ ( value ) =>
  value.map( ( item ) => (

  ) )
}
emptyContent

ReactNode

The custom content to use instead of the default empty state, which shows whenever there are no matching items.

statusContent

ReactNode

Content for the list status live region. The region stays mounted.

searchPlaceholder

string

The placeholder text to use for the search input.

showClearButtontrue

boolean

Whether to show the clear button to remove all selected items.

clearButtonLabel

string

The aria-label for the clear button.

label Required

string

The accessible label. All controls must be labeled.

description

string

The accessible description, associated using aria-describedby.

For screen reader accessibility, this should only contain plain text, and no semantics such as links.

details

ReactNode

Additional information about the field, which unlike a normal description, can include links and other semantic elements.

Do not use this prop when the content is only plain text; use description instead.

hideLabelFromVisionfalse

boolean

Whether to visually hide the label while keeping it accessible to screen readers.

className

string

CSS class to apply.

ref

LegacyRef<HTMLInputElement> | undefined

Allows getting a ref to the component instance. Once the component unmounts, React will set ref.current to null (or call the ref with null if you passed a callback ref).

key

Key | null | undefined

ExamplesPermalink to this section

DefaultPermalink to this section

const Default = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl label="Label" description="This is a description." />;

Visually Hidden LabelPermalink to this section

const VisuallyHiddenLabel = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl hideLabelFromVision />;

With DetailsPermalink to this section

const WithDetails = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl description={undefined} details={DETAILS_EXAMPLE} />;

With Custom Search PlaceholderPermalink to this section

Use the searchPlaceholder prop to customize the search input placeholder text. Prefer a concise label without a trailing ellipsis.

const WithCustomSearchPlaceholder = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl searchPlaceholder="Search fruit" />;

With Disabled OptionPermalink to this section

const WithDisabledOption = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl items={disabledOptionItems} defaultValue={[ disabledOptionItems[ 0 ] ]} />;

CreatablePermalink to this section

Mark a creatable action with creatable: true on an item in items. It renders in the list footer, not the main list, when it is in the filtered items. Handle the creation of the item in onValueChange.

const Creatable = function Template( args ) {
    const {
        items = ITEMS,
        value: initialValue = [ ITEMS[ 0 ], ITEMS[ 1 ] ],
        ...restArgs
    } = args;
    const [ inputValue, setInputValue ] = useState( '' );
    const [ value, setValue ] = useState( initialValue );
    const creatableItem = {
        value: '__create__',
        label:
            'Create new item' + ( inputValue ? `: ${ inputValue }` : '' ),
        creatable: true,
    };

    return (
        <SearchableChipSelectControl
            { ...restArgs }
            items={ [ ...( items as FixtureItem[] ), creatableItem ] }
            inputValue={ inputValue }
            onInputValueChange={ setInputValue }
            value={ value }
            onValueChange={ ( values, event ) => {
                if (
                    values.some(
                        ( item ) => item.value === creatableItem.value
                    )
                ) {
                    // eslint-disable-next-line no-alert
                    alert( `Create new item: '${ inputValue }'` );
                    setValue(
                        values.filter(
                            ( item ) => item.value !== creatableItem.value
                        )
                    );
                } else {
                    setValue( values );
                }
                args.onValueChange?.( values, event );
            } }
        />
    );
};

With Custom Chips And ItemsPermalink to this section

const WithCustomChipsAndItems = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl />;

With Custom Empty ContentPermalink to this section

const WithCustomEmptyContent = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl />;

Async ItemsPermalink to this section

Loads the item list asynchronously. statusContent shows loading, then a visually hidden result count. Pass emptyContent={ null } while loading so Empty does not claim there are no results.

const AsyncItems = () => {
    const [ loading, setLoading ] = useState( false );
    const [ items, setItems ] = useState< typeof ITEMS >( [] );
    const timeoutRef = useRef< ReturnType< typeof setTimeout > >();

    return (
        <SearchableChipSelectControl
            label="Label"
            description="This is a description."
            items={ items }
            statusContent={
                loading ? (
                    <Stack direction="row" gap="sm" align="center">
                        <Spinner />
                        Loading…
                    </Stack>
                ) : (
                    <HiddenResultCount />
                )
            }
            emptyContent={ loading ? null : undefined }
            onOpenChange={ ( open ) => {
                if ( ! open ) {
                    clearTimeout( timeoutRef.current );
                    return;
                }
                setLoading( true );
                setItems( [] );
                clearTimeout( timeoutRef.current );
                timeoutRef.current = setTimeout( () => {
                    setItems( ITEMS );
                    setLoading( false );
                }, 500 );
            } } />
    );
};

Without Clear ButtonPermalink to this section

const WithoutClearButton = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl />;

GroupedPermalink to this section

Options can be organized into labeled groups with SearchableChipSelectControl.Group, SearchableChipSelectControl.GroupLabel, and SearchableChipSelectControl.Collection. Pass an array of groups to items (each with label and items properties), and use children to render each group.

const Grouped = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl
    defaultValue={[
        GROUPED_ITEMS[ 0 ].items[ 0 ],
        GROUPED_ITEMS[ 1 ].items[ 0 ],
    ]}
    label="Fruit"
    description="Choose your favorite fruits." />;

Grouped CreatablePermalink to this section

Grouped items with a creatable footer item. Include the creatable item in items as a creatable-only group. Handle the creation of the item in onValueChange.

const GroupedCreatable = () => {
    const [ inputValue, setInputValue ] = useState( '' );
    const [ value, setValue ] = useState< FixtureItem[] >( [
        GROUPED_ITEMS[ 0 ].items[ 0 ],
        GROUPED_ITEMS[ 1 ].items[ 0 ],
    ] );
    const creatableItem = {
        value: '__create__',
        label:
            'Create new item' + ( inputValue ? `: ${ inputValue }` : '' ),
        creatable: true,
    };
    const items = [
        ...GROUPED_ITEMS,
        { label: '', items: [ creatableItem ] },
    ];

    return (
        <SearchableChipSelectControl
            label="Fruit"
            description="Choose your favorite fruits."
            items={ items }
            inputValue={ inputValue }
            onInputValueChange={ setInputValue }
            value={ value }
            onValueChange={ ( values: FixtureItem[], event ) => {
                if (
                    values.some(
                        ( item ) => item.value === creatableItem.value
                    )
                ) {
                    // eslint-disable-next-line no-alert
                    alert( `Create new item: '${ inputValue }'` );
                    setValue(
                        values.filter(
                            ( item ) => item.value !== creatableItem.value
                        )
                    );
                } else {
                    setValue( values );
                }
                args.onValueChange?.( values, event );
            } }
            children={ ( group: FixtureGroup ) => (
                <SearchableChipSelectControl.Group
                    key={ group.label }
                    items={ group.items }
                >
                    <SearchableChipSelectControl.GroupLabel>
                        { group.label }
                    </SearchableChipSelectControl.GroupLabel>
                    <SearchableChipSelectControl.Collection>
                        { ( item: FixtureItem ) => (
                            <SearchableChipSelectControl.Item
                                key={ item.value }
                                value={ item }
                            >
                                { item.label }
                            </SearchableChipSelectControl.Item>
                        ) }
                    </SearchableChipSelectControl.Collection>
                </SearchableChipSelectControl.Group>
            ) } />
    );
};

Use popupWidth to control how the popup width is constrained relative to its anchor.

This example uses sm, allowing the popup to extend beyond the narrow anchor width.

const PopupWidth = () => <SearchableChipSelectControl
    label="Tags"
    popupWidth="sm"
    items={longLabelPopupItems}
    value={[ longLabelPopupItems[ 0 ] ]} />;