Mastering the Google Places Autocomplete SearchBox: Managing the predictions - enabling or disabling with ease

Question

Mastering the Google Places Autocomplete SearchBox: Managing the predictions - enabling or disabling with ease

Is there a way to manage the predictions provided by Google Places Autocomplete SearchBox (google.maps.places.SearchBox) service?

In simpler terms, can the HTML input element connected to the Autocomplete SearchBox service be temporarily disconnected and then reconnected?

The issue I am facing is that when the search results are displayed below the input element, the predictions show up over the results once the user returns focus to the input. This obstructs the view of the results and I would like to prevent predictions from showing until the user modifies the input text.

https://i.sstatic.net/GG9jY.png

EDIT 26/Aug/2016:

Currently, disabling predictions is not supported by the Javascript API. Therefore, I have submitted a feature request to Google. If you are interested in this feature, please vote for it here: Autocomplete SearchBox - Control (enable/disable) predictions..

EDIT 07/Sep/2016 - bounty award update:

Thank you to everyone who contributed answers and helped promote the question.

The main goal of the award was to find a solution using existing resources, which unfortunately did not happen, so the bounty will not be awarded.

While none of the answers below offer a solution, they do provide valuable insights that may lead to a solution in the future. Thank you! Perhaps these insights will help address the issue at hand.

The secondary goal of the award was to bring attention to the feature request for controlling predictions in the Autocomplete SearchBox. Its status has been updated to NeatIdea and has been assigned an internal tracking number, which is a positive development.

javascript google-maps google-maps-api-3 autocomplete google-places-api

Answer 1

Answer №1

To enhance user experience, you can dynamically disable the autocomplete feature after a location is selected by adding a disabled class to the input field. This approach allows you to toggle the predictions based on the presence of the class.

Integrate this functionality within an if-else statement around your autocomplete code.

let field = document.getElementById('location');
if (field.className.indexOf('disabled') > -1) {
  google.maps.event.clearInstanceListeners(field);
}
else {
  let autocomplete = new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(field, {types: ['geocode']});
  autocomplete.addListener('place_changed', () => {
    let place = autocomplete.getPlace();
    let filed_val = field.value;
    field.classList.add('disabled');
  });
}

By following this structure, the autocomplete will be removed upon selecting a place. You also have the option to re-enable it by removing the disabled class from the input field whenever needed.

Answer 2

To enhance user experience, you can dynamically disable the autocomplete feature after a location is selected by adding a disabled class to the input field. This approach allows you to toggle the predictions based on the presence of the class.

Integrate this functionality within an if-else statement around your autocomplete code.

let field = document.getElementById('location');
if (field.className.indexOf('disabled') > -1) {
  google.maps.event.clearInstanceListeners(field);
}
else {
  let autocomplete = new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(field, {types: ['geocode']});
  autocomplete.addListener('place_changed', () => {
    let place = autocomplete.getPlace();
    let filed_val = field.value;
    field.classList.add('disabled');
  });
}

By following this structure, the autocomplete will be removed upon selecting a place. You also have the option to re-enable it by removing the disabled class from the input field whenever needed.

Answer 3

Answer №2

My approach using AngularJS involves extracting code from a directive.

The .pac-contained element is generated when an instance of an Autocomplete service is created, for example:

new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(…)

or

new google.maps.places.SearchBox(…)

.

What I do is locate the newly created .pac-container in the document, save its reference, and designate it as processed (by adding a custom class .predictions-control). This marking is necessary if multiple .pac-container elements may exist in the application.

With this reference, I am able to manage the visibility (hide or show) of the .pac-contained predictions.

// Code snippet to handle predictions container.
var pacContainer = null;

function getPredictionsContainer() {
    var e = document.querySelector('div.pac-container:not(.predictions-control)');
    if (e){
        var container = angular.element(e);
        container.addClass('predictions-control');
        console.log('predictions-control: Container found.');
        return container;
    } else {
        console.warn('predictions-control: Container not found!');
    }
    return null;
} 

function untilContainerFound(){
    pacContainer = getPredictionsContainer();
    if (pacContainer == null){
        $timeout(untilContainerFound, 50);
    }
}

this.init = function() {
    untilContainerFound();
};

this.hidePredictions = function() {
    if (pacContainer === null){
        pacContainer = getPredictionsContainer();
    }
    if (pacContainer){
        console.log('predictions-control: Hiding predictions.');
        pacContainer.addClass('ng-hide');
    } else {
        console.warn('predictions-control: Container not found!');
    }
}; 

this.showPredictions = function() {
    console.log('predictions-control: Showing predictions.');
    if (pacContainer){
        pacContainer.removeClass('ng-hide');
    }
};

Invoke init() immediately after creating the service instance:

// Creating SearchBox service for autocomplete functionality.
autocomplete = new google.maps.places.SearchBox(inputElem[0]);
// OR
// autocomplete = new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(…..);
autocomplete.addListener('places_changed', callback);

predictionsCtrl.init();

Note: It works reliably with multiple Autocomplete service instances as long as they are not created simultaneously (e.g., each service on a different tab) or the creation of the next service is delayed until the .pac-container for the previous service is located.

Answer 4

My approach using AngularJS involves extracting code from a directive.

The .pac-contained element is generated when an instance of an Autocomplete service is created, for example:

new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(…)

or

new google.maps.places.SearchBox(…)

.

What I do is locate the newly created .pac-container in the document, save its reference, and designate it as processed (by adding a custom class .predictions-control). This marking is necessary if multiple .pac-container elements may exist in the application.

With this reference, I am able to manage the visibility (hide or show) of the .pac-contained predictions.

// Code snippet to handle predictions container.
var pacContainer = null;

function getPredictionsContainer() {
    var e = document.querySelector('div.pac-container:not(.predictions-control)');
    if (e){
        var container = angular.element(e);
        container.addClass('predictions-control');
        console.log('predictions-control: Container found.');
        return container;
    } else {
        console.warn('predictions-control: Container not found!');
    }
    return null;
} 

function untilContainerFound(){
    pacContainer = getPredictionsContainer();
    if (pacContainer == null){
        $timeout(untilContainerFound, 50);
    }
}

this.init = function() {
    untilContainerFound();
};

this.hidePredictions = function() {
    if (pacContainer === null){
        pacContainer = getPredictionsContainer();
    }
    if (pacContainer){
        console.log('predictions-control: Hiding predictions.');
        pacContainer.addClass('ng-hide');
    } else {
        console.warn('predictions-control: Container not found!');
    }
}; 

this.showPredictions = function() {
    console.log('predictions-control: Showing predictions.');
    if (pacContainer){
        pacContainer.removeClass('ng-hide');
    }
};

Invoke init() immediately after creating the service instance:

// Creating SearchBox service for autocomplete functionality.
autocomplete = new google.maps.places.SearchBox(inputElem[0]);
// OR
// autocomplete = new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(…..);
autocomplete.addListener('places_changed', callback);

predictionsCtrl.init();

Note: It works reliably with multiple Autocomplete service instances as long as they are not created simultaneously (e.g., each service on a different tab) or the creation of the next service is delayed until the .pac-container for the previous service is located.

Answer 5

Answer №3

Why bother with a search box if you're not interested in predictions? Predictions are what make the SearchBox useful. If you prefer to skip predictions, consider using Text Search from the Places library.

If the user keeps interacting with the search box after receiving suggestions, they may not find the results helpful. This behavior is also seen in Google Maps and doesn't seem like a problem, right?

If you need to temporarily disable suggestions and create some space between the SearchBox and results (similar to this tool), you can destroy the existing google.maps.places.SearchBox object and recreate it later with the same HTML input element.

Answer 6

Why bother with a search box if you're not interested in predictions? Predictions are what make the SearchBox useful. If you prefer to skip predictions, consider using Text Search from the Places library.

If the user keeps interacting with the search box after receiving suggestions, they may not find the results helpful. This behavior is also seen in Google Maps and doesn't seem like a problem, right?

If you need to temporarily disable suggestions and create some space between the SearchBox and results (similar to this tool), you can destroy the existing google.maps.places.SearchBox object and recreate it later with the same HTML input element.

Answer 7

Answer №4

Potentially valuable insight.

This information pertains specifically to API V3.29 (though its accuracy may vary).
The autocomplete div generated by the API is assigned a class of "pac-container pac-logo".
By using document.querySelector('.pac-container'), you could potentially hide it by setting its style attribute to display: none upon clicking elsewhere on the page.

PLEASE NOTE: Google will revert the style attribute when users click back in the search box, so setting it once should be sufficient—there's no need to reset it again.
(this approach may be simpler and more organized than involving Angular).

I hope this proves useful to someone (I personally had to adjust the z-index through a CSS rule to ensure the autocomplete displayed correctly in an application).

Answer 8

Potentially valuable insight.

This information pertains specifically to API V3.29 (though its accuracy may vary).
The autocomplete div generated by the API is assigned a class of "pac-container pac-logo".
By using document.querySelector('.pac-container'), you could potentially hide it by setting its style attribute to display: none upon clicking elsewhere on the page.

PLEASE NOTE: Google will revert the style attribute when users click back in the search box, so setting it once should be sufficient—there's no need to reset it again.
(this approach may be simpler and more organized than involving Angular).

I hope this proves useful to someone (I personally had to adjust the z-index through a CSS rule to ensure the autocomplete displayed correctly in an application).

Answer 9

Answer №5

Disabling predictions in a text box can be achieved by adding the disabled attribute.

It's important to note that using the readonly attribute will not have the same effect.

This feature could prove beneficial in specific situations.

Answer 10

Disabling predictions in a text box can be achieved by adding the disabled attribute.

It's important to note that using the readonly attribute will not have the same effect.

This feature could prove beneficial in specific situations.

Mastering the Google Places Autocomplete SearchBox: Managing the predictions - enabling or disabling with ease

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

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