Get value from autocomplete text field in ApEx - oracle

Question

I want to create a dynamic action, that will set a value to an item on the page, when the value of another item (autocomplete text field) is set.
So the proccess goes like this:
Click on the autocomplete field
type some letters
choose one of the suggested values
I cannot find an event that will be executed when the selection of one of the suggested values happens. This way, I cannot see how I can read the value of the autocomplete field, once a suggested value is selected.
The change event doesn't fit my needs, it doesn't execute when one suggested value is selected.

Answer 1

I had the same problem, found this link: https://community.oracle.com/thread/2130716?tstart=0 and modified my dynamic action as follows to get the desired behaviour:
Event = Custom
Custom Event = result
From the link:
the problem seems to be the default behavior of the browser. When you
enter some text into the autocomplete and the list is displayed, the
focus is still in the text field. Also if you use the keyboard cursors
to pick an entry the focus will still be in the textfield. That's why
the change event of the textfield doesn't fire. It only fires if you
leave the field.
On the other side if you pick an entry with the mouse, the browser
will remove the focus from the text field for a moment (before the
JavaScript code puts the focus back), because you clicked outside of
the field. But that's enough so that the browser fires the change
event.
I had a look into documentation of the underlaying jQuery Autocomplete
widget
(http://bassistance.de/jquery-plugins/jquery-plugin-autocomplete/) and
there is actually an event called "result" which can be captures if an
entry is selected from the drop down list.

Answer 2

Try "Lose Focus" as event. It will trigger your dynamic action when you leave the autocomplete field, i.e. your curosr is moved to another field.

Answer 3

This probably depends on the APEX version you are using.
In case of 18.2, because the underlying component is based on Oracle JET's "inputSearch" component, you need to use following configure to capture the select change event for text with autocomplete:
event: Custom
custom event: ojupdate
Reference:
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E87657_01/jet/reference-jet/oj.ojInputSearch.html#event:optionChange

Answer 4

I turned on the browser console, then turned ApEx Developer toolbar debug, and found that, on the contrary, the "Change" event does fire upon user clicking with the mouse on one of the selections. However if the user uses keyboard (type a few letters to narrow the list down, then use down arrow key to arrive at desired value, then press enter) then the Change event does not fire, just as you say.
Moreover: even when you do get the value sent back via mouse-click initiated Change event, the value isn't the autocomplete's complete and valid value, but instead the possibly partial and wrong-case value just as typed by the user. I.e., the the change event's submission of the value precedes the autocomplete's substitution.
The answer that #VincentDeelen gave is the best alternative that I can see, although it doesn't quite give that "instantantenous synchronicity" feel. You could maybe use the "Key Down" event, but be careful with that. You could get a really excessive amount of web and db traffic as each and every keystroke (including corrections) results in another firing of the dynamic action.
Testing environment: ApEx 4.2.3 with Chrome 33 as well as IE 9.
p.s. This might be worth a mention to the ApEx development team as well.

Answer 5

It's not really ideal, but you could use onfocus(). I'm looking for the same thing you are, I think, a custom event that fires when the selection of a suggested value happens. I haven't found it yet though and that is my work-around for now. It will run whatever function you've created for this initially with no value, but once the selection is made it will return focus and run the function again with the right value. Like I said, not ideal but it works.

Answer 6

Jeffrey Kemp is right. You can set it up through a dynamic action using the custom event, result. You can also register it on page load using document.getElementById("{id}").addEventListener("result", {function}); or $("#{id}").result( function( event, data, formatted ) { //something here });.

Answer 7

Oracle apex 19 now added a "component event" when you create a dynamic action called "Update [Text Field with autocomplete]" - this action is fired when you select a value from the list, but not when you leave the field (similar to adding the custom event "ojupdate").