Enable typing & searching on focus in MultiSelect with Checkbox Mode (without opening dropdown first)

[Buddhi - BLUE LOTUS 360]

Hello Syncfusion Team,

I am using the Angular MultiSelect component with the checkbox mode enabled.
Everything works well, but I have a requirement related to the search behavior.

Current Behavior

When using checkbox mode:

• The user must first click the dropdown to open it.

• Only after the dropdown opens, the search input appears inside the popup.

• Then the user can type and filter the items.

My Requirement

I need the MultiSelect to behave more like a normal ComboBox/DropDownList:

• When the MultiSelect gets focus, the user should be able to start typing immediately.

• Typing should automatically trigger the filtering, even before the dropdown is opened.

• The dropdown should open automatically when the search text is entered.

• Users should still be able to open the popup manually using the dropdown button (as usual).

• All of this should work with checkbox mode enabled.

Question

Is there a built-in way to:

• Enable typing/searching directly on focus, without automatically opening the dropdown, and

• Automatically show the dropdown when the user starts typing?

Or is this not supported in checkbox mode?

If not available, please let me know if there is any recommended workaround or if this feature can be considered for future versions.

Additional Context

Angular version: 18
Syncfusion package: @syncfusion/ej2-angular-dropdowns
Component: MultiSelectComponent
Mode: checkbox

Thank you!
Looking forward to your guidance.

[Kundurthi Naga Siddartha Kundurthi Vennela Prasad]

Hi  Buddhi ,

 

 

When the Syncfusion MultiSelect component is used with checkbox mode enabled, the behavior is slightly different compared to the standard MultiSelect or ComboBox:

• In checkbox mode, the main input field is read-only. This design ensures that the input area is reserved for displaying the selected items rather than allowing direct typing.

• When you focus on the component, an additional input field appears inside the dropdown popup. This input is specifically intended for searching and filtering items.

• To perform filtering, the user must first open the dropdown (either by clicking the input or the dropdown icon). Once opened, the search box inside the popup allows typing and filtering.

• This is the default and expected behavior of the component in checkbox mode, as it prioritizes clear item selection through checkboxes while keeping the main input focused on displaying chosen values.

 

At present, there is no built-in option to enable typing or searching directly in the main input field before opening the dropdown when checkbox mode is active. The filtering input is intentionally placed inside the popup to align with the checkbox selection workflow.

 

We understand your requirement to allow typing immediately on focus and automatically open the dropdown when the user starts typing. While this is not currently supported in checkbox mode, we have noted this as a valuable suggestion. Our team will review it for possible inclusion in future updates.

 

If your requirement is to filter immediately when the input is focused (without opening the dropdown first), you can use the default mode of the MultiSelect. In default mode, typing is allowed directly in the input field, and filtering begins as soon as the user types.

 

The Syncfusion MultiSelect component currently supports the following modes:

 

• Default Mode – Allows typing directly in the input field, immediate filtering, and selection without checkboxes.
• Checkbox Mode – Displays selected items in a read-only input, with filtering available only inside the dropdown popup.
• Delimiter Mode – Selected items are displayed as a single string separated by delimiters.
• Box Mode – Each selected item is displayed as a separate token (chip) inside the input.

For your reference we have included the documentation below:
Documentation: Index-default in Multi-select Control | Syncfusion