How do you close the autocomplete suggestions on click outside?
Add a document click listener. Check if the click target is inside the autocomplete container: if (!autocomplete.contains(e.target)) suggestions.style.display = 'none'. This closes the suggestions when clicking anywhere else.
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More FAQs in Building an Autocomplete Search Bar: A Complete Guide
Create an input and a suggestions list. Debounce the input (300ms). Fetch suggestions on input. Render filtered results. Add keyboard navigation (ArrowUp/Down, Enter, Escape). Highlight matching text. Close on click outside. Show loading and no-results states.
To avoid making an API call on every keystroke. Debounce delays the fetch until the user stops typing for 300ms. This reduces API calls, improves performance, and provides a better user experience.
Track a currentHighlight index. ArrowDown increments, ArrowUp decrements. Enter triggers the highlighted item's click. Escape closes the suggestions. Toggle a 'highlighted' CSS class on the active item.
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