Combobox

Filter an authored listbox from a native text input. Custom element

<ui-combobox>
  <label for="component-search">Component</label>
  <input id="component-search" role="combobox" type="text" aria-autocomplete="list">
  <div role="listbox" popover="manual">
    <div role="option" data-ui-value="draft">Draft</div>
    <div role="option" data-ui-value="ready">Ready</div>
    <div role="option" data-ui-value="published">Published</div>
  </div>
</ui-combobox>

Install

import '@timelessui/components/css/tokens.css'
import '@timelessui/components/css/combobox.css'
import '@timelessui/components/css/listbox.css'
import '@timelessui/components/css/popover.css'
import '@timelessui/components/define/ui-combobox'

Anatomy

Parts are authored in your own markup and identified by the selector below, so your CSS can target the same anatomy without loading Timeless styles. Required parts must be present for the component to work. Private data-ui-internal-* hooks are written by the runtime and must never be authored.

Part	Required	Selector	Purpose
`input`	Yes	`[role='combobox']`	The native text input. Timeless wires `aria-expanded`, `aria-controls`, and `aria-activedescendant`.
`listbox`	Yes	`[role='listbox']`	The option container.
`option`	Yes	`[role='option']`	One option. Its value comes from `value`, then `data-ui-value`, then the element id. Filtering hides non-matching options.

Attributes

Every value below is implemented by the stylesheets this component ships. Boolean attributes are presence-based: author the attribute with no value, or omit it.

Attribute	Values	Default	Description
`value`	any `string`	—	The option selected on load and after a form reset. Assign the `value` property for live changes.

Element API

Attributes above are the authoring surface. These are the DOM properties and events the registered element adds once it upgrades.

`<ui-combobox>`

Property	Type	Notes
`defaultValue`	`string`	Reflects the `value` attribute, documented above.
`value`	`string`	Live value. Assigning it does not rewrite the authored default and does not dispatch transition events.

Event	Detail	Description
`ui-before-change`	`CustomEvent<ComboboxChangeDetail>`	Cancelable proposal dispatched before the selected option changes. Call `preventDefault()` to reject the transition and keep the current value.
`ui-change`	`CustomEvent<ComboboxChangeDetail>`	Dispatched after the selected option has changed. Bubbles and is composed.

Styling

Root identity: ui-combobox. Required stylesheets: tokens.css, combobox.css, listbox.css, popover.css.

This component adds no custom properties of its own. Restyle it through the design tokens or your own CSS.

Design tokens this component reads (18)

These are global Atmosphere tokens. Change them once at the theme level rather than per component.

--ui-accent · --ui-accent-soft · --ui-bg-surface · --ui-bg-surface-raised · --ui-disabled-opacity · --ui-fg · --ui-fg-muted · --ui-focus · --ui-line · --ui-line-strong · --ui-radius-lg · --ui-radius-md · --ui-radius-sm · --ui-shadow-floating · --ui-space-1 · --ui-space-2 · --ui-space-3 · --ui-space-4

Accessibility

Keep the native elements, roles, and relationships shown in the example. Timeless adds only the state and keyboard coordination the platform does not already provide, and it never supplies your accessible names — those depend on your content.

Follows the Combobox pattern from the ARIA Authoring Practices Guide.

Key	Action
`Arrow Down / Arrow Up`	Open the listbox, then move the active option.
`Home / End`	Move to the first or last matching option.
`Enter`	Commit the active option.
`Escape`	Close the listbox, then clear the filter on a second press.

Focus stays in the text input at all times; the active option is exposed with aria-activedescendant. Filtering hides non-matching options rather than removing them.

Before JavaScript runs

The markup above is complete and usable on its own: native controls submit, labels associate, and authored ARIA is already correct. Registration adds state synchronisation, focus management, and keyboard coordination on top of it.

More examples

Open Combobox in StoryLite for variants, controls, and manual testing.