---
title: Add a custom dropdown menu to a searchbox
slug: '1503'
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/1503/
collection: javascript-search-framework
source_format: adoc
---
# Add a custom dropdown menu to a searchbox
You may want to add a custom dropdown menu next to your search box so that, for example, the end user can enforce a specific query filter by selecting one of its items.
This article contains code samples and explanations on how to implement and use a custom component to achieve this goal (see [Create custom components](https://docs.coveo.com/en/297/)).



> **Note**
>
> Although the custom component presented in this article doesn't affect the query, you can add extra code to do so, according to your specific needs.

. Create two custom components:
 .. A component that acts as a list/container for dropdown menu items:

```typescript
// SearchboxDropdown.ts

import {
  Component,
  Initialization,
  LazyInitialization,
  ComponentOptions,
  IComponentBindings,
  IComponentDefinition,
  Utils,
  load,
  $$
} from 'coveo-search-ui';

import {
  ISearchboxDropdownItemOptions,
  SearchboxDropdownItem
} from './SearchboxDropdownItem';

export interface ISearchboxDropdownOptions {}

export class SearchboxDropdown extends Component {

  static ID = 'SearchboxDropdown';

  static options: ISearchboxDropdownOptions = {};

  private selectedItem: SearchboxDropdownItem = null;
  public itemList: HTMLElement = null;

  constructor(public element: HTMLElement, public options: ISearchboxDropdownOptions,
              public bindings?: IComponentBindings) {
    super(element, SearchboxDropdown.ID, bindings);
    this.options = ComponentOptions.initComponentOptions(element, SearchboxDropdown,
                                                         options);

    //...

    this.renderComponent();
  };

  /**
   * Adds a SearchboxDropdownItem to the dropdown menu.
   * @param options The options to apply to the new item.
   */
  public addItem(options: ISearchboxDropdownItemOptions) {
    let newHTMLElement = $$('div', {class: 'SearchboxDropdownItem'}).el;
    this.element.appendChild(newHTMLElement);
    let item = new SearchboxDropdownItem(newHTMLElement, options);
  };

  private renderSelectedItem() {
    let renderedSelectedItem = $$(this.element).findClass(
                               'coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown-selected')[0];
    if (!Utils.isNullOrUndefined(renderedSelectedItem)) {
      renderedSelectedItem.remove();
    }

    let selectedItem = $$('span', {class: 'coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown-selected'},
                           this.selectedItem.options.caption +
                           '<i class="fa fa-chevron-down"></i>').el;
    /**
     * To make the chevron appear, include Font Awesome
     * (see https://fontawesome.com/how-to-use/on-the-web/setup/getting-started?using=web-fonts-with-css).
     * Alternatively, you could also include your own image.
     */

    this.element.appendChild(selectedItem);
  }

  /**
   * Selects a SearchboxDropdownItem.
   * @param item The item to select.
   */
  public selectItem(item: SearchboxDropdownItem) {
    this.selectedItem = item;
    this.renderSelectedItem();
  }

  /**
   * Toggles the SearchboxDropDown menu
   */
  public toggle() {
    $$(this.element).toggleClass('active');
  };

  private handleClick() {
    this.toggle();
  };

  private renderComponent() {
    this.itemList = $$('ul', {class: 'coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown-content'}).el;
    this.element.appendChild(this.itemList);

    $$(this.element).addClass('coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown');
    $$(this.element).on('click', () => this.handleClick());

    let that = this;
    document.onclick = function (this, event: MouseEvent) {
      if (!$$(<HTMLElement>event.toElement).closest(
          'coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown')) {
        if ($$(that.element).hasClass('active')) {
          $$(that.element).toggleClass('active', false);
        }
      }
    };
  };
};

export function lazySearchboxDropdown() {
  return load<IComponentDefinition>('Searchbox').then((Searchbox) => {
    Initialization.registerAutoCreateComponent(SearchboxDropdown);
    return SearchboxDropdown;
  });
};

// Register the 'SearchboxDropdown' lazy component using
// the previously defined function.
LazyInitialization.registerLazyComponent('SearchboxDropdown',
                                         lazySearchboxDropdown);
```

 .. A component that acts as an individual item which goes inside a `SearchboxDropdown` component:

```typescript
// SearchboxDropdownItem.ts

import {
  Component,
  Initialization,
  LazyInitialization,
  ComponentOptions,
  IComponentBindings,
  IComponentDefinition,
  get,
  load,
  $$
} from 'coveo-search-ui';

import {
  SearchboxDropdown
} from './SearchboxDropdown';

export interface ISearchboxDropdownItemOptions {
  caption: string;
  target?: string;
  default?: boolean;
  position?: string;
}

export class SearchboxDropdownItem extends Component {
  static ID = 'SearchboxDropdownItem';

  /**
   * The options for the component.
   * @componentOptions
   */
  static options: ISearchboxDropdownItemOptions = {

    /**
     * Specifies the caption to be displayed on the component.
     */
    caption: ComponentOptions.buildStringOption({defaultValue: ''}),

    /**
     * Specifies the target of the component. To be used in your
     * implementation, for example, in the toggle() function below.
     */
    target: ComponentOptions.buildStringOption({defaultValue: ''}),

    /**
     * Specifies whether the component is displayed when the search
     * page first loads.
     */
    default: ComponentOptions.buildBooleanOption({defaultValue: false}),

    /**
     * Specifies the position of the component.
     */
    position: ComponentOptions.buildStringOption({defaultValue: ''})
  };

  private searchboxDropdown: SearchboxDropdown = null;

  constructor(public element: HTMLElement,
              public options: ISearchboxDropdownItemOptions,
              public bindings?: IComponentBindings) {
    super(element, SearchboxDropdownItem.ID, bindings);
    this.options = ComponentOptions.initComponentOptions(
                      element, SearchboxDropdownItem, options);

    //...

    this.renderComponent();
  };

   /**
   * Toggles the selected item.
   */
  public toggle() {
    this.searchboxDropdown.selectItem(this);

    // This is most likely where you would include code to
    // affect the query, probably using this.options.target

  }

  private handleClick() {
    this.toggle();
  };

  private renderComponent() {
    this.searchboxDropdown = <SearchboxDropdown>get(this.element.parentElement);
    let link = $$('a', {}, this.options.caption).el;
    let item = $$('li', {class: this.options.position}, '', link).el;

    $$(link).on('click', () => this.handleClick());

    if (this.options.default) {
      this.searchboxDropdown.selectItem(this);
    }
    this.searchboxDropdown.itemList.appendChild(item);
  };
};

export function lazySearchboxDropdownItem() {
  return load<IComponentDefinition>('SearchboxDropdown').then(
                                            (SearchboxDropdown) => {
    Initialization.registerAutoCreateComponent(SearchboxDropdownItem);
    return SearchboxDropdownItem;
  });
};

// Register the 'SearchboxDropdownItem' lazy component using
// the previously defined function.
LazyInitialization.registerLazyComponent('SearchboxDropdownItem',
                                         lazySearchboxDropdownItem);
```
. Create a custom style sheet to personalize the component:

```css
// CustomDropDown.scss

.CoveoSearchboxDropdownItem {
   display: none;
}

.coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown {
  position: relative;
  display: inline-block;
  float: left;
  z-index: 12;
  padding: 12px 10px;
  font-size: 16px;
  line-height: 24px;
  background-color: #f3f3f3;
  color: #777;
  border-top: 1px solid #bcc3ca;
  border-left: 1px solid #bcc3ca;
  border-top-left-radius: 4px;
  cursor: pointer;
  &.active,
  &:hover {
    background-color: #D6D4D4;
  }
  &.active {
    .coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown-content {
    display: block;
    }
  }
}

.coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown-selected .fa {
  font-size: 10px;
  padding-left: 5px;
  position: relative;
  top: -2px;
}

ul.coveo-custom-searchbox-dropdown-content {
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
  background-color: #f9f9f9;
  min-width: 160px;
  box-shadow: 0px 8px 16px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
  padding: 0;
  z-index: 12;
  margin: 0;
  list-style-type: none;
  box-shadow: 0 0px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, .175);
  background-color: #e7e7e7;
  border: 3px solid #fff;
  border-radius: 0px;
  font-family: arial;
  min-width: 250px;
  left: 0px;
  top: 55px;
  li {
    &.indent a {
      padding-left: 25px;
      font-style: italic;
    }
    &.hidden {
      display: none;
    }
    a {
      padding: 3px 10px;
      border-left: 5px solid transparent;
      display: block;
      color: #000;
      text-decoration: none;
      &:hover {
        background-color: #F5F5F5;
      }
    }
    &:hover::before {
      content: '';
      position: absolute;
      height: 30px;
      border-left: 5px solid #ca0000;
    }
  }
}
```

. Add the custom component to your searchbox:


> **Note**
>
> In order for the chevron icon to appear in the component, you must include Font Awesome in your search interface (see [Getting Started on the Web](https://fontawesome.com/how-to-use/on-the-web/setup/getting-started?using=web-fonts-with-css)).

```html
<!-- ... -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v5.2.0/css/all.css" integrity="sha384-hWVjflwFxL6sNzntih27bfxkr27PmbbK/iSvJ+a4+0owXq79v+lsFkW54bOGbiDQ" crossorigin="anonymous">
<!-- ... -->
<div class='coveo-search-section'>
  <!-- ... -->
   <div class="CoveoSearchboxDropdown">
     <div class="CoveoSearchboxDropdownItem" data-target="" data-caption="All Content" data-default="true"></div>
     <div class="CoveoSearchboxDropdownItem" data-target="" data-caption="Message"></div>
     <div class="CoveoSearchboxDropdownItem" data-target="" data-caption="Thread"></div>
   </div>
   <!-- ... -->
</div>
```
. Dynamically add entries to your component by inserting code such as the following in your script:

```typescript
// Some Script
// ...
if (someCondition){
  Coveo.get(document.getElementsByClassName('CoveoSearchboxDropdown')[0]).addItem({caption:'Video',default:true});
}
// ...
```