How to get mat select selected value in tool tip using angular material

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06-10-2024

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Displaying Mat Select Value in a Tooltip: A Practical Guide

Angular Material's mat-select component is a powerful tool for creating dropdown menus. However, sometimes you might want to show the selected value in a tooltip when the user hovers over the component. This provides a quick and clear way to inform the user about their current selection.

Let's explore how to achieve this functionality.

The Problem: Lack of Direct Tooltip Support in mat-select

Angular Material's mat-select component doesn't natively offer tooltip integration. This means we need to implement a custom solution using Angular's features and a little bit of ingenuity.

Example Scenario and Code

Consider a simple form with a mat-select component allowing users to choose their preferred language:

<mat-form-field appearance="fill">
  <mat-label>Language</mat-label>
  <mat-select [(ngModel)]="selectedLanguage">
    <mat-option *ngFor="let language of languages" [value]="language">
      {{ language }}
    </mat-option>
  </mat-select>
</mat-form-field>

We aim to display the selectedLanguage value in a tooltip when the user hovers over the mat-select.

Implementing the Tooltip Solution

Here's how we can achieve this:

1. Import necessary modules:

   import { MatTooltipModule } from '@angular/material/tooltip'; 
   

2. Add matTooltip directive to mat-select:

   <mat-select [(ngModel)]="selectedLanguage" matTooltip="{{ selectedLanguage }}">
     ...
   </mat-select>
   

3. Bind tooltip content to selectedLanguage:

   We use the matTooltip directive and bind it to the selectedLanguage variable. This ensures the tooltip dynamically updates whenever the selected language changes.

Complete Example:

<mat-form-field appearance="fill">
  <mat-label>Language</mat-label>
  <mat-select [(ngModel)]="selectedLanguage" matTooltip="{{ selectedLanguage }}">
    <mat-option *ngFor="let language of languages" [value]="language">
      {{ language }}
    </mat-option>
  </mat-select>
</mat-form-field>

Considerations and Enhancements

• Customizing Tooltip Appearance: You can customize the tooltip's appearance using matTooltipPosition, matTooltipClass, and other options.
• Handling Empty Selections: Consider adding a default message or handling empty selections gracefully to prevent the tooltip from displaying an empty value.
• Accessibility: Make sure the tooltip is accessible by providing appropriate ARIA attributes to the mat-select element.

Conclusion

By leveraging Angular Material's tooltip directive and data binding, we can effortlessly create informative tooltips for our mat-select components. This enhances the user experience by providing clear feedback about their current selection. Remember to consider accessibility and customization options to optimize your implementation.