Angular Material Input: Removing the White Background on Suggestion Selection
Have you ever noticed a jarring white background flash when you select a suggestion from an Angular Material input field? It's a common issue that can disrupt the user experience and make your application look less polished. This article dives into the cause of this white background and provides a simple solution to eliminate it.
Scenario:
Imagine you're building a search bar with Angular Material's mat-input component. When you start typing, suggestions appear below the input field, allowing the user to select an option. However, upon selecting a suggestion, a white background briefly covers the input field, making the interaction feel clunky.
Original Code:
Here's a basic example of an Angular Material input with suggestions:
<mat-form-field>
<mat-label>Search</mat-label>
<input matInput placeholder="Enter search term" [matAutocomplete]="auto">
<mat-autocomplete #auto="matAutocomplete" [displayWith]="displayFn">
<mat-option *ngFor="let option of filteredOptions" [value]="option">
{{ option.name }}
</mat-option>
</mat-autocomplete>
</mat-form-field>
The Root of the Problem:
The white background flash stems from the default styling of Angular Material's mat-option component. When you select an option, it briefly highlights itself with a white background before the input field is updated with the selected value.
Solution:
The simplest way to eliminate this unwanted white background is to override the mat-option's default styling. You can achieve this with the following CSS:
.mat-option {
background-color: transparent; /* Remove background color */
}
Add this CSS to your application's stylesheet. Now, when you select a suggestion, the white background will no longer flash, providing a seamless user experience.
Further Customization:
You can further customize the appearance of your mat-option by adding additional styles. For example, you could change the color of the selected option, add hover effects, or adjust the font size:
.mat-option {
background-color: transparent;
color: #007bff; /* Blue text color for selected option */
font-weight: bold; /* Bold font weight for selected option */
}
Key Takeaways:
- The white background flash in Angular Material's input suggestions is a common issue related to the default styling of
mat-option. - Overriding the
mat-optionstyles with custom CSS can easily solve this problem. - You can further customize the appearance of your suggestions by adding more specific styles to your CSS.
By following these steps, you can eliminate the white background flash and create a more visually appealing and intuitive user experience for your Angular Material applications.
