autocomplete ._renderItem and adding a Class to wrapper

Question

Going off the example here http://jqueryui.com/demos/autocomplete/#custom-data I'm wondering how to add a style to the ul wrapper when using _renderItem():

    .data( "autocomplete" )._renderItem = function( ul, item ) {
        return $( "<li></li>" )
            .data( "item.autocomplete", item )
            .append( "<a>" + item.label + "<br>" + item.desc + "</a>" )
            .appendTo( ul );
    };

Dejection

Answer 1

Here would be one simple way to do it, tapping into the open event:

$("#auto").autocomplete({
    source: /* ... */,
    open: function () {
        $(this).data("autocomplete").menu.element.addClass("my_class");
    }
});

jQueryUI >= 1.9

$("#auto").autocomplete({
    source: /* ... */,
    open: function () {
        $(this).data("uiAutocomplete").menu.element.addClass("my_class");
    }
});

menu is an internal widget that autocomplete uses.

Example: http://jsfiddle.net/bx8Ye/

Grasping

Just use $(this).data('uiAutocomplete') instead of 'autocomplete' for these versions. – Rye

Answer 2

If you want to add a style to the ul wrapper then you need to overload _renderMenu() and not _renderItem().

Here is an example that sets the width of the UL and adds a footer as the last li in the ul

.data( "autocomplete" )._renderMenu = function( ul, data ) {

    var self = this;
    $(ul).css('width', settings.dropDownWidth);

    $.each( data, function( index, item ) {
        self._renderItem( ul, item );
    });

    $(ul).append("<div class='myFooter'>some footer text</div>");
}; 

Grandaunt

ERROR: self._renderItem( ul, item ); is not a function – Dejection

ERROR: self = this.css("width", "900px"); this.css is not a function – Dejection

Sorry about that, it was meant as an example not something you can cut and paste and just use. – Grandaunt

here is a link to someone who answered the question better than I did... #2436464 – Grandaunt

edited the answer to correct the bugs you pointed out. Let me know if that doesn't work for you. – Grandaunt

@Grandaunt ul is already a jQuery object, no need to $(ul) – Habitual

Answer 3

When using jQuery UI 1.10, I used Andrew Whitaker's answer, but I had to change

$(this).data("autocomplete").menu.element.addClass("my_class");

to

$(this).data("uiAutocomplete").menu.element.addClass("my_class");

Epitome