Guide on setting the focus of an input in a form field using ngIf

I am currently facing an issue where I need to focus on a specific input in my code based on certain conditions derived from an observable. In this scenario, I have initialized a boolean to true inside the ngOnInit() method.

export class InputOverviewExample implements OnInit {
  bool: boolean;

  @ViewChild("input1", { static: true }) input1: MatInput;
  @ViewChild("input2", { static: true }) input2: MatInput;

  ngOnInit() {
    this.bool = true;
    this.input1.nativeElement.focus();
    this.input2.nativeElement.focus();
  }
}

However, I have observed that the focus functionality does not work as expected when using a mat-form-field that is conditionally displayed.

<form class="example-form">
  <h3>Without *ngIf :</h3>
  <mat-form-field appearance="outline" class="example-full-width">
    <input matInput #input1 placeholder="Auto focus" value="Test_input1" />
  </mat-form-field>

  <h3>With *ngIf :</h3>
  <mat-form-field appearance="outline" class="example-full-width" *ngIf="bool">
    <input matInput #input2 placeholder="Auto focus" value="Test_input2" />
  </mat-form-field>
</form>

Link to interactive code example on StackBlitz

If anyone has a solution to this issue, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

Answer №1

To fully grasp ViewChild {static:true} and {static:false} along with {read}, it is essential to understand their functionality.

To begin with, you must define your ViewChildren as:

@ViewChild("input1", { static: false, read:ElementRef }) input1: ElementRef;
@ViewChild("input2", { static: false, read:ElementRef }) input2: ElementRef;

The usage of static: false ensures that Angular verifies if it is within a *ngIf statement.

With read:ElementRef, your "input1" and "input2" are recognized as ElementRef, rather than MatInput.

Another crucial aspect is how Angular functions. Angular performs all actions and updates the application, so in cases like:

this.bool = true;
this.input2.nativeElement.focus(); //<--this.input2 is undefined

Where this.input2 is undefined because Angular has not yet refreshed the application, you should enclose it within a setTimeout - this informs Angular to execute additional instructions after refreshing the application - or utilize ChangeDetectorRef.

Therefore, the solution would be:

  ngOnInit() {
    this.bool = true;
    setTimeout(()=>{
      this.input1.nativeElement.focus();
      this.input2.nativeElement.focus();
    })
  }

Answer №2

initialize() {
    this.flag = true;
    if(...){
        this.firstInputElem.nativeElement.focus();
    }
    else{
        this.secondInputElem.nativeElement.focus();
    }
    
}

Answer №3

Utilize QueryList for element querying

import { Component, OnInit, ViewChild,   
QueryList,
  ViewChildren, ElementRef, AfterViewInit, ChangeDetectorRef } from "@angular/core";
import { MatInput } from "@angular/material";
import {startWith} from 'rxjs/operators';

/**
 * @title Basic Inputs
 */
@Component({
  selector: "input-overview-example",
  styleUrls: ["input-overview-example.css"],
  templateUrl: "input-overview-example.html"
})
export class InputOverviewExample implements OnInit, AfterViewInit {
  bool: boolean;
  @ViewChild("input1", { static: true }) input1: MatInput;
  // @ViewChild("input2", { static: true }) input2: MatInput;
  @ViewChildren('input2') input2: QueryList<ElementRef>;

constructor(private cd: ChangeDetectorRef) {

}
  ngOnInit() {
    this.bool = true;
    this.input1.nativeElement.focus();
  }

  ngAfterViewInit(): void {
     this.input2.changes
     .pipe(
        startWith(true),
      )
      .subscribe(() => {
        this.input2.forEach((elementRef: ElementRef) => {
          if(elementRef) {
             elementRef.nativeElement.focus();
             this.cd.detectChanges();
          }
        });
      });
  }
}

DEMO

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