A service enquiry may use suggestions to help a customer select the right branch or service. Before commissioning a custom combobox, decide whether free text is allowed and what commits a suggestion. Merely highlighting an item should not silently change the enquiry destination.
Primary evidence and claim boundaries
W3C APG describes combobox keyboard interaction, including popup dismissal and accepting a selected suggestion; the exact behaviour depends on the chosen combobox pattern. Primary reference · Read 17 October 2026.
Filled acceptance example
Synthetic teaching scenario, not a client case, provider integration test or business result. Scroll the example table on narrow screens.
| Synthetic state | Action | Expected stored selection |
|---|---|---|
| Typed“design”; no committedID | Down arrow highlightsS2 | No committed serviceID yet |
| S2 highlighted | Enter commits suggestion | serviceID=S2; visible label matches |
| Popup open; prior committed S1 | Escape under declared pattern | Popup closes; preserve agreed prior value |
| Edited text no longer matchesS2 | Submit required-selection form | Clear staleID; explain selection requirement |
Practical handover procedure
- Choose editable versus select-only behaviour and whether unmatched text is valid. Document visible text, active suggestion and committed ID as separate states.
- Give suggestions stable IDs and accessible labels. Test arrow navigation, Enter, Escape, pointer selection and a no-results state against the chosen APG pattern.
- Verify stale-ID clearing after edits and compare final payload with the confirmation screen. Include keyboard and assistive-technology observations, not only mouse selection.
Interpret the outcome
The first row highlights S2 without selecting it. That distinction prevents a request being routed to a service the customer never chose. In the last row a server must validate the actual selection; a plausible visible label is insufficient. Search matching quality remains a different decision from committing a result.
Acceptance decision
Require agreement between committed ID, visible label, submitted payload and confirmation under all supported input paths. A native select may be simpler when search is unnecessary.
Limits and unverified work
Synthetic state contract, not a tested component or APG compliance certificate. Actual browser/assistive-technology support and server-side service availability need their own validation.
Download the filled bilingual acceptance record — Contains these inputs, steps, expectations and limits. This is a teaching record, not an executable integration.