moroshko/react-autosuggest

Input field caret position always resets to the end of the input

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#403 opened on Jul 12, 2017

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 (7 comments) (4 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (5,936 stars) (637 forks)batch import
bughelp wanted

Description

The bug is testable with the Scrollable container example on http://react-autosuggest.js.org/

To reproduce:

  1. Focus on the input field
  2. Type ac
  3. Place the caret between a and c
  4. Type b

Observed behavior:

The caret jumps to the end.

Expected behavior:

The caret should stay between b and c.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascriptreact
Domain
frontend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
React basicsDOM manipulation
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
Examine the Autosuggest component in the repository, likely in src/Autosuggest.js or similar. The caret position issue is related to how the input value is managed in React controlled components. Look for how the input's selectionStart and selectionEnd are handled after setState. Check if there is a known pattern to preserve caret position, such as using a ref and manually setting selectionStart after render. Also review any linked PRs or comments for attempted solutions or maintainer input. The fix should ensure that when the value updates, the caret remains at the user's intended position rather than resetting to the end.