How to build autocomplete suggestions in Bubble

The simplest valid way to build autocomplete in Bubble is to use a Search Box element when you can, because it has autocomplete built‑in. If you need custom UI or custom filtering, you use an Input plus a Repeating Group that does a Do a Search for with a constraint like Field contains Input's value, and you show/hide the RG only when the input isn’t empty.

Two real ways to build autocomplete

Option 1: Search Box (built‑in autocomplete)
This works if you are searching a single data type and one field. Drag a Search Box, set Type of choices to your data type (for example, “City”), choose the field shown (for example “Name”), and Bubble automatically shows suggestions as you type. No workflows needed.

• Pros: Fast, no setup, best performance.
• Cons: Limited customization. You can’t control the layout of each suggestion.

Option 2: Custom autocomplete (Input + Repeating Group)
Use this when you want full control of the suggestion list or need multiple search conditions.

• Add an Input.
• Add a Repeating Group below it. Set its Type of content to your data type.
• Set the RG’s Data source to something like:
  
  

  // Repeating Group's Data source
  Do a search for Cities
    Constraint: Name contains Input A's value
  

• Set a condition: only show the RG when the Input isn’t empty. Example: When Input A's value is not empty → This element is visible.
• Inside the RG cell add a text element showing the result’s Name. Add a workflow: When Text is clicked → Set Input A’s value to Current cell's City's Name and hide the RG.

Important Bubble tips

• Use “contains” only on short datasets. For large datasets, add a field with a lowercase normalized version of your text and search on that.
• Privacy rules matter. If the user cannot “find” a field in privacy rules, the autocomplete will return empty.
• Debouncing is optional. Bubble already prevents excessive search calls, so you usually don’t need extra throttling.