Question

I have a <select> tag with various options, and I would like to know what determines what happens when the user starts typing.

Say I have a list like the following:

<select id="userlist"> 
<option value="nothing" selected="selected"></option> 
<option value="AdamT">Adam T</option> 
<option value="AidanC">Aidan C</option> 
<option value="IanQ">Ian Q</option> 
<option value="JamesR">James R</option> 
</select>

Sometimes if I type A followed by I, I end up with Aidan C selected.

Other times, if I type just fractionally slower, I end up with Ian Q selected.

What determines what ends up being selected, and at what speed of typing? Is it browser-specific, or is it set in the HTML spec?

Answer 1

That is browser or OS specific, depending if the browser uses native or custom widgets, I think.

There is certainly nothing in the HTML spec about it.