I’m working with a SearchWidget component inside my ActionBarCompat setup to handle list filtering during search operations.
Currently when users type text, my ListView updates immediately through an Adapter that filters results. This happens because I’ve set up a OnQueryTextListener that processes each keystroke for real-time filtering.
What I want instead is an autocomplete search interface like Gmail uses - where suggestions appear in a dropdown without modifying the main content view.
I found documentation about using SearchWidget components but those examples need a dedicated searchable activity. My goal is to show the suggestion dropdown right over my current MainActivity (which contains the ListView) rather than launching a separate Activity. Creating a whole new activity feels excessive when I just need a simple suggestion dropdown feature.
You’re right, SearchWidget is way overkill here. I hit the same problem last year building a contact picker. Here’s what worked: use a FrameLayout with your ListView, then drop an AutoCompleteTextView on top with absolute positioning. Override showDropDown() to control when the dropdown appears, and handle filtering in a custom ArrayAdapter. The trick is setting the dropdown anchor right so it shows up exactly where you want it. You’ll get that Gmail-style dropdown without all the search config headaches, and everything stays in your MainActivity.
Had this exact issue when building a product search feature. I ended up combining AutoCompleteTextView with a PopupWindow - gives you way better control over positioning and appearance. Skip the default dropdown behavior and create your own PopupWindow that shows filtered results. Just anchor it to your search input. You’ll get precise control over styling and positioning while keeping everything in your main activity. Set the threshold to 1 or 2 characters so you don’t filter too much, and use a simple TextWatcher to update your popup content. Way cleaner than messing with SearchWidget configuration and you’ll get that polished Gmail-like experience without all the complexity.
autoCompleteTextView is the way to go! u can set it up to show suggestions directly above your ListView. just create a custom adapter for ur data, and itll filter as u type. way easier than using searchWidget!