Value Binding

The MultiSelect value can be an array of either primitive (strings, numbers, or other) or complex values (objects).

To set the value, apply any of the following approaches:

• Use the value property. If the value is set through the value property of the MultiSelect, you have to hook up to the valueChange event and manually update the value property.
• Use the ngModel value binding. If the value is set by the ngModel value binding, the framework automatically will update the corresponding field from the model after the value of the component changes.
• Use the formControlName value binding available in the Reactive forms. If the value is set by the formControlName value binding, the framework automatically will update the corresponding field from the form model after the value of the component changes.

• The MultiSelect does not support the simultaneous usage of the value property and the ngModel value binding.
• The MultiSelect does not support values which contain \n new line characters. The regular input HTML DOM element which the MultiSelect uses internally treats \n as a regular whitespace. Therefore, when the component compares the value of the input element with the data item that is selected by the user, the two values differ, the value of the input element is actually not present in the data of the component, and the MultiSelect does not recognize it. To handle such issues, map the incoming data so that it contains regular whitespaces only.

When binding the MultiSelect value, the component provides options for:

• Using primitive values (string, number, or other)
• Using complex values (objects)
• Using primitive values from object fields
• Handling invalid value errors

Primitive Values

If the MultiSelect is bound to a dataset of primitive values, its value will be an array of primitives of the same type.

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Object Values

If the MultiSelect is bound to a dataset of objects, its value will be an object of the same type.

When the selected item is an object, always specify valueField. If you do not a set value for the field, the MultiSelect will compare the items by reference, which may complicate debugging. For example, the selected value will not be applied, if it does not reference the exact passed data object.

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Primitive Values from Object Fields

If the MultiSelect is bound to a dataset of complex objects and the valuePrimitive property is set to true, its value will also be of the primitive type (string, number).

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Invalid Value Errors

If the value which is assigned through the [value] or [(ngModel)] inputs does not match the expected type, the MultiSelect throws a JavaScript error.

In the following example, the component has both its [valueField] and [textField] specified, which implies that the [data] will contain objects. Because the [valuePrimitive] is not explicitly set to true, the MultiSelect expects an array of object values. Instead, an array with a number is provided and, as a result, a JavaScript exception occurs.

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To fix the JavaScript issue, either:

• Change the value type, or
• Update the settings of the component.

The following table lists the valid configuration scenarios.

Value	[Data]	[ValuePrimitive]
[primitives]	primitives	Not set (automatically calculated as true)
[objects]	objects	Not set (automatically calculated as false)
[primitives]	objects	true (manually set by the developer)

Suggested Links

• API Reference of the MultiSelect