Trigger SPClientPeoplePicker to search for string

Question

I am filling the div of a SPClientPeoplePicker with a name of a person via JQuery. Now I want SP to look after this Person without modifying this div any further.

Is it possible to use a trigger event for this? If yes which?

Answer 1

Check out the global variable SPClientPeoplePicker.SPClientPeoplePickerDict. It's an object which is containing the clientside peoplepicker of the current page. You should be able to identify your peoplepicker by searching for the element with the key peoplepickerdivID + _TopSpan for example ctl00_PlaceHolderMain_peoplePicker_TopSpan.

Resolve user

for(var key in SPClientPeoplePicker.SPClientPeoplePickerDict){
   //for every peoplepicker on the page
   var picker = SPClientPeoplePicker.SPClientPeoplePickerDict[key];
   //check out the peoplepicker object - there's a lot more you can do with it
   console.log(picker);

   //haven't found out what the second parameter does actually but it works like this 
   picker.BatchAddUserKeysOperation(['domain\\loginname'], 0);
}

Search for string (with suggestions)

for(var key in SPClientPeoplePicker.SPClientPeoplePickerDict){
   //for every peoplepicker on the page
   var picker = SPClientPeoplePicker.SPClientPeoplePickerDict[key];
   //check out the peoplepicker object - there's a lot more you can do with it
   console.log(picker);     

   //how to trigger the search 
   var searchString = 'test';
   picker.LatestSearchQueryStr = searchString;
   var someInt = picker.AddPickerSearchQuery(searchString);
   picker.ExecutePickerQuery([someInt], function(j, h) {
       var g = JSON.parse(h.m_value);
       if (picker.ShowingLocalSuggestions()) {
           var f = SPClientPeoplePicker.AugmentEntitySuggestions(picker, g, true)
             , i = picker.CurrentLocalSuggestions.length + f.length
             , e = [];
           if (f.length != 0) {
               e.push(SPClientAutoFill.BuildAutoFillSeparatorMenuItem());
               e = e.concat(f)
           }
           e = picker.CurrentLocalSuggestions.concat(e);
           e = SPClientPeoplePicker.AddAutoFillMetaData(picker, e, i);
           picker.ShowAutoFill(e)
       } else
           picker.ShowAutoFill(SPClientPeoplePicker.BuildAutoFillMenuItems(picker, g))
    }, function() {
       picker: ;picker.SetServerError()
    }, null );
}