Manipulating SPClientPeoplePicker value

Question

I would like to use the SPCLientPeoplePicker to generate a result set without manually typing into the people picker input field. I want to do this by javascript having the people picker control hidden.

SPClientPeoplePicker.SPClientPeoplePickerDict.peoplePicker_TopSpan.AutoFillControl.AllOptionData - gives me all the information I need given the fact that I have manually entered something into peoplePicker_TopSpan_EditorInput. I do not know how it compiles the result in AllOptionData...

It is not sufficent just to change value in the editorInput with javascript. Some kind of event is triggered at user input and I cant find out which and where.

There is also a hidden input field which I have also tried to change value on but without further luck.

I would like it all to be done client-side with javascript. How can it be done?

Answer 1

There is a way to achieve this by posting to the people picker REST api. So maybe you can build your own people picker to do the manipulation instead of relying on the OOB people picker.

Note: Replace <termtosearch> with the the appropriate term you want to search the result set with.

$.ajax( 
{        
    'url':'https://siteUrl/_api/SP.UI.ApplicationPages.ClientPeoplePickerWebServiceInterface.clientPeoplePickerSearchUser',
    'method':'POST',
    'data':JSON.stringify({
        'queryParams':{
            '__metadata':{
                'type':'SP.UI.ApplicationPages.ClientPeoplePickerQueryParameters'
            },
            'MaximumEntitySuggestions':50,
            'PrincipalSource':15,
            'PrincipalType': 1,
            'QueryString':'<termtosearch>'
    }
    }),
    'headers':{
        'accept':'application/json;odata=verbose',
        'content-type':'application/json;odata=verbose',
        'X-RequestDigest':$('#__REQUESTDIGEST').val()
    },
    'success':function (data) { 
        var d = data; //data object will have the result set in JSON
        console.log(data);
    },
    'error':function (err) { 
        alert(JSON.stringify(err)); 
    }
});

Source: http://sharepointfieldnotes.blogspot.in/2014/06/sharepoint-2013-clientpeoplepicker.html