wp-agentic-writer/MENTION_AUTOCOMPLETE_FEATURE.md

Mention Autocomplete Feature - Implementation Complete

Summary

Added intelligent autocomplete dropdown when typing @ in the chat input. Shows all available blocks with truncated content previews so users can easily select the right block to refine.

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What Was Added

1. State Management (assets/js/sidebar.js)

New State Variables:

• showMentionAutocomplete - Controls dropdown visibility
• mentionQuery - Current search query after @
• mentionOptions - Filtered list of available blocks
• mentionCursorIndex - Keyboard navigation position
• inputRef - Reference to textarea element

2. Core Functions

getMentionOptions(query) - Builds list of available mentions:

• Special mentions: @this, @previous, @next, @all
• Numbered blocks: @paragraph-1, @heading-2, @list-1
• Filters by query string
• Shows truncated content preview (40 chars max)
• Limits to 10 options

handleInputChange(value) - Detects when user types @:

• Finds @ symbol using regex: /@(\w*)$/
• Shows/hides autocomplete dropdown
• Filters options based on what user types after @

handleKeyDown(e) - Keyboard navigation:

• ↑/↓ arrows - Navigate options
• Enter - Select current option
• Escape - Close dropdown
• Ctrl+Enter - Send message (when dropdown closed)

insertMention(option) - Inserts selected mention:

• Replaces @query with selected option
• Adds space after mention
• Closes dropdown
• Returns focus to textarea

3. UI Components

Autocomplete Dropdown:

• Positioned above textarea (bottom: 100%)
• Full width of input area
• Scrollable (max-height: 200px)
• White background with shadow

Mention Options:

• Bold label: @paragraph-1
• Smaller sublabel with content preview
• Hover effect: Light blue background (#e7f3ff)
• Selected state: Blue left border
• Smooth transitions

4. CSS Enhancements (assets/css/sidebar.css)

Updated Styles (Lines 568-604):

• .wpaw-mention-autocomplete - Dropdown container
• .wpaw-mention-option - Individual option styling
• .wpaw-mention-option:hover - Hover effect
• .wpaw-mention-option.selected - Keyboard navigation indicator
• Smooth 0.15s transitions

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User Experience

Workflow

1. User types @ → Dropdown appears immediately

2. Shows all options (up to 10):

   • Special mentions first (@this, @previous, @next, @all)
   • Then all blocks (@paragraph-1, @heading-1, @list-1, etc.)

3. User continues typing → List filters:

   • Type "p" → Shows @paragraph-1, @paragraph-2, @previous
   • Type "h" → Shows @heading-1, @heading-2
   • Type "1" → Shows @paragraph-1, @heading-1, @list-1

4. User selects option (click or Enter):

   • Mention inserted: @paragraph-1
   • Dropdown closes
   • Cursor ready after mention

5. User can add more mentions:

   • "Refine @paragraph-1 and @paragraph-2 to be more concise"

Visual Feedback

Dropdown Appearance:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ @this                                │
│ Currently selected block             │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ @paragraph-1                         │
│ This is the text from the first...   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ @heading-1                           │
│ 📌 Introduction to the topic         │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ @list-1                              │
│ 📝 3 items                           │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Keyboard Navigation:

• ↑/↓ arrows move selection
• Selected option highlighted with blue left border
• Enter to select
• Escape to close

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Examples

Example 1: Single Block Refinement

User types: "Refine @"
Dropdown shows: @this, @previous, @next, @all, @paragraph-1, @heading-1, ...
User selects: @paragraph-1
Result: "Refine @paragraph-1 "

Example 2: Filtering

User types: "Refine @pa"
Dropdown shows: @paragraph-1, @paragraph-2, @paragraph-3, @paragraph-4
User selects: @paragraph-2
Result: "Refine @paragraph-2 "

Example 3: Multi-Block

User types: "Refine @paragraph-1 and @"
Dropdown shows all options again
User selects: @paragraph-2
Result: "Refine @paragraph-1 and @paragraph-2 "

Example 4: Special Mention

User types: "Make @"
User types: "Make @prev"
Dropdown shows: @previous
Result: "Make @previous "

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Technical Details

Block Detection

Paragraphs:

• Label: @paragraph-N
• Preview: First 40 chars of content
• Example: "This is the text from the first paragraph..."

Headings:

• Label: @heading-N
• Preview: 📌 emoji + heading text (40 chars)
• Example: "📌 Introduction to the topic"

Lists:

• Label: @list-N
• Preview: 📝 emoji + item count
• Example: "📝 3 items"

Filtering Logic

• Case-insensitive matching
• Searches both label type AND number
• @p matches all paragraphs
• @h1 matches @heading-1
• @2 matches @paragraph-2, @heading-2, @list-2

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
@	Open autocomplete
↑/↓	Navigate options
Enter	Select option (or send if dropdown closed)
Escape	Close dropdown
Ctrl+Enter	Send message

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Benefits

✅ Discoverability - Users see all available blocks immediately ✅ No memorization - Don't need to remember block numbers ✅ Content preview - See truncated content to identify blocks ✅ Fast - Keyboard navigation (↑/↓/Enter) ✅ Filtering - Type to narrow down options ✅ Visual - Clear selection indication ✅ Intuitive - Works like GitHub/Slack @mentions

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Edge Cases Handled

✅ Empty query (@) → Shows all options ✅ No matches → Dropdown closes ✅ Partial matches → Shows filtered results ✅ Multiple @ symbols → Only activates on last @ ✅ Cursor in middle of text → Detects @ before cursor position ✅ Click outside → Dropdown closes (on blur) ✅ Block with no content → Shows "..." as preview

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Future Enhancements

Possible Improvements:

• Fuzzy matching - "intro" could match @heading-1 about "Introduction"
• Block icons - Show block type icons in dropdown
• Group by type - Section headers for "Special", "Paragraphs", "Headings", "Lists"
• Recent mentions - Show recently used blocks first
• Search content - Search within block content, not just labels
• Multi-select - Select multiple blocks with Shift+click

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Files Modified

1. assets/js/sidebar.js

   • Added 5 state variables
   • Added 4 new functions (~150 lines)
   • Updated TextareaControl with ref and handlers
   • Added autocomplete dropdown UI

2. assets/css/sidebar.css

   • Updated mention autocomplete styles
   • Added hover and selected states
   • Added smooth transitions

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Testing Checklist

Basic Functionality:

• Typing @ shows dropdown
• All special mentions appear (@this, @previous, @next, @all)
• All numbered blocks appear (@paragraph-N, @heading-N, @list-N)
• Content truncation works (40 chars max)
• Maximum 10 options shown

Filtering:

• Typing after @ filters options
• Case-insensitive filtering works
• No matches closes dropdown

Navigation:

• ↑/↓ arrows navigate options
• Enter selects option
• Escape closes dropdown
• Clicking selects option

Insertion:

• Selected mention inserts correctly
• Space added after mention
• Focus returns to textarea
• Can type another @ for multi-block

UI:

• Dropdown positioned above input
• Proper z-index (above other elements)
• Scrollbar when needed
• Selected state has blue border
• Hover effect works

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Implementation Date: 2026-01-18 Status: ✅ Complete and ready for testing