Smart Autocomplete

• Jan 13, 2025
• 3 minutes to read

The AI-powered “Smart Autocomplete” feature intelligently predicts and suggests words or phrases based on the user’s current input.

Applies To

MemoEdit

How It Works

DevExpress UI controls seamlessly integrate Smart Autocomplete. When Smart Autocomplete is activated, as you type, the AI model analyzes the context of the text and makes relevant suggestions in real time. Press Tab or click the suggestion to append it to the text. Press the Esc key to hide the suggestion.

Activate Smart Autocomplete

Install DevExpress NuGet Packages

1. DevExpress.AIIntegration.WinForms
2. DevExpress.Win.Design (enables design-time features for DevExpress UI controls)

Read the following help topics for information on how to obtain the DevExpress NuGet Feed and install DevExpress NuGet packages:

• Choose Between Offline and Online DevExpress NuGet Feeds
• Install NuGet Packages in Visual Studio, VS Code, and Rider

Register AI Client

See the following help topic for information on required NuGet packages and system requirements: Register an AI Client.

The following code snippet registers the Azure OpenAI client:

C#

using Microsoft.Extensions.AI;
using DevExpress.AIIntegration;

internal static class Program {
    [STAThread]
    static void Main() {
        Application.EnableVisualStyles();
        Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
        IChatClient azureChatClient = new Azure.AI.OpenAI.AzureOpenAIClient(new Uri(AzureOpenAIEndpoint),
            new System.ClientModel.ApiKeyCredential(AzureOpenAIKey))
            .GetChatClient(ModelId).AsIChatClient();
        AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(azureChatClient);
        // Uncomment the following line if your project targets the .NET Framework and
        // you create AI-powered behaviors in code.
        // DevExpress.AIIntegration.WinForms.BehaviorInitializer.Initialize();
        Application.Run(new Form1());
    }
    static string AzureOpenAIEndpoint { get { return Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT"); } }
    static string AzureOpenAIKey { get { return Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_OPENAI_APIKEY"); } }
    static string ModelId { get { return "gpt-4o-mini"; } }
}

VB.NET

Imports Microsoft.Extensions.AI
Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration

Friend Module Program
    <STAThread>
    Sub Main()
        Application.EnableVisualStyles()
        Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(False)
        ' Register Azure.OpenAI
        Dim azureChatClient As IChatClient = New Azure.AI.OpenAI.AzureOpenAIClient(New Uri(AzureOpenAIEndpoint),
            New System.ClientModel.ApiKeyCredential(AzureOpenAIKey)).
            GetChatClient(ModelId).AsIChatClient()
        AIExtensionsContainerDesktop.Default.RegisterChatClient(azureChatClient)
        ' Uncomment the following line if your project targets the .NET Framework and
        ' you create AI-powered behaviors in code.
        ' DevExpress.AIIntegration.WinForms.BehaviorInitializer.Initialize()
        Application.Run(New Form1())
    End Sub
    Private ReadOnly Property AzureOpenAIEndpoint() As String
        Get
            Return Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT")
        End Get
    End Property
    Private ReadOnly Property AzureOpenAIKey() As String
        Get
            Return Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_OPENAI_APIKEY")
        End Get
    End Property
    Private ReadOnly Property ModelId As String
        Get
            Return "gpt-4o-mini"
        End Get
    End Property
End Module

Create and Configure Smart Autocomplete Behavior

1. Drop the BehaviorManager component from the Toolbox onto a Form. The Form should contain the DevExpress MemoEdit.

2. Add a SmartAutoCompleteBehavior, configure the TypingPauseDelay setting if needed, and attach the behavior to the MemoEdit. You can do this at design time or in code:

   C#

   using DevExpress.AIIntegration.WinForms;
   
   namespace SmartAutoCompleteDemo {
       public partial class Form1 : DevExpress.XtraEditors.XtraForm {
           public Form1() {
               InitializeComponent();
               behaviorManager1.Attach<SmartAutoCompleteBehavior>(memoEdit1, behavior => {
                   behavior.Properties.TypingPauseDelay = 200;
                   behavior.Properties.Events.OperationFailed += Events_OperationFailed;
               });
           }
       }
   
       void Events_OperationFailed(object sender, AIOperationFailedEventArgs e) {
           // Handle the operation failure
       }
   }
   

   VB.NET

   Imports DevExpress.AIIntegration.WinForms
   
   Namespace SmartAutoCompleteDemo
       Partial Public Class Form1
           Inherits DevExpress.XtraEditors.XtraForm
   
           Public Sub New()
               InitializeComponent()
               behaviorManager1.Attach(Of SmartAutoCompleteBehavior)(memoEdit1, Sub(behavior)
                   behavior.Properties.TypingPauseDelay = 200
                   AddHandler behavior.Properties.Events.OperationFailed, AddressOf Events_OperationFailed
               End Sub)
           End Sub
   
           Private Sub Events_OperationFailed(sender As Object, e As AIOperationFailedEventArgs)
               ' Handle the operation failure
           End Sub
       End Class
   End Namespace
   

Tip

Use SmartAutoCompleteRequest to manually initiate a request to complete the text:

var response = await defaultAIExtensionsContainer.SmartAutoCompleteAsync(
    new SmartAutoCompleteRequest(startText)
);