> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.avonnicomponents.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.avonnicomponents.com/flow/tutorials/components/combobox/search-large-lists-in-a-combobox.md).
# Search Large Lists in a Combobox
Let users find one account among thousands by typing a few letters, with a Combobox that queries Salesforce on each search instead of loading every record.
A support agent logging a case needs the customer's account, and the org holds tens of thousands of them, far too many to scroll. With a Query data source and search turned on, the agent types "burl", the Combobox asks Salesforce for matching accounts, and shows a short list with the city under each name.
Typing a few letters queries matching accounts.
## Before you start
* A screen flow with an Avonni [Combobox](/flow/flow-components/combobox.md) on a screen.
* Users who run the flow can read the Account records they need to find. The query runs with their access unless **System Mode** is on.
## Steps
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
### Query the accounts
1. Open the **Edit Combobox Component** panel and, at the bottom of the **Properties** tab, set **Data Source** to **Query**.
2. Select the **Account** object.
3. Add **Filters** only if the list must be narrower, for example **Type** Equals `Customer - Direct`.
4. Leave **Maximum Number of Records** empty to let the search reach every account. A number here caps how many records the Combobox loads in total.
A query on Account, with the fields the search will look in.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Map the fields people search on
In **Data Mappings**:
* **Label**: `Name`.
* **Value**: `Id`, so the selection is the account Id that the rest of the flow needs.
* **Secondary Text**: `BillingCity`, so two accounts with the same name can be told apart.
* **Avatar**: an **Icon Name** such as `standard:account`.
The search looks only in the mapped fields. Here, typing a name or a city both work.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Turn on search
1. Turn on **Show Search**.
2. Turn on **Hide Options Until Search**. The dropdown stays empty until the agent types, and nothing is queried before that.
3. Set **Dropdown Length** to **10 Items**. With **Hide Options Until Search**, it is also the number of matches each search returns.
4. Set a **Placeholder** that says what to type, such as `Type an account name or a city`.
| | **Hide Options Until Search** off | **Hide Options Until Search** on |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------- |
| When the dropdown opens | The first records, more load as the user scrolls | Nothing until the user types |
| When the user types | A new query with the search term | A new query with the search term |
| Matches shown | All, loaded as the user scrolls | Up to **Dropdown Length** (5, 7, or 10) |
| Best for | A few hundred records people browse | Thousands of records people look up by name |
| {% endstep %} | | |
{% step %}
### Save and test
Save the flow and click **Debug**. Click the Combobox: the dropdown shows no account yet. Type `burl`: after a moment, up to ten accounts whose name or billing city contains "burl" appear, each with its city underneath. Pick one. The **Value** output holds its Id and **Selected Option** holds the account record.
Test the search in the debug run. The Component Builder preview of a Query Combobox ignores filters and search, and shows at most 20 records.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
{% hint style="info" %}
When the screen opens with a value already set (for example **Value** set to `{!Case.AccountId}`), the Combobox looks that record up and shows its name, even with **Hide Options Until Search** on.
{% endhint %}
## Troubleshooting
Typing a word finds nothing, though the record exists
The search only matches fields mapped in **Data Mappings**. A word that only appears in an unmapped field, such as the account's phone number, returns nothing. Map that field to **Secondary Text**, or ask users to type the name. Check also the query **Filters**, and that the user can read the record.
The account users want is not in the list
With **Hide Options Until Search** on, a search returns at most **Dropdown Length** matches. A short term such as `a` matches hundreds of accounts and shows only the first ones. Type more letters, or sort the query with **Order By** so the most likely records come first.
Scrolling stops after a fixed number of accounts
**Maximum Number of Records** is set. It caps the total number of records loaded. Clear it, or raise it.
## Related tutorials
* [Build Combobox Options](/flow/tutorials/components/combobox/build-combobox-options.md): when the options are a short list rather than records.
* [Add a Create New Action to a Combobox](/flow/tutorials/components/combobox/add-a-create-new-action-to-a-combobox.md): let the agent create the account when the search finds nothing.
* [Use a Combobox Selection in a Query or Flow](/flow/tutorials/components/combobox/use-a-combobox-selection-in-a-query-or-flow.md): pass the picked account Id to a Get Records or a subflow.
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