diff --git a/frontend/src/Components/Autocomplete.svelte b/frontend/src/Components/Autocomplete.svelte
index 08d263fc..e5cc13a8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Components/Autocomplete.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/Components/Autocomplete.svelte
@@ -2,59 +2,72 @@
     import { t }    from '../translations.svelte.js'
     import { tick } from "svelte";
 
+
     let {
-        getCandidates = async text => { conole.log('no handler for getCandidates('+text+')'); return {};},
-        onSelect      = text => []
+        getCandidates = dummyGetCandidates,
+        onCommit      = dummyOnCommit,
+        onSelect      = dummyOnSelect,
     } = $props();
 
-    const ignore = ['Escape','Tab','ArrowUp','ArrowLeft','ArrowRight']
-    let options  = $state({});
-    let text     = $state('')
+    const ignore   = ['Escape','Tab','ArrowUp','ArrowLeft','ArrowRight'];
+    let candidate  = $state({ display : '' });
+    let candidates = $derived(getCandidates(candidate.display));
 
-    async function ondblclick(evt){
-        const select = evt.target;
-        const key    = select.value;
-        text         = options[key];
-        let result   = {};
-        result[key]  = text;
-        options      = {};
-        text         = '';
-        onSelect(result);
+
+    async function dummyGetCandidates(text){
+        console.warn(`getCandidates(${text}) not overridden!`);
+        if (!text) return [];
+        return [
+            {
+                display     : 'candidate 1',
+                explanation : 'candidates need to have a display field'
+            },
+            {
+                display    : 'candidate 2',
+                additional : 'other fields are optional',
+                more       : 'and may be domain specific'
+            },
+            { display : text }
+        ];
     }
 
-    async function onkeyup(evt){
-        const select = evt.target;
-        const key    = evt.key;
+    function dummyOnCommit(candidate){
+        // if Enter is pressed on the input field, this method gets called with
+        // either the selected candidate or
+        // an anonymous object with the entered text in the display field
+        console.warn('onCommit not overridden!');
+    }
+
+    function dummyOnSelect(candidate){
+        console.warn(`${candidate.display} selected, but onSelect not overridden!`)
+    }
+
+    async function onkeyup(ev){
+        const select = ev.target;
+        const key    = ev.key;
         if (ignore.includes(key)) return;
-        if (key == 'ArrowDown'){
-            if (select.selectedIndex == 0) select.selectedIndex=1;
-            return;
-        }
-        if (key == 'Enter'){
-            ondblclick(evt);
-            return;
-        }
-        if (key == 'Backspace'){
-            text  = text.substring(0,text.length-1)
-        } else if (key.length<2){
-            text += evt.key
-        }
-        options = await getCandidates(text);
-        await tick();
-        for (let o of select.getElementsByTagName('option')) o.selected = false;
+        candidates = await getCandidates(candidate.display);
     }
 </script>
 
 <style>
-    select{
-        min-width: 200px;
-    }
+    div { position : relative }
+    select { position : absolute; top: 30px; left: 3px; }
 </style>
-{#if options}
-<select size={Object.keys(options).length<2?2:Object.keys(options).length+1} {onkeyup} {ondblclick} width="40">
-    <option>{text}</option>
-    {#each Object.entries(options) as [val,caption]}
-    <option value={val}>{caption}</option>
-    {/each}
-</select>
+
+<div>
+    <input type="text" bind:value={candidate.display} {onkeyup} />
+    {#if candidates && candidates.length > 1}
+    <select multiple>
+        {#each candidates as candidate (candidate.display)}
+        <option value={candidate}>{candidate.display}</option>
+        {/each}
+    </select>
+    {/if}
+</div>
+{#if candidates}
+<pre>
+{JSON.stringify(candidates,null,2)}
+</pre>
 {/if}
+{JSON.stringify(candidate)}
diff --git a/frontend/src/Components/PermissionEditor.svelte b/frontend/src/Components/PermissionEditor.svelte
index 5e53d8d5..22c15639 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Components/PermissionEditor.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/Components/PermissionEditor.svelte
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
     <tr>
         <td>{t('add_object',{object:t('member')})}</td>
         <td>
-            <Autocomplete {getCandidates} {onSelect} />
+            <Autocomplete />
         </td>
     </tr>
     </tbody>