[UI] Add universal search bar with autocomplete to navigation
Task ID: f949d28f-175e-4e2e-8e00-96ad096f8453
Priority: P90
Layer: UI
Quest: 8 (Universal Search System) - S8.2
Problem
No global search bar exists in the navigation. Users must navigate to specific pages
to find content. For a demo, visitors should be able to search from any page.
Solution
Added a compact search input to the top navigation bar with:
- Debounced (300ms) autocomplete querying /api/search
- Type-grouped dropdown results (hypotheses, wiki, papers, entities)
- Color-coded type icons matching SciDEX design language
- Keyboard support (Escape to close)
- Responsive: expands on focus from 180px to 240px
- "View all N results" link at bottom of dropdown
Work Log
- 2026-04-02 10:45 — Implemented universal search bar in nav_html(). Compact search input with autocomplete dropdown, type-grouped results, color-coded icons.