md-autocomplete searching with query issue

Question

Hello I have a md auto complete search box, my issue is that when typing a name the search function is called. The search function calls onto an api but in the meantime it returns a null array to the auto complete form. Is there a way to tell the function to not return anything and go back with an answer after it found something? Also, making the md auto complete display a loading text or image while we wait for these results? Please find the code below:

CODE: html -

<md-autocomplete md-selected-item="selectedLocation" md-selected-item-change="selectLocation(item)" md-search-text="searchText"
                 md-items="item in searchLocations(searchText)" md-item-text="item.Name" md-min-length="3" placeholder="search location" md-select-on-match="true"
                 md-match-case-insensitive="true" md-no-cache="true">
    <md-item-template>
        <span md-highlight-text="searchText">{{item.id}}</span>
    </md-item-template>
    <md-not-found>
        No results found.
    </md-not-found>
</md-autocomplete>

JS-

$scope.searchLocations = function(txt) {
        console.log("Searching locations in " + txt);
      if (!isNaN(txt) && txt.length == 6) {
        params = {locationIds: [txt]};
      }
      locations = Location.query(params);
      console.log("locations found:" + locations.length); //this return 0 every time
      return locations;
}

Answer 1

I finally figured this issue. Just in case anybody runs into this, you can do a promise and make sure you return the promise! in my case i did:

return Location.query(params).$promise.then(
    function(data){
       return data;
     }
);