diff --git a/deform/templates/autocomplete_input.pt b/deform/templates/autocomplete_input.pt
index 9ddf6bd4..40bb730c 100644
--- a/deform/templates/autocomplete_input.pt
+++ b/deform/templates/autocomplete_input.pt
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@
                            class string: form-control ${css_class};
                            style style"
            id="${oid}"/>
-    <script tal:condition="field.widget.values" type="text/javascript">
+    <script tal:condition="options" type="text/javascript">
         deform.addCallback(
           '${field.oid}',
           function (oid) {
-              $('#' + oid).typeahead(${options});
+              $('#' + oid).typeahead(${structure: options});
           }
         );
     </script>
diff --git a/deform/tests/test_widget.py b/deform/tests/test_widget.py
index b905bb93..b1f228ef 100644
--- a/deform/tests/test_widget.py
+++ b/deform/tests/test_widget.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import unittest
+import warnings
 
 from deform.compat import (
     text_type,
@@ -222,6 +223,25 @@ def test_deserialize_with_nondefault_thousands_separator(self):
         result = widget.deserialize(field, pstruct)
         self.assertEqual(result, '1000000.00')
 
+class Test_serialize_js_config(unittest.TestCase):
+    def _makeLiteral(self, js):
+        from deform.widget import literal_js
+        return literal_js(js)
+
+    def _callIt(self, obj):
+        from deform.widget import serialize_js_config
+        return serialize_js_config(obj)
+
+    def test_serialize_literal(self):
+        literal = self._makeLiteral('func()')
+        serialized = self._callIt(literal)
+        self.assertEqual(serialized, 'func()')
+
+    def test_serialize_literal_in_object(self):
+        literal = self._makeLiteral('func()')
+        serialized = self._callIt({'x': literal})
+        self.assertEqual(serialized, '{"x": func()}')
+
 class TestAutocompleteInputWidget(unittest.TestCase):
     def _makeOne(self, **kw):
         from deform.widget import AutocompleteInputWidget
@@ -288,6 +308,49 @@ def test_serialize_iterable(self):
                           "minLength": 1,
                           "limit": 8})
 
+    def test_serialize_dataset(self):
+        import json
+        widget = self._makeOne()
+        dataset = {'local': [5,6,7,8],
+                   'minLength': 2,
+                   }
+        widget.datasets = dataset
+        renderer = DummyRenderer()
+        schema = DummySchema()
+        field = DummyField(schema, renderer=renderer)
+        cstruct = 'abc'
+        widget.serialize(field, cstruct)
+        self.assertEqual(renderer.template, widget.template)
+        self.assertEqual(renderer.kw['field'], field)
+        self.assertEqual(renderer.kw['cstruct'], cstruct)
+        self.assertEqual(json.loads(renderer.kw['options']),
+                         [{"local": [5,6,7,8],
+                           "minLength": 2,
+                           "limit": 8}])
+
+    def test_serialize_warns_if_datasets_and_values(self):
+        widget = self._makeOne()
+        widget.datasets = [{'local': [42]}]
+        widget.values = [9]
+        renderer = DummyRenderer()
+        schema = DummySchema()
+        field = DummyField(schema, renderer=renderer)
+        cstruct = 'abc'
+        with warnings.catch_warnings(record=True) as w:
+            warnings.simplefilter('always')
+            widget.serialize(field, cstruct)
+        self.assertEqual(len(w), 1)
+        self.assertTrue(' ignores ' in str(w[0].message))
+
+    def test_serialize_datasets_type_error(self):
+        widget = self._makeOne()
+        widget.datasets = 2
+        renderer = DummyRenderer()
+        schema = DummySchema()
+        field = DummyField(schema, renderer=renderer)
+        cstruct = 'abc'
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, widget.serialize, field, cstruct)
+
     def test_serialize_not_null_readonly(self):
         widget = self._makeOne()
         renderer = DummyRenderer()
diff --git a/deform/widget.py b/deform/widget.py
index a69f121b..8b7fde62 100644
--- a/deform/widget.py
+++ b/deform/widget.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import csv
 import json
 import random
+from warnings import warn
 
 from colander import (
     Invalid,
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@
     string_types,
     StringIO,
     string,
+    text_type,
     url_quote,
     uppercase,
     )
@@ -369,11 +371,37 @@ def deserialize(self, field, pstruct):
             return null
         return pstruct
 
-class AutocompleteInputWidget(Widget):
+class literal_js(text_type):
+    """ A marker class which can be used to include literal javascript within
+    the configurations for javascript functions.
+
     """ 
+    def __json__(self):
+        return self
+
+class JSConfigSerializer(json.JSONEncoder):
+    """ A hack-up of the stock python JSON encoder to support the inclusion
+    of literal javascript in the JSON output.
+
+    """
+    def _iterencode(self, o, markers):
+        if hasattr(o, '__json__') and callable(o.__json__):
+            return (chunk for chunk in (o.__json__(),))
+        else:
+            return super(JSConfigSerializer, self)._iterencode(o, markers)
+
+    def encode(self, o):
+        # bypass "extremely simple cases and benchmarks" optimization
+        chunks = list(self.iterencode(o))
+        return ''.join(chunks)
+
+serialize_js_config = JSConfigSerializer().encode
+
+class AutocompleteInputWidget(Widget):
+    """
     Renders an ``<input type="text"/>`` widget which provides
-    autocompletion via a list of values using bootstrap's typeahead plugin
-    http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/javascript.html#typeahead.
+    autocompletion via a list of values using twitters's typeahead plugin
+    https://github.com/twitter/typeahead.js
 
     **Attributes/Arguments**
 
@@ -423,6 +451,30 @@ class AutocompleteInputWidget(Widget):
         The max number of items to display in the dropdown. Defaults to
         ``8``.
 
+    datasets
+        This is an alternative way to configure the typeahead
+        javascript plugin.  Use of this parameter provides access to
+        the complete set of functionality provided by ``typeahead.js``.
+
+        If set to other than ``None`` (the default), a JSONified
+        version of this value is used to configure the typeahead
+        plugin.  (In this case any value specified for the ``values``
+        parameter is ignored.  The ``min_length`` and ``items``
+        parameters will be used to fill in ``minLength`` and ``limit``
+        in ``datasets`` if they are not already there.)
+
+        Literal javascript can be included in the configuration using
+        the :class:`literal_js` marker.  For example, assuming your
+        data provider yields datums that have an ``html`` attribute
+        containing HTML markup you want displayed for the choice::
+
+            datasets = {
+                'remote': 'https://example.com/search.json?q=%QUERY',
+                'template':
+                    literal_js('function (datum) { return datum.html; }'),
+                }
+
+        might do the trick.
     """
     min_length = 1
     readonly_template = 'readonly/textinput'
@@ -432,6 +484,7 @@ class AutocompleteInputWidget(Widget):
     style = None
     template = 'autocomplete_input'
     values = None
+    datasets = None
     requirements = (('typeahead', None), ('deform', None))
 
     def __init__(self, **kw):
@@ -445,18 +498,37 @@ def serialize(self, field, cstruct, **kw):
                 )
         if cstruct in (null, None):
             cstruct = ''
-        self.values = self.values or []
         readonly = kw.get('readonly', self.readonly)
 
-        options = {}
-        if isinstance(self.values, string_types):
-            options['remote'] = '%s?term=%%QUERY' % self.values
+        options = {
+            'minLength': kw.pop('min_length', self.min_length),
+            'limit': kw.pop('items', self.items),
+            }
+
+        datasets = kw.pop('datasets', self.datasets)
+        if datasets is None:
+            if isinstance(self.values, string_types):
+                options['remote'] = '%s?term=%%QUERY' % self.values
+                datasets = options
+            elif self.values:
+                options['local'] = self.values
+                datasets = options
         else:
-            options['local'] = self.values
+            if self.values:
+                warn('AutocompleteWidget ignores the *values* parameter '
+                     'when *datasets* is also specified.')
 
-        options['minLength'] = kw.pop('min_length', self.min_length)
-        options['limit'] = kw.pop('items', self.items)
-        kw['options'] = json.dumps(options)
+            if isinstance(datasets, dict):
+                datasets = [datasets]
+            elif not isinstance(datasets, (list, tuple)):
+                raise TypeError(
+                    'Expected list, dict, or tuple, not %r' % datasets)
+
+            def set_defaults(dataset):
+                return dict(options, **dataset)
+            datasets = map(set_defaults, datasets)
+
+        kw['options'] = serialize_js_config(datasets) if datasets else None
         tmpl_values = self.get_template_values(field, cstruct, kw)
         template = readonly and self.readonly_template or self.template
         return field.renderer(template, **tmpl_values)