[Windows, MAC] - Fix Selected State Not Being Retained in CollectionView Items When PointerOver Is Applied

[prakashKannanSf3972]

Note

Are you waiting for the changes in this PR to be merged?
It would be very helpful if you could test the resulting artifacts from this PR and let us know in a comment if this change resolves your issue. Thank you!

Root Cause :

The ChangeVisualState method does not account for the Selected state in its state resolution logic. It prioritizes PointerOver over Selected, and defaults to Normal when no pointer interaction exists—even if the item is selected. This results in inconsistent visual feedback where the Selected state styling is ignored or overridden.

Description of Change

Enhanced IsElementInSelectedState() extension to VisualElement that properly detects if an element is currently in the Selected visual state by inspecting the CurrentState property of all visual state groups.

Updated ChangeVisualState() to prioritize Selected over PointerOver and Normal:

When an element is enabled, it first checks if the element is in the Selected state

• If the elements with the pointer over them, it applies either the Selected or PointerOver state, depending on selection status
• If the elements are without the pointer over them, it applies either the Selected or Normal state, depending on the selection status

This change ensures a consistent visual representation of selected items while preserving pointer and focus behavior.

Issues Fixed

Fixes #29484

Tested the behaviour in the following platforms

• Android
• Windows
• iOS
• Mac

Output

Before	After
BeforeFix.mp4	AfterFix.mp4
BeforeFix.mov	AfterFix.mov

[jsuarezruiz]

/azp run MAUI-UITests-public

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 1 pipeline(s).

[jsuarezruiz]

/azp run MAUI-UITests-public

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 1 pipeline(s).

[jsuarezruiz]

Can simplify it reduced duplicate calls to VisualStateManager.GoToState:

string targetState = isSelected 
      ? VisualStateManager.CommonStates.Selected 
      : (IsPointerOver ? VisualStateManager.CommonStates.PointerOver : VisualStateManager.CommonStates.Normal);

  VisualStateManager.GoToState(this, targetState);

[prakashKannanSf3972]

@jsuarezruiz, I have updated the changes as suggested.

[jsuarezruiz]

/azp run MAUI-UITests-public

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 1 pipeline(s).

[MauiBot]

🤖 AI Summary

📊 Expand Full Review — 7131b49 · Addressed-Changes

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🔍 Pre-Flight — Context & Validation

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Issue: #29484 - CollectionView Selected state does not work on the selected item when combined with PointerOver.
PR: #29815 - [Windows, MAC] - Fix Selected State Not Being Retained in CollectionView Items When PointerOver Is Applied
Platforms Affected: Windows (issue repro), Windows/macOS targeted by PR and tests
Files Changed: 2 implementation, 2 test source, 2 snapshot assets

Key Findings

• The linked issue reports a Windows repro where Selected styling is ignored when the item template also defines PointerOver visual state styling.
• Issue comments add one explicit edge case: grouped CollectionView items exhibit the same selected-vs-pointer-over problem.
• The PR changes VisualElement.ChangeVisualState() and adds VisualStateManager.IsElementInSelectedState() to preserve Selected over PointerOver/Normal.
• Test coverage in the PR is UI-test based via Issue29484 with Windows and Mac snapshot baselines; no prior agent review comment was found.

Fix Candidates

#	Source	Approach	Test Result	Files Changed	Notes
PR	PR #29815	Preserve Selected visual state by detecting current selected state before resolving PointerOver vs Normal in ChangeVisualState()	PENDING (Gate)	src/Controls/src/Core/VisualElement/VisualElement.cs, src/Controls/src/Core/VisualStateManager.cs	Original PR

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Issue: #29484 - CollectionView Selected state does not work on the selected item when combined with PointerOver.
PR: #29815 - [Windows, MAC] - Fix Selected State Not Being Retained in CollectionView Items When PointerOver Is Applied
Platforms Affected: Windows repro confirmed in issue; PR targets Windows and macOS with UI snapshots
Files Changed: 2 implementation, 2 test source, 2 snapshot assets

Key Findings

• The linked issue reports a Windows CollectionView repro where an item template defining both PointerOver and Selected visual states honors hover styling but drops selected styling.
• Issue comment adds an edge case: grouped CollectionView items exhibit the same selected-vs-pointer-over problem.
• The PR changes VisualElement.ChangeVisualState() and adds VisualStateManager.IsElementInSelectedState() to preserve Selected over PointerOver and Normal.
• Test coverage is a UI test via Issue29484 with Windows and Mac snapshot baselines under the CollectionView category.
• Prior automated review output exists on the PR and indicates Gate previously passed, but this run is performing a fresh review and not relying on that result.

Fix Candidates

#	Source	Approach	Test Result	Files Changed	Notes
PR	PR #29815	Preserve Selected visual state by detecting current selected state before resolving PointerOver vs Normal in ChangeVisualState()	PENDING (Gate)	src/Controls/src/Core/VisualElement/VisualElement.cs, src/Controls/src/Core/VisualStateManager.cs	Original PR

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🚦 Gate — Test Verification

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Gate Result: PASSED

Platform: windows
Mode: Full Verification

• Tests FAIL without fix:
• Tests PASS with fix:

Notes: Verified via verify-tests-fail-without-fix for Issue29484. The UI test PointerOverWithSelectedStateShouldWork failed without the PR fix due to snapshot regression and passed with the PR fix applied.

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Gate Result: PASSED

Platform: windows
Mode: Full Verification

• Tests FAIL without fix:
• Tests PASS with fix:

Notes: Verified via verify-tests-fail-without-fix for Issue29484. The UI test PointerOverWithSelectedStateShouldWork failed without the PR fix due to snapshot regression and passed with the PR fix applied. The generated verification log listed eng/pipelines/ci-copilot.yml as an additional reverted file, but the implementation verdict for the actual fix files remained valid.

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🔧 Fix — Analysis & Comparison

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Gate Result: PASSED

Platform: windows
Mode: Full Verification

• Tests FAIL without fix:
• Tests PASS with fix:

Notes: Verified via verify-tests-fail-without-fix for Issue29484. The UI test PointerOverWithSelectedStateShouldWork failed without the PR fix due to snapshot regression and passed with the PR fix applied.

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Fix Candidates

#	Source	Approach	Test Result	Files Changed	Notes
1	try-fix	Add an internal GoToState overload that protects Selected from automatic transitions to PointerOver/Normal when state priority should be respected	PASS	2 files	Effective, but adds an extra VSM path and priority flag plumbing
2	try-fix	Track selection via a _isVisualStateSelected field updated by VisualStateManager.GoToState() and read directly by ChangeVisualState()	PASS	2 files	Works, but introduces extra cached state on VisualElement
3	try-fix	Skip automatic PointerOver/Normal transitions when the active visual-state group is already Selected and also defines PointerOver	PASS	2 files	Narrow and workable, but still hinges on a VSM-side deferral concept
4	try-fix	Refactor ChangeVisualState() to calculate a target state first, then preserve Selected before applying the automatic common-state transition	PASS	1 file	Smallest alternative, but behavior is very close to the PR with less reuse outside VisualElement
5	try-fix	Have Windows ItemContentControl.UpdateIsSelected() set an internal VisualElement selection flag that ChangeVisualState() uses directly	PASS	2 files	Uses authoritative handler state, but is Windows-specific and less portable
6	try-fix	Add GoToInteractionState() so automatic pointer-state updates skip groups whose active state has selection semantics	PASS	2 files	Distinct, but significantly larger VSM change footprint
PR	PR #29815	Preserve Selected visual state by detecting current selected state before resolving PointerOver vs Normal in ChangeVisualState()	PASSED (Gate)	2 files	Original PR

Cross-Pollination

Model	Round	New Ideas?	Details
claude-opus-4.6	1	n/a	Initial alternative fix attempt completed
claude-sonnet-4.6	1	n/a	Initial alternative fix attempt completed
gpt-5.3-codex	1	n/a	Initial alternative fix attempt completed
gemini-3-pro-preview	1	n/a	Initial alternative fix attempt completed
claude-opus-4.6	2	Yes	Control-level separation of selection visuals from transient pointer state
claude-sonnet-4.6	2	Yes	Split selection into a separate visual-state group
gpt-5.3-codex	2	Yes	Limit automatic updates to interaction-state groups rather than selection groups
gemini-3-pro-preview	2	Yes	Drive selection truth from platform selection handlers via explicit element state
claude-opus-4.6	3	No	NO NEW IDEAS
claude-sonnet-4.6	3	No	NO NEW IDEAS
gpt-5.3-codex	3	No	NO NEW IDEAS
gemini-3-pro-preview	3	No	NO NEW IDEAS

Exhausted: Yes
Selected Fix: PR #29815 It passes Gate, stays cross-platform instead of Windows-only, keeps the change small and readable, and matches existing VisualStateManager/VisualElement patterns better than the heavier alternatives.

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📋 Report — Final Recommendation

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Gate Result: PASSED

Platform: windows
Mode: Full Verification

• Tests FAIL without fix:
• Tests PASS with fix:

Notes: Verified via verify-tests-fail-without-fix for Issue29484. The UI test PointerOverWithSelectedStateShouldWork failed without the PR fix due to snapshot regression and passed with the PR fix applied.

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Final Recommendation: APPROVE

Phase Status

Phase	Status	Notes
Pre-Flight	COMPLETE	Issue, PR, comments, prior bot review, and changed-file classification captured
Gate	PASSED	Windows full verification: Issue29484 failed without fix and passed with fix
Try-Fix	COMPLETE	6 passing alternatives explored; PR fix remained the best overall tradeoff
Report	COMPLETE

Summary

PR #29815 fixes the CollectionView visual-state conflict where automatic pointer-state updates override the selected-state styling. The added UI repro test on Windows correctly fails without the fix and passes with it. I also explored six independent alternatives; while several passed, the PR's approach remained the strongest balance of simplicity, portability, and alignment with the existing codebase.

Root Cause

VisualElement.ChangeVisualState() automatically resolved to PointerOver or Normal without considering that the element might already be in the Selected visual state. In CollectionView item templates where Selected and PointerOver coexist, that automatic transition overwrote the selected styling.

Fix Quality

The PR addresses the problem with a narrow framework change: it reads the current visual-state groups to determine whether Selected is already active, then preserves that state instead of blindly switching to PointerOver or Normal. Compared with the alternatives, this keeps the logic centralized, avoids platform-specific state flags, and avoids introducing larger new VSM APIs.

Notes

The gate helper's verification log included eng/pipelines/ci-copilot.yml in its temporary revert list, but the actual fail/pass outcome for the targeted fix remained valid. I left an unrelated dirty worktree file (src/Core/src/Handlers/HybridWebView/HybridWebView.js) untouched throughout the review.

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