CollectionView — .NET MAUI

CollectionView is the primary control for displaying scrollable lists and grids of data in .NET MAUI. It replaces ListView with better performance, flexible layouts, and no ViewCell requirement.

When to Use

• Displaying a scrollable list or grid of data items
• Binding a collection of objects to a templated item layout
• Adding selection (single or multiple), grouping, or pull-to-refresh
• Implementing infinite scroll / incremental loading
• Showing swipe actions on list items
• Displaying an empty state when no data is available

When Not to Use

• Static layouts with a fixed number of items — use Grid or StackLayout directly
• Map pin lists — use the Microsoft.Maui.Controls.Maps NuGet package
• Table-based data entry forms — use standard form controls
• Simple text-only lists with no interaction — consider BindableLayout on a StackLayout

Scope Control — Answer Only What Was Asked

This skill is a reference you consult, not a checklist you apply. Most requests need one or two sections from it. Pulling in the rest makes the answer worse.

Stop conditions — do NOT act when:

• The user asked a narrow question. Answer that question only. Do not append grouping, swipe actions, empty views, snap points, or performance tips that were not asked about.
• The user's existing code already works. Do not rewrite working markup to match the examples here. Point out a concrete defect; if there is none, say so and answer the question that was asked.
• The change is stylistic. Renaming, reordering attributes, or restructuring a template that already behaves correctly is churn, not a fix.
• The control isn't CollectionView. CarouselView, BindableLayout, and ListView-in-maintenance code have different rules. Do not rewrite ListView code the user did not ask about — but if they ask which control to use, or are migrating from Xamarin.Forms, recommend CollectionView (see Migrating from ListView).
• The problem is really a binding, DI, or navigation problem that happens to involve a list — defer to maui-data-binding, maui-dependency-injection, or maui-shell-navigation.

The API sections below are a reference, not a checklist — offer them only when relevant. Four rules are non-negotiable, because violating them produces code that does not work or silently loses compile-time checking:

1. Never use ViewCell as a DataTemplate root in CollectionView.
2. Use ObservableCollection<T> when the list mutates after first render.
3. Mutate the bound collection on the UI thread.
4. Set x:DataType on every DataTemplate (and on the page root) for compiled bindings.

Everything else — sizing strategy, snap points, header/footer, empty views — is optional and should be offered only when it addresses the user's actual problem.

Inputs

• A data source (typically ObservableCollection<T>) bound to ItemsSource
• A DataTemplate defining how each item renders
• Optional: layout configuration, selection mode, grouping model, empty view

Basic Setup

A complete, copy-pasteable page. Two things are load-bearing: the xmlns:models declaration that every x:DataType="models:Item" in this skill assumes, and the root x:DataType — without it the outer ItemsSource binding is not compiled:

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             xmlns:models="clr-namespace:MyApp.Models"
             xmlns:vm="clr-namespace:MyApp.ViewModels"
             x:DataType="vm:ItemsViewModel"
             x:Class="MyApp.ItemsPage">
    <ContentPage.BindingContext>
        <vm:ItemsViewModel />
    </ContentPage.BindingContext>
    <CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
        <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
            <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:Item">
                <HorizontalStackLayout Padding="8" Spacing="8">
                    <Image Source="{Binding Icon}" WidthRequest="40" HeightRequest="40" />
                    <Label Text="{Binding Name}" VerticalOptions="Center" />
                </HorizontalStackLayout>
            </DataTemplate>
        </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
    </CollectionView>
</ContentPage>

Later snippets show only the CollectionView element. When you hand a snippet to a user, include the matching xmlns: declaration for any prefix it uses, or the XAML will not compile.

The inline <ContentPage.BindingContext> above keeps the example self-contained. In an app that uses dependency injection, register the ViewModel instead and assign it through constructor injection (BindingContext = vm;) — see the maui-dependency-injection skill.

Key rules:

• Bind ItemsSource to an ObservableCollection<T> so the UI updates on add/remove.
• Each item template root must be a Layout or View — never use ViewCell.
• Always set x:DataType on DataTemplate for compiled bindings.

Layouts

Set ItemsLayout to control arrangement. Default is VerticalList.

Grid Layout

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
    <CollectionView.ItemsLayout>
        <GridItemsLayout Orientation="Vertical"
                         Span="2"
                         VerticalItemSpacing="8"
                         HorizontalItemSpacing="8" />
    </CollectionView.ItemsLayout>
    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:Item">
            <Border Padding="8" StrokeThickness="0">
                <VerticalStackLayout>
                    <Image Source="{Binding Image}" HeightRequest="120" Aspect="AspectFill" />
                    <Label Text="{Binding Name}" FontAttributes="Bold" />
                </VerticalStackLayout>
            </Border>
        </DataTemplate>
    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
</CollectionView>

Horizontal List

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}"
                ItemsLayout="HorizontalList" />

Selection

Selection Mode

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}"
                SelectionMode="Single"
                SelectedItem="{Binding CurrentItem, Mode=TwoWay}"
                SelectionChangedCommand="{Binding ItemSelectedCommand}" />

For Multiple selection, bind SelectedItems (type IList<object>):

<CollectionView SelectionMode="Multiple"
                SelectedItems="{Binding ChosenItems, Mode=OneWay}" />

Selected Visual State

Highlight selected items using VisualStateManager:

<CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
    <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:Item">
        <Grid Padding="8">
            <VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
                <VisualStateGroup Name="CommonStates">
                    <VisualState Name="Normal">
                        <VisualState.Setters>
                            <Setter Property="BackgroundColor" Value="Transparent" />
                        </VisualState.Setters>
                    </VisualState>
                    <VisualState Name="Selected">
                        <VisualState.Setters>
                            <Setter Property="BackgroundColor"
                                    Value="{AppThemeBinding Light={StaticResource Primary}, Dark={StaticResource PrimaryDark}}" />
                        </VisualState.Setters>
                    </VisualState>
                </VisualStateGroup>
            </VisualStateManager.VisualStateGroups>
            <Label Text="{Binding Name}" />
        </Grid>
    </DataTemplate>
</CollectionView.ItemTemplate>

Grouping

1. Create a group class inheriting from List<T>:

public class AnimalGroup : List<Animal>
{
    public string Name { get; }
    public AnimalGroup(string name, List<Animal> animals) : base(animals)
    {
        Name = name;
    }
}

2. Bind to ObservableCollection<AnimalGroup> and set IsGrouped="True":

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding AnimalGroups}"
                IsGrouped="True">
    <CollectionView.GroupHeaderTemplate>
        <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:AnimalGroup">
            <Label Text="{Binding Name}"
                   FontAttributes="Bold"
                   BackgroundColor="{StaticResource Gray100}"
                   Padding="8" />
        </DataTemplate>
    </CollectionView.GroupHeaderTemplate>
    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:Animal">
            <Label Text="{Binding Name}" Padding="16,4" />
        </DataTemplate>
    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
</CollectionView>

Pull-to-Refresh

Wrap CollectionView in a RefreshView. Set IsRefreshing back to false when done:

<RefreshView IsRefreshing="{Binding IsRefreshing}"
             Command="{Binding RefreshCommand}">
    <CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}" />
</RefreshView>

Incremental Loading (Infinite Scroll)

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}"
                RemainingItemsThreshold="5"
                RemainingItemsThresholdReachedCommand="{Binding LoadMoreCommand}" />

⚠️ Do NOT use with non-virtualizing layouts. LinearItemsLayout and GridItemsLayout support virtualization. Using BindableLayout on a StackLayout as an alternative to CollectionView has no virtualization, which triggers infinite threshold-reached events.

SwipeView — Binding from Inside DataTemplate

Commands inside a DataTemplate can't directly reach your ViewModel. Use RelativeSource AncestorType:

<CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
    <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:Item">
        <SwipeView>
            <SwipeView.RightItems>
                <SwipeItems>
                    <SwipeItem Text="Delete"
                               BackgroundColor="Red"
                               Command="{Binding BindingContext.DeleteCommand, Source={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ContentPage}}}"
                               CommandParameter="{Binding}" />
                </SwipeItems>
            </SwipeView.RightItems>
            <Grid Padding="8">
                <Label Text="{Binding Name}" />
            </Grid>
        </SwipeView>
    </DataTemplate>
</CollectionView.ItemTemplate>

EmptyView

Shown when ItemsSource is empty or null.

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding SearchResults}"
                EmptyView="No items found." />

For a custom empty view, wrap in ContentView:

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding SearchResults}">
    <CollectionView.EmptyView>
        <ContentView>
            <VerticalStackLayout HorizontalOptions="Center" VerticalOptions="Center">
                <Image Source="empty_state.png" WidthRequest="120" />
                <Label Text="Nothing here yet" HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" />
            </VerticalStackLayout>
        </ContentView>
    </CollectionView.EmptyView>
</CollectionView>

Headers and Footers

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
    <CollectionView.Header>
        <Label Text="Header" FontAttributes="Bold" Padding="8" />
    </CollectionView.Header>
    <CollectionView.Footer>
        <Label Text="Footer" FontAttributes="Italic" Padding="8" />
    </CollectionView.Footer>
</CollectionView>

Use HeaderTemplate / FooterTemplate when headers or footers are data-bound.

Scrolling

ScrollTo

Programmatically scroll by index or item:

// Scroll to index
collectionView.ScrollTo(index: 10, position: ScrollToPosition.Center, animate: true);

// Scroll to item
collectionView.ScrollTo(item: myItem, position: ScrollToPosition.MakeVisible, animate: true);

Snap Points

<CollectionView.ItemsLayout>
    <LinearItemsLayout Orientation="Horizontal"
                       SnapPointsType="MandatorySingle"
                       SnapPointsAlignment="Center" />
</CollectionView.ItemsLayout>

• SnapPointsType: None, Mandatory, MandatorySingle
• SnapPointsAlignment: Start, Center, End

Migrating from ListView

ListView still compiles, but as of .NET 10 it is marked [Obsolete] ("ListView is deprecated. Please use CollectionView instead."). It is not obsolete on .NET 9 and earlier, so check the project's target framework before describing it as deprecated. If the user asks which control to use, or is migrating from Xamarin.Forms, recommend CollectionView — it is faster, needs no ViewCell, and supports flexible layouts. What to avoid is silently rewriting ListView code the user did not ask you to touch.

The missing separator API is the most common migration surprise: CollectionView has no built-in separators, so add one to the template yourself.

Performance Tips

Apply these only when the user reports a performance problem or explicitly asks about performance — they are not a default checklist.

• Use MeasureFirstItem for uniform item sizes — significantly faster than the default MeasureAllItems, which measures every item individually. Set it on the CollectionView itself (it is declared on StructuredItemsView), not on LinearItemsLayout / GridItemsLayout:

  <CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}"
                  ItemSizingStrategy="MeasureFirstItem">
      <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
          <DataTemplate x:DataType="models:Item">
              <Grid Padding="8" ColumnDefinitions="44,*" ColumnSpacing="8">
                  <Image WidthRequest="44" HeightRequest="44" />
                  <Label Grid.Column="1" Text="{Binding Name}" VerticalOptions="Center" />
              </Grid>
          </DataTemplate>
      </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
  </CollectionView>
  

  When MeasureFirstItem is the wrong choice — keep the default MeasureAllItems if:
  • Items vary in height (wrapping text, optional rows, images of differing aspect) — the first item's size is applied to all, so the rest are clipped or stretched.
  • A DataTemplateSelector returns different templates — the first item won't represent the others.
  • The first item is atypical (a header-like or "featured" row) — every item inherits its size. Fixing this by reordering data is a smell; use MeasureAllItems instead.
  • Item size depends on runtime data that isn't loaded yet when the first item is measured.
• Use ObservableCollection<T> when the list mutates after first render. It implements INotifyCollectionChanged, so in-place Add/Remove/Insert update the UI incrementally. A List<T> is fine for a list that never changes after it is bound. Note that replacing ItemsSource re-renders everything regardless of the collection type — so mutate the bound collection in place rather than reassigning it.
• Update collections on the UI thread — MainThread.BeginInvokeOnMainThread(() => Items.Add(item)).

Common Pitfalls

Validation

Before returning CollectionView markup you wrote or edited, confirm:

• The DataTemplate root is a View/Layout — not ViewCell.
• DataTemplate declares x:DataType for compiled bindings.
• ItemsSource is bound to ObservableCollection<T> if the list mutates.
• ItemSizingStrategy (if used) is on <CollectionView>, not on the layout.
• Multiple selection binds SelectedItems; Single binds SelectedItem (TwoWay).
• RefreshView.IsRefreshing is set back to false when the refresh completes.
• The answer covers only what the user asked — no unrequested sections.

References

• CollectionView overview
• CollectionView layout
• CollectionView selection
• CollectionView grouping
• CollectionView scrolling
• CollectionView EmptyView