How to Keep ListView Items Highlighted After Selection in Android

In Android, maintaining the selected state of ListView items can enhance user experience by providing a clear visual indicator of the current selection. However, sometimes developers encounter issues where the selected item loses its highlighting after certain events, such as scrolling or further interactions with the ListView.

The Challenge

A developer recently faced this issue while working with two ListViews in an XML layout. One ListView displayed a list of clients, and the other showed detailed information about the selected client. When a client was selected in the first ListView, the developer wanted to retain its highlighted state while updating the second ListView with the corresponding details. However, the highlighting was not being preserved.

The Solution

To address this issue, there are several approaches:

1. Using XML Attributes:

Within the XML layout, apply the following attributes to the ListView that needs to retain selected item highlighting:

android:choiceMode="singleChoice"
android:listSelector="@drawable/list_selector"

Replace @drawable/list_selector with a custom selector drawable that specifies the desired highlight color.

2. Programmatic Approach:

Alternatively, use the following code to programmatically set the ListView's selection mode and highlight color:

listView.setChoiceMode(AbsListView.CHOICE_MODE_SINGLE);
listView.setSelector(getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.list_selector));

3. Avoid View Manipulation:

It's important to note that manipulating views directly through event listeners can be unreliable due to the temporary nature of views in ListView. Changes made to view backgrounds may not persist after scrolling or other events occur.