[Hold for Payment 2025-12-10][$250] Category/Tag - All selected categories or tags become deselected when trying to deselect one

[lanitochka17]

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Version Number: 9.2.59-0
Reproducible in staging?: Y
Reproducible in production?: Y
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail: https://test-management.browserstack.com/projects/2219752/folder/13176818/test-cases/41237212
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): testpayment935@gmail.com
Issue reported by: Applause - Internal Team

Action Performed:

1. Navigate to staging.new.expensify.com
2. Go to Category or Tag page in workspace setting
3. Select all the items in the list
4. Click one of the items from the list

Expected Result:

When clicking a single category or tag, it should be either selected or deselected (mWeb and hybrid behavior) or open the detail page while keeping the selection (member page behavior in web)

Actual Result:

All selected categories or tags become deselected when trying to deselect one and the specific item detail page open

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Select the officially supported platforms where the issue was reproduced:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Platforms Tested:

On which of our officially supported platforms was this issue tested:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Add any screenshot/video evidence

Bug7004445_1763161631051.bandicam_2025-11-15_02-06-25-958.mp4

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Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021990553143078936020
• Upwork Job ID: 1990553143078936020
• Last Price Increase: 2025-11-17

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @bernhardoj

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @mallenexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

[ShridharGoel]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Category/Tag - All selected categories or tags become deselected when trying to deselect one.

What is the root cause of that problem?

• Categories call useCleanupSelectedOptions on every layout
  

  App/src/pages/workspace/categories/WorkspaceCategoriesPage.tsx

  Lines 114 to 116 in 4c1d026

  	const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedCategories([]), []);
  	useCleanupSelectedOptions(cleanupSelectedOption);

so leaving the page to view a detail record automatically clears the current selection even on wide-screen web. Tags, per-diem rates, and tax rates do the same thing.

• Row taps only toggle the checkbox when isSmallScreenWidth is true
  

  App/src/pages/workspace/categories/WorkspaceCategoriesPage.tsx

  Lines 246 to 255 in 4c1d026

  	const navigateToCategorySettings = (category: PolicyOption) => {
  	if (isSmallScreenWidth && isMobileSelectionModeEnabled) {
  	toggleCategory(category);
  	return;
  	}
  	Navigation.navigate(
  	isQuickSettingsFlow
  	? ROUTES.SETTINGS_CATEGORY_SETTINGS.getRoute(policyId, category.keyForList, backTo)
  	: ROUTES.WORKSPACE_CATEGORY_SETTINGS.getRoute(policyId, category.keyForList),
  	);

On mWeb/hybrid, the list switches to selection mode but still opens the detail page, which in turn clears the entire selection set. Several workspace lists re-use this same pattern.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

1. Only register the cleanup hook when the screen is using a narrow layout so that large screen web preserves the selection after opening a detail pane. This mirrors the Workspace Members list, which keeps its selection on wide layouts.
2. Treat any active selection mode (regardless of screen size) as a signal that the tap should toggle the row instead of navigating. This brings mWeb/hybrid back in line with their expected behavior and keeps the selection state intact long enough for bulk actions to run.
3. Apply both adjustments consistently to categories, tags, per-diem rates, and tax rates so every workspace bulk-action list behaves the same.

Updated categories example:

const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedCategories([]), []);
useCleanupSelectedOptions(shouldUseNarrowLayout ? cleanupSelectedOption : undefined);

const navigateToCategorySettings = (category: PolicyOption) => {
    if (isMobileSelectionModeEnabled) {
        toggleCategory(category);
        return;
    }
    Navigation.navigate(
        isQuickSettingsFlow
            ? ROUTES.SETTINGS_CATEGORY_SETTINGS.getRoute(policyId, category.keyForList, backTo)
            : ROUTES.WORKSPACE_CATEGORY_SETTINGS.getRoute(policyId, category.keyForList),
    );
};

[nyomanjyotisa]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

All selected categories or tags become deselected when trying to deselect one and the specific item detail page open

What is the root cause of that problem?

The categorie, tags, tax and per diem pages use the useCleanupSelectedOptions hook which automatically clears all selected items whenever the page loses focus. When clicking a category/tag to open its detail page, the parent page loses focus and the hook clears all selections. This behavior is different from the WorkspaceMembersPage, which maintains selections when opening member detail pages because it doesn't use this hook

App/src/pages/workspace/categories/WorkspaceCategoriesPage.tsx

Lines 114 to 115 in ecad64e

	const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedCategories([]), []);
	useCleanupSelectedOptions(cleanupSelectedOption);

Additionally, useCleanupSelectedOptions hook tries to prevent cleanup when a right modal is opening by checking lastRoute?.name === NAVIGATORS.RIGHT_MODAL_NAVIGATOR, but the RIGHT_MODAL_NAVIGATOR never appears in the navigation state routes. The last route remains WorkspaceSplitNavigator both before and after opening detail pages, so isRightModalOpening is always false and cleanup always runs

App/src/hooks/useCleanupSelectedOptions/index.ts

Lines 5 to 19 in ecad64e

	const useCleanupSelectedOptions = (cleanupFunction?: () => void) => {
	const navigationContainerRef = useContext(NavigationContainerRefContext);
	const state = navigationContainerRef?.getState();
	const lastRoute = state?.routes.at(-1);
	const isRightModalOpening = lastRoute?.name === NAVIGATORS.RIGHT_MODAL_NAVIGATOR;
	const isFocused = useIsFocused();
	useEffect(() => {
	if (isFocused || isRightModalOpening) {
	return;
	}
	cleanupFunction?.();
	}, [isFocused, cleanupFunction, isRightModalOpening]);
	};

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Remove the useCleanupSelectedOptions hook from WorkspaceCategoriesPage, WorkspaceTagsPage, WorkspacePerDiemPage and WorkspaceTaxesPage to match the behavior of WorkspaceMembersPage

App/src/pages/workspace/categories/WorkspaceCategoriesPage.tsx

Lines 114 to 115 in ecad64e

	const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedCategories([]), []);
	useCleanupSelectedOptions(cleanupSelectedOption);

App/src/pages/workspace/tags/WorkspaceTagsPage.tsx

Lines 185 to 186 in ecad64e

	const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedTags([]), []);
	useCleanupSelectedOptions(cleanupSelectedOption);

App/src/pages/workspace/perDiem/WorkspacePerDiemPage.tsx

Lines 153 to 154 in ecad64e

	const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedPerDiem([]), []);
	useCleanupSelectedOptions(cleanupSelectedOption);

App/src/pages/workspace/taxes/WorkspaceTaxesPage.tsx

Lines 98 to 99 in ecad64e

	const cleanupSelectedOption = useCallback(() => setSelectedTaxesIDs([]), []);
	useCleanupSelectedOptions(cleanupSelectedOption);

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

None

[bernhardoj]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

All selected categories or tags are unselected when opening the detail page.

What is the root cause of that problem?

We already have the logic to not clear the selected options if the page is not focused, but an RHP is shown.

App/src/hooks/useCleanupSelectedOptions/index.ts

Lines 6 to 19 in 69db8ad

	const navigationContainerRef = useContext(NavigationContainerRefContext);
	const state = navigationContainerRef?.getState();
	const lastRoute = state?.routes.at(-1);
	const isRightModalOpening = lastRoute?.name === NAVIGATORS.RIGHT_MODAL_NAVIGATOR;
	const isFocused = useIsFocused();
	useEffect(() => {
	if (isFocused || isRightModalOpening) {
	return;
	}
	cleanupFunction?.();
	}, [isFocused, cleanupFunction, isRightModalOpening]);
	};

However, we get the state imperatively, which won't recompute (auto memoized by react-compiler), which is why the RIGHT_MODAL_NAVIGATOR doesn't exist on the state, so isRightModalOpening is always false.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

We should get the state inside the useEffect every time the screen is not focused.

useEffect(() => {
    if (isFocused) {
        return;
    }
    const state = navigationRef?.getRootState();
    const lastRoute = state?.routes.at(-1);
    const isRightModalOpening = lastRoute?.name === NAVIGATORS.RIGHT_MODAL_NAVIGATOR;

    if (isRightModalOpening) {
        return;
    }
    cleanupFunction?.();
}, [isFocused, cleanupFunction]);

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @dubielzyk-expensify (Design), see these Stack Overflow questions for more details.

[mallenexpensify]

@dubielzyk-expensify quick 👀 plz. Any reason you can think of why, when the line with the name of the category is clicked, all the checkboxes for the categories are unchecked?

2025-11-17_14-31-40.mp4

[dubielzyk-expensify]

No idea why. On mobile we don't allow interactions when in select mode, but on desktop we do. So tapping anything but the checkbox should simply open the RHP leaving everything else intact.

Looks like a bad bug to me

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021990553143078936020