Setting PivotItem.Visiblity to Collapsed Does not Remove It from Pivot

[robloo]

Describe the bug

Setting PivotItem.Visiblity to Collapsed does not remove a PivotItem, it only collapses the Content.

A common scenario when using a Pivot for tab navigation requires sometimes hiding a tab. This was always possible in other controls like in WPF's TabControl which Pivot was supposed to replace. However, in UWP, setting PivotItem.Visiblity=Collapsed will hide the Content but the PivotItem and its header are still shown within the Pivot and appear in the VisualTree. This means there is no way to hide a pivot's 'tab'.

This is a very old issue that has been reported years ago on user voice (before it was deleted) and is on multiple forums. It's something that should be simple to address in the platform but is complex to work-around in applications.

Steps to reproduce the bug

1. Add a Pivot in XAML with at least 1 PivotItem
2. Set a PivotItem's Visiblity=Collapsed
3. The PivotItem Header is still visible in the Pivot

Expected behavior

If the PivotItem itself is Collapsed the Header and the entire PivotItem should be removed from the VisualTree. This also means keyboard navigation is no longer possible.

Screenshots

Version Info

NuGet package version:

Microsoft.UI.Xaml 2.4.0

Windows 10 version	Saw the problem?
May 2020 Update (19041)	Yes

Device form factor	Saw the problem?
Desktop	Yes
Xbox
Surface Hub
IoT

Additional context

This will require WinUI 3.0 to be fixed. I will fix it myself if it comes to it -- this has been a thorn for years.

[scottkuhl]

I was quite shocked to find out this feature was not implemented in UWP and has been brought up multiple times over the years with no fix.

[mdtauk]

I get the impression Microsoft sees little value in the Pivot control these days.

[scottkuhl]

I get the impression Microsoft sees little value in the Pivot control these days.

That would be a good question to ask on the next community call. I found comments about this issue going back 6 years with no resolution. I'm considering replacing the pivot control in my app entirely because of this.

[robloo]

The Pivot is not the only control that has been neglected since the beginning. Lack of fixes like this is often cited as one of the reasons devs went back to WPF.

On Microsoft's part: since everything historically shared the same UI framework including the OS, breaking changes were nearly impossible. With WinUI 3 decoupled and the compatible version set by each app I hope it all changes and we can finally address things like this. This will be a good litmus test if WinUI 3 will really take off.