Updating shared list data type causes previously selected items to be unchecked in Umbraco 13

[jason-delaplain]

Which Umbraco version are you using?

13.11.0-rc

Bug summary

Updating a shared list data type (e.g., checkbox list or dropdown), any item that is modified (e.g., renamed or reordered) becomes unchecked in content nodes where it was previously selected.

Specifics

In Umbraco 13, when updating a shared list data type (e.g., checkbox list or dropdown), any item that is modified (e.g., renamed or reordered) becomes unchecked in content nodes where it was previously selected. This happens even if the item was selected before the update. It appears that the updated item is treated as a new entry, causing the original selection to be lost.

This issue can lead to data inconsistency and requires manual re-selection of items across content nodes.

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a shared list data type (e.g., checkbox list) with several items.
2. Use this data type in a document type and select some items in a content node.
3. Go back to the data type and rename or reorder one of the items.
4. Check the content node — the previously selected item is now unchecked.

Expected result / actual result

Expected Behavior:
Updated items should retain their selection in content nodes if their underlying value hasn't changed.

Actual Behavior:
Updated items are deselected, even if they were previously selected.

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This item has been added to our backlog AB#58042

[github-actions]

Hi there @jason-delaplain!

Firstly, a big thank you for raising this issue. Every piece of feedback we receive helps us to make Umbraco better.

We really appreciate your patience while we wait for our team to have a look at this but we wanted to let you know that we see this and share with you the plan for what comes next.

• We'll assess whether this issue relates to something that has already been fixed in a later version of the release that it has been raised for.
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• We'll replicate the issue to ensure that the problem is as described.
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We wish we could work with everyone directly and assess your issue immediately but we're in the fortunate position of having lots of contributions to work with and only a few humans who are able to do it. We are making progress though and in the meantime, we will keep you in the loop and let you know when we have any questions.

Thanks, from your friendly Umbraco GitHub bot 🤖 🙂

[NillasKA]

Hi @jason-delaplain

I am able to reproduce this with a name change, but not by only changing the sort order. A combination of both will reproduce this bug, but changing sort order without a name change wont.

When you tried it, did you change the name and the sort order in one go?

[jason-delaplain]

Hi NillasKa,
When I discovered the issue, I was only renaming it. I didn't notice until further testing that sorting was an issue too.
Thanks!

[NillasKA]

Well, through my investigation, sorting is not an issue - Items that you do not rename, but change the sort order of, won't have their checked state reverted, which is expected and is good.

The checked state being reverted, when items are renamed is also expected behavior. In a checklist you'd just have a name and a checked state, so when you change the name of an item, the item should revert to being unchecked.

Unless you've got any protests I'll be closing this issue as solved