dotnet/wpf · error · ElementNotEnabledException

ElementNotEnabledException

Error message

ElementNotEnabledException

What it means

ISelectionItemProvider.Select() on RadioButtonAutomationPeer throws ElementNotEnabledException when the owner RadioButton is disabled (IsEnabled() is false). The SelectionItem pattern requires the element to be enabled before it can be programmatically selected.

Solutions

  1. Enable the RadioButton first by fixing the application condition that disables it, then Select.
  2. Check IsEnabled/SelectionItemPattern availability in the client before calling Select; choose an enabled alternative.
  3. Catch ElementNotEnabledException and surface which radio option was disabled in the test report.

Example fix

// before
selectionItemPattern.Select();
// after
if (radioButton.Enabled)
{
    selectionItemPattern.Select();
}
else
{
    // pick an enabled option or enable it in app state first
}
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

if (!radioButton.IsEnabled) { /* choose another option or enable first */ }

Try / catch

try { selectionItemPattern.Select(); } catch (ElementNotEnabledException) { /* disabled option: handle explicitly */ }

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: A UIA client calls SelectionItemPattern.Select() on a disabled RadioButton, e.g. an option greyed out because another mutually exclusive option is active or a dependency isn't satisfied.

Common situations: Form-filling automation selecting radio options that are disabled by conditional UI logic; tests running against dialogs where some choices are unavailable by design.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/wpf@81131a70a4 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/63db76a61120fbe7. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/Microsoft.DotNet.Wpf/src/PresentationFramework/System/Windows/Automation/Peers/RadioButtonAutomationPeer.cs:52

            }
            else if(patternInterface == PatternInterface.SynchronizedInput)
            {
                return base.GetPattern(patternInterface);
            }
            else
            {
                return null;
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Sets the current element as the selection
        /// This clears the selection from other elements in the container
        /// </summary>
        void ISelectionItemProvider.Select()
        {
            if (!IsEnabled())
                throw new ElementNotEnabledException();

            ((RadioButton)Owner).SetCurrentValueInternal(RadioButton.IsCheckedProperty, MS.Internal.KnownBoxes.BooleanBoxes.TrueBox);
        }


        /// <summary>
        /// Adds current element to selection
        /// </summary>
        void ISelectionItemProvider.AddToSelection()
        {
            if (((RadioButton)Owner).IsChecked != true)
                throw new InvalidOperationException(SR.UIA_OperationCannotBePerformed);
        }


        /// <summary>
        /// Removes current element from selection
        /// </summary>

View on GitHub (pinned to 81131a70a4)