---
title: "collectionView(_:performPrimaryActionForItemAt:)"
framework: uikit
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Method
path: "uikit/uicollectionviewdelegate/collectionview(_:performprimaryactionforitemat:)"
---

# collectionView(_:performPrimaryActionForItemAt:)

Tells the delegate to perform the primary action for the cell at the specified index path.

## Declaration

```swift
optional func collectionView(_ collectionView: UICollectionView, performPrimaryActionForItemAt indexPath: IndexPath)
```

## Parameters

- `collectionView`: The collection view object on which to perform the primary action.
- `indexPath`: The index path of the cell.

## Mentioned in

Building a desktop-class iPad app

## Discussion

Discussion Primary actions allow you to distinguish between a distinct user action and a change in selection (like a focus change or other indirect selection change). A primary action occurs when a person selects a single cell without extending an existing selection. UIKit calls this method after collectionView(_:shouldSelectItemAt:) and collectionView(_:didSelectItemAt:), regardless of whether the cell selection state changes. Use collectionView(_:didSelectItemAt:) to update the state of the current view controller (like its buttons, title, and so on), and use collectionView(_:performPrimaryActionForItemAt:) for actions like navigation or showing another split view column. If collectionView(_:shouldSelectItemAt:) returns true to allow selection for the cell at indexPath, only that cell has selection when the system calls this method. If collectionView(_:shouldSelectItemAt:) returns false, the system preserves the existing cell selection in the collection view. You can use this behavior to perform primary actions on nonselectable, button-style cells without changing the selection.

## See Also

### Managing actions for cells

- [collectionView(_:canPerformPrimaryActionForItemAt:)](uikit/uicollectionviewdelegate/collectionview(_:canperformprimaryactionforitemat:).md)