I may have gotten a solution to this. Its not entirely what I was looking for but it does work. Picker("Category", selection: $eCategoryName) { ForEach(cats, id: \.self) { Text($0).tag($0) } } //.pickerStyle(.navigationLink) .onAppear { if !pickerLoaded { if let firstCategory = cats.first { eCategoryName = firstCategory pickerLoaded.toggle() } } } The first time the picker is loaded the selected value is set to the first category in the array. Form validation works because now there's a value in the selected variable. Because the first one is selected, the fact that the first item is checked is irrelevant. Thanks!

So I worked out a solution. Its kind of kludgy but it works. I'd appreciate any comments or alternative solutions. struct CalendarView: View { @StateObject var selectedDate = SelectedDate() @Environment(\.managedObjectContext) private var viewContext @FetchRequest( sortDescriptors: [NSSortDescriptor(keyPath: \Expense.eName, ascending: true)], animation: .default) private var expenses: FetchedResults<Expense> @State private var listIsVisible:Bool = false var body: some View { VStack { CalendarHelper(interval: DateInterval(start: .distantPast, end: .distantFuture), date: selectedDate) ForEach(expenses, id:\.self) { exp in if selectedDate.selectedDate.isInSameDay(as: exp.eDueDate ?? Date()) { List { ExpenseRowItemView(eName: exp.eName ?? "", eCategory: exp.eCategoryName ?? "", eDueDate: exp.eDueDate ?? Date(), eImageName: exp.eCategoryName ?? "", showEdit: false) }.onAppear(){listIsVisible = true} } else { Text("") .hidden() .onAppear(){listIsVisible = false} } } if !listIsVisible { VStack { GeometryReader { geometry in Image("emptyView") .resizable() .aspectRatio(contentMode: .fit) .frame(width: geometry.size.width, height: geometry.size.height) } Text ("No Data") .onAppear(){listIsVisible = false} Spacer() } } } } } Thanks!

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I appreciate the detailed explanation. Cheers!