bug(MatList): matListItemMeta forces color onto any element under it

[Javier1zq]

Is this a regression?

• Yes, this behavior used to work in the previous version

The previous version in which this bug was not present was

14.3.0

Description

After the material migration to Angular 15, we have lost the ability to freely change the color elements within the matListItemMeta directive.

This means that if you put two buttons in an element of the list, one enabled and one disabled, they will both appear to be of the same color. This makes buttons appear disabled even when they're not.

Of course this directive didn't exist in Angular 14, but it is the only place to put these elements in this version.

I understand this might have been on purpose as it appears that this section might only be intended for text, but it makes a great drawer for buttons that perform actions on elements of the list, and it used to work perfectly for this.

Reproduction

This happens both in Angular 15 and 16

Angular 15:
https://stackblitz.com/edit/components-issue-gvbxke?file=src%2Fapp%2Fexample-component.html

Angular 16:
https://stackblitz.com/edit/angular-16-material-starter-upzbq5?file=src%2Fapp%2Fapp.module.ts,src%2Fapp%2Fapp.component.html

Expected Behavior

When putting buttons or icons inside the matListItemMeta they should keep their color.

Actual Behavior

When putting buttons or icons inside the matListItemMeta they change their color to grey (same exact color as a disabled button), affecting the usability of buttons.

Environment

• Angular: 15&16
• CDK/Material: 15.2.9 (latest)
  Package Manager: npm 8.19.2
• Operating System : Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS

[Javier1zq]

For anyone looking for a workaround this css will work (you should probably increase the specificity)
.mat-mdc-list-item-meta.mdc-list-item__end { color: inherit !important; }