react router refresh page with code examples

React Router is a popular library for routing in React applications. It provides a simple way to handle navigation and navigation-related tasks in your application. One common issue when using React Router is refreshing a page, which causes the page to reload and lose its current state. In this article, we'll explore how to refresh a page using React Router and provide code examples for different scenarios.

Refreshing a Page with React Router

When a user refreshes a page in a React Router-powered application, the application reloads, and all its state is lost. To handle this issue, you can use the useEffect hook to store the current state in local storage or session storage.

Here's an example of how you can store the current state in local storage:

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

const Component = () => {
  const [state, setState] = useState({});
  const location = useLocation();

  useEffect(() => {
    const storedState = localStorage.getItem('state');
    if (storedState) {
      setState(JSON.parse(storedState));
    } else {
      setState({
        pathname: location.pathname,
        search: location.search,
        hash: location.hash,
      });
      localStorage.setItem('state', JSON.stringify({
        pathname: location.pathname,
        search: location.search,
        hash: location.hash,
      }));
    }
  }, []);

  return (
    // ...
  );
};

In this example, we use the useEffect hook to check if the state is stored in local storage. If it is, we set the state to the stored value. If not, we set the state to the current location and store it in local storage.

You can also use session storage instead of local storage if you want the state to persist only for the current session:

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';

const Component = () => {
  const [state, setState] = useState({});
  const location = useLocation();

  useEffect(() => {
    const storedState = sessionStorage.getItem('state');
    if (storedState) {
      setState(JSON.parse(storedState));
    } else {
      setState({
        pathname: location.pathname,
        search: location.search,
        hash: location.hash,
      });
      sessionStorage.setItem('state', JSON.stringify({
        pathname: location.pathname,
        search: location.search,
        hash: location.hash,
      }));
    }
  }, []);

  return (
    // ...
  );
};

In this example, we use session storage instead of local storage to store the state.

Refreshing a Page with a Redirect

If you want to redirect the user to a different page after they refresh the current page, you can use the useEffect hook and the Redirect component from React Router.

Here's an example:

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useLocation, Redirect } from 'react
Storing the State with the URL

Another way to handle page refresh in React Router is to store the state in the URL. This approach is useful when you want to share the state with other users or save it for later.

To store the state in the URL, you can use the useLocation hook from React Router and the useParams hook from the react-router-dom library. The useParams hook allows you to access the parameters from the URL, which you can use to store the state.

Here's an example:

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useLocation, useParams, useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';

const Component = () => {
const [state, setState] = useState({});
const location = useLocation();
const params = useParams();
const history = useHistory();

useEffect(() => {
setState({
…params,
pathname: location.pathname,
search: location.search,
hash: location.hash,
});
}, [location, params]);

const handleClick = () => {
history.push(${location.pathname}/${state.value});
};

return (

);
};

In this example, we use the useParams hook to access the parameters from the URL, which we store in the state. We also use the useHistory hook to update the URL with the current state when the user clicks the Update URL button.

Storing the State with URL Queries

Another way to store the state in the URL is to use URL queries. URL queries are the part of the URL that come after the question mark (`?`).

To store the state in URL queries, you can use the useLocation hook from React Router and the qs library to parse and stringify URL queries.

Here's an example:

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useLocation, useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';
import qs from 'qs';

const Component = () => {
const [state, setState] = useState({});
const location = useLocation();
const history = useHistory();

useEffect(() => {
const parsed = qs.parse(location.search, { ignoreQueryPrefix: true });
setState({
…parsed,
pathname: location.pathname,
hash: location.hash,
});
}, [location]);

const handleClick = () => {
history.push({
pathname: location.pathname,
search: ?${qs.stringify(state)},
hash: location.hash,
});
};

return (

);
};
“

Popular questions

1. What is the problem with refreshing a page in React Router?

When a user refreshes a page in a React Router application, the state of the application is lost. This can result in unexpected behavior and a poor user experience.

2. How can I handle page refresh in React Router?

There are several ways to handle page refresh in React Router, including storing the state in the URL, storing the state in local storage, or using the withRouter higher-order component from the react-router-dom library.

3. Can I store the state in the URL with React Router?

Yes, you can store the state in the URL with React Router. This can be done by using the useLocation hook from React Router and the useParams hook from the react-router-dom library.

4. How can I store the state in local storage with React Router?

You can store the state in local storage with React Router by using the useEffect hook and the localStorage API. In the useEffect hook, you can read the state from local storage and update it whenever the state changes.

5. Can I use the withRouter higher-order component to handle page refresh in React Router?

Yes, you can use the withRouter higher-order component from the react-router-dom library to handle page refresh in React Router. The withRouter component gives your component access to the history object, which you can use to navigate to a different page or update the URL.

Here's an example:

import React from 'react';
import { withRouter } from 'react-router-dom';

const Component = ({ history }) => {
  const handleClick = () => {
    history.push('/new-page');
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={handleClick}>Go to new page</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default withRouter(Component);

Tag

Routing