React Client-Side Navigation

When it comes to developing web applications ensuring a smooth and effortless user experience is of importance. One critical aspect of this experience is navigation between pages and maintaining state while doing so. In React applications, shallow routing is a powerful technique that allows for more precise control over client-side navigation without reloading the entire page. In this article, we will explore shallow routing, its benefits, and practical use cases.

What is Shallow Routing?

Shallow routing is a feature provided by frameworks like Next.js, a popular React framework for server-rendered applications. It enables developers to change the URL displayed in the browser without performing a full page refresh. Unlike traditional routing, where a complete page reloads often occurs when navigating between routes, shallow routing lets you update the URL while keeping the current page's state intact.

Benefits of Shallow Routing:

Faster Navigation: Shallow routing reduces the time it takes to navigate between pages, improving the user experience.
Maintained State: Page state, including component state and form data, remains intact during navigation.
SEO-Friendly: Search engines can index individual pages with unique URLs, enhancing SEO.
Client-Side Interactivity: Enhance client-side interactivity while minimizing server requests.

How Shallow Routing Works:

Shallow routing works by modifying the URL and query parameters without re-executing data fetching methods or rendering the entire page component. Here's how it works:

Normal Page Transition: In a typical page transition, clicking a link or using programmatic navigation triggers a full page reload. This process may re-run data fetching methods, potentially leading to additional server requests and slower user interactions.
Shallow Routing: With shallow routing, you can change the URL without running data fetching methods again. This change preserves the current page's state and allows for client-side navigation without the overhead of reloading the entire page.

Practical Use Cases:

Shallow routing can be a game-changer in diverse scenarios:

Filtering and Sorting: Imagine an e-commerce website where users can filter and sort product listings. Shallow routing enables you to apply these filters and sorting options via URL parameters without re-fetching the product data.
Pagination: Implementing pagination becomes more user-friendly with shallow routing. Users can navigate through different pages of content, and the URL updates accordingly, but the page state remains consistent.
Tabs and Accordion Menus: Shallow routing is ideal for UI components like tabs or accordion menus. Users can switch between tabs or sections, and the URL reflects the active state, making it shareable and bookmarkable.
Preserving Form State: When users fill out forms but navigate away and return later, shallow routing helps retain the form's state, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Implementing Shallow Routing in React (Next.js):

Using shallow routing in a Next.js application is straightforward. You can leverage the next/router module to work with the router and perform shallow route changes. Here's an example:

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

function ProductList() {
  const router = useRouter();

  useEffect(() => {
    // Shallow route change to filter products by category
    router.push('/products?category=electronics', undefined, { shallow: true });
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      {/* Product list component */}
    </div>
  );
}

export default ProductList;

Here, we use router.push with the { shallow: true } option to perform a shallow route change, updating the URL parameters without reloading the page.

Summary

Shallow routing in React applications, especially when using frameworks like Next.js, empowers developers to create highly interactive and performant web experiences. By updating the URL and query parameters without reloading the entire page, you can provide users with seamless navigation while maintaining state and enhancing overall performance. Incorporate shallow routing into your React projects to take control of client-side navigation and deliver exceptional user experiences.

Lookup https://nextjs.org/docs/pages/building-your-application/routing/linking-and-navigating for more details.

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Cheers 🥂

Mastering Shallow Routing in React: Enhancing Client-Side Navigation

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