React router dom v6 - navigate(-1) need to press 2 time when refresh page

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05-10-2024

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React Router DOM v6: Navigating Back with navigate(-1) on Page Refresh

React Router DOM v6's navigate function is a powerful tool for programmatic navigation. However, when using navigate(-1) to go back one page after refreshing, you might find yourself needing to press the back button twice. This issue stems from the way React Router v6 handles navigation and its interaction with browser history.

Understanding the Issue

The navigate(-1) function in React Router v6 essentially pushes a new entry into the browser's history stack, effectively creating a duplicate entry. This duplication arises because of how the navigate function interacts with the current URL. When refreshing the page, the browser reloads the current URL, resulting in a new history entry that overlaps with the previous one.

Illustrating the Problem

Let's consider a simple example:

import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';

const MyComponent = () => {
  const navigate = useNavigate();

  const handleRefresh = () => {
    window.location.reload(); // Simulate page refresh
    navigate(-1);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={handleRefresh}>Refresh and Go Back</button>
    </div>
  );
};

When the "Refresh and Go Back" button is clicked, the page refreshes, and then navigate(-1) is called. This results in two identical history entries, making it necessary to press the back button twice to go back to the previous page.

Solutions and Workarounds

Here are a few solutions to address this behavior:

1. Using window.history.back(): Instead of navigate(-1), use window.history.back() to directly manipulate the browser history stack. This approach avoids creating duplicate entries and provides a more seamless navigation experience.

   import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';
   
   const MyComponent = () => {
     const navigate = useNavigate();
   
     const handleRefresh = () => {
       window.location.reload();
       window.history.back();
     };
   
     return (
       <div>
         <button onClick={handleRefresh}>Refresh and Go Back</button>
       </div>
     );
   };
   

2. Using navigate with a conditional check: You can use the navigate function, but check if the current URL matches the previous URL before calling it. This ensures that you don't create a duplicate entry unless it's truly necessary.

   import { useNavigate, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
   
   const MyComponent = () => {
     const navigate = useNavigate();
     const location = useLocation();
   
     const handleRefresh = () => {
       window.location.reload();
   
       // Check if the current URL is the same as the previous one
       if (location.pathname !== document.referrer) {
         navigate(-1);
       }
     };
   
     return (
       <div>
         <button onClick={handleRefresh}>Refresh and Go Back</button>
       </div>
     );
   };
   

3. Implementing a custom back button: If you require more fine-grained control over the back button functionality, consider creating a custom back button component that directly utilizes window.history.back() or navigate based on your specific needs.

Conclusion

While navigate(-1) can be useful for programmatically navigating backward, it's important to be aware of its potential behavior with page refreshes. By understanding the root cause of the issue and employing the solutions mentioned above, you can ensure a smooth and efficient user experience when navigating back using React Router DOM v6.

Resources

• React Router DOM v6 Documentation
• Browser History API