How do you use the history API to improve user experience?

1 What is the history API?

The history API is a set of methods and properties that let you access and modify the browser's history object. The history object stores the URLs of the pages that the user has visited in a tab or window. You can use the history API to add, replace, or remove entries from the history object, as well as to get information about the current state and length of the history stack.

3 How to handle popstate events?

When the user clicks the browser's back or forward buttons, or when you use the history.back() , history.forward() , or history.go() methods to programmatically navigate the history stack, a popstate event is fired on the window object. The popstate event has a state property that contains the state object of the history entry that is being activated. You can use this event to update your web app's content area according to the state object. For example, if you have a web app that shows different products based on the user's selection, you can use the popstate event to restore the product details and images that correspond to the state object of the history entry.

4 How to improve bookmarking and SEO?

Another benefit of using the history API is that it can improve the bookmarking and search engine optimization (SEO) of your web app. By creating dynamic URLs for each state of your web app, you can make it easier for the user to bookmark and share specific pages of your web app. For example, if you have a web app that shows different recipes based on the user's search criteria, you can use the history API to create a URL that reflects the user's query and results. This way, the user can bookmark or share the URL with others who can access the same page of your web app. Moreover, by creating dynamic URLs, you can also make your web app more crawlable and indexable by search engines. Search engines can follow the URLs of your web app and index the content and metadata of each page. This can improve your web app's ranking and visibility on search engine results pages.

5 How to handle browser compatibility?

The history API is supported by most modern browsers, but not by older browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 and below. If you want to use the history API in your web app, you should check for its availability before using it. You can use the window.history property to detect if the history API is supported by the browser. If not, you can either use a polyfill library that emulates the history API functionality, or fall back to a simpler navigation scheme that does not rely on the history API.

6 How to use the history API in practice?

To use the history API in practice, you need to follow some basic steps. First, you need to design your web app's content area and URL structure in a way that reflects the different states of your web app. Second, you need to use the history.pushState() and history.replaceState() methods to create and update history entries when the user interacts with your web app. Third, you need to use the popstate event to handle the user's navigation through the history stack and update your web app's content area accordingly. Fourth, you need to provide meaningful titles and metadata for each history entry to improve the bookmarking and SEO of your web app. Fifth, you need to check for the browser compatibility of the history API and use a polyfill or a fallback solution if necessary.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?