4 Routing in react.js

Introduction

React.js is a popular JavaScript library used for building user interfaces. One of the key features of React.js is its ability to create single-page applications with smooth and efficient navigation. In order to achieve this seamless navigation between different sections of a web application, developers often use a library called React Router. React Router allows us to define multiple routes in our application and render different components based on the current URL.

Setting up React Router

To start using React Router in your React.js application, you first need to install it using npm. You can do this by running the command npm install react-router-dom in your project directory. Once React Router is installed, you can import it into your application and start defining routes using the BrowserRouter and Route components. The BrowserRouter component wraps the entire application and provides the routing functionality, while the Route component is used to define different routes and the components to render for each route.

Defining Routes

With React Router, you can define routes based on specific URLs and render corresponding components when the user navigates to those URLs. Each Route component takes two main props - path and component. The path prop specifies the URL that should match the route, and the component prop specifies the React component to render when that route is matched. For example, you can define a route for the homepage using <Route path="/" component={Home} />, where Home is a React component representing the homepage of your application.

Dynamic URL Parameters

In addition to static routes, React Router also allows you to work with dynamic URLs by using route parameters. Route parameters are specified in the path prop using a colon followed by the parameter name, such as <Route path="/users/:id" component={User} />. When a user navigates to a URL that matches this pattern, the parameter value is extracted from the URL and made available to the rendered component. This enables you to create more flexible routes that can handle varying data.

Navigation

React Router provides different components for navigating between routes in your application. The Link component is used to create clickable links that take the user to a different route when clicked. By using the to prop, you can specify the destination URL for the link. Additionally, you can use the Redirect component to programmatically redirect users to a different route based on certain conditions. These navigation components make it easy to create a smooth and interactive user experience in your React.js applications.

Now let's see if you've learned something...

⇦ 3 Managing state in react.js 5 Working with apis in react.js ⇨