How to Use React Router?

10 minutes read

React Router is a powerful library that helps you manage routing in a React application. To use React Router, you first need to install it in your project by running npm install react-router-dom.


Once the library is installed, you can import the necessary components from react-router-dom to set up your routing. The main components you will use are BrowserRouter, Route, and Switch.


You can wrap your entire application in a BrowserRouter component to enable routing. Inside the BrowserRouter, you can define different routes using the Route component. Each Route component takes a path prop to specify the URL path it should match and a component prop to define the component to render when the route is matched.


You can also use nested routes by placing Route components inside each other. Additionally, you can use the Switch component to render only the first Route that matches the current URL.


React Router also provides hooks like useParams and useHistory that allow you to access the parameters and history of the current route.


Overall, using React Router allows you to create a seamless navigation experience in your React application by defining different routes and handling navigation between them.

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What is the match object in React Router used for?

The match object in React Router is used to access information about how a Route was matched in a React component rendered by a Route component. It provides information such as the URL path, URL parameters, and whether the Route matched exactly. This allows developers to dynamically render components based on the current route and URL parameters.


What is the withRouter HOC in React Router?

The withRouter higher-order component (HOC) is a utility from React Router that helps to access the history object and match object in the props of a component. It allows components that are not directly rendered by a to access the router props like match, location, and history.


By using the withRouter HOC, a component can access the router props and take advantage of routing capabilities without directly being nested within a component. This is useful for components that need to interact with the router but are not directly connected to a route.


How to create animated page transitions with React Router?

To create animated page transitions with React Router, you can use libraries like react-transition-group or framer-motion. Here is a step-by-step guide to create animated page transitions with React Router using react-transition-group:

  1. Install react-transition-group package by running the following command in your project directory:
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npm install react-transition-group


  1. Create a new CSS file for your animation styles, for example, transitionStyles.css. Add your animation styles to this file, such as fade, slide, or scale effects.
  2. Import the necessary components and hooks from react-transition-group, react-router-dom, and React in your main App component file.
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import { Switch, Route, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
import { CSSTransition, TransitionGroup } from 'react-transition-group';
import React from 'react';
import './transitionStyles.css';


  1. Define a functional component called App that will render the page transitions. Use the useLocation hook to get the current location.
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const App = () => {
  const location = useLocation();

  return (
    <TransitionGroup>
      <CSSTransition key={location.key} classNames="fade" timeout={300}>
        <Switch location={location}>
          <Route exact path="/" component={Home} />
          <Route path="/about" component={About} />
        </Switch>
      </CSSTransition>
    </TransitionGroup>
  );
};


  1. Write your Home and About components, or any other components you want to transition between.
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const Home = () => {
  return <div className="page">Home Page</div>;
};

const About = () => {
  return <div className="page">About Page</div>;
};


  1. Create your CSS animation styles in the transitionStyles.css file, for example, a simple fade animation:
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.fade-enter {
  opacity: 0;
}

.fade-enter-active {
  opacity: 1;
  transition: opacity 300ms;
}

.fade-exit {
  opacity: 1;
}

.fade-exit-active {
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 300ms;
}


  1. Render the App component in your main index.js file and wrap it with a Router component from react-router-dom.
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import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import { BrowserRouter as Router } from 'react-router-dom';
import App from './App';

ReactDOM.render(
  <Router>
    <App />
  </Router>,
  document.getElementById('root')
);


  1. Start your React app by running npm start in the terminal. You should now see animated page transitions when navigating between routes in your app.


That's it! You have successfully created animated page transitions with React Router using react-transition-group. Feel free to customize the animation styles and transitions according to your preferences.


How to programmatically navigate with React Router?

To programmatically navigate with React Router, you can use the useHistory hook provided by React Router. Here's an example of how you can navigate to a different route programmatically:

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

function MyComponent() {
  const history = useHistory();
  
  const handleNavigate = () => {
    history.push('/new-route');
  }
  
  return (
    <button onClick={handleNavigate}>Go to New Route</button>
  );
}


In this example, we import the useHistory hook from React Router. We then create a history object using the useHistory hook, which provides us with methods to navigate programmatically. We define a function handleNavigate that uses the push method on the history object to navigate to the '/new-route' route when a button is clicked.


You can use this pattern to programmatically navigate to different routes in your React application using React Router.


How to lazy load components with React Router?

To lazy load components with React Router, you can make use of the React.lazy function along with the Suspense component. Here's how you can do it:

  1. Install react-router-dom and react if you haven't already:
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npm install react-router-dom react


  1. Import React, Suspense, and lazy in your component file:
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import React, { Suspense, lazy } from 'react';


  1. Create a separate file for the component you want to lazy load. For example, let's create a file called LazyComponent.js:
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import React from 'react';

function LazyComponent() {
  return <div>This is a lazy loaded component</div>;
}

export default LazyComponent;


  1. In your main component file, dynamically import the lazy component using the lazy function:
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const LazyComponent = lazy(() => import('./LazyComponent'));


  1. Use the Suspense component to specify a loading indicator while the lazy component is being loaded:
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<Suspense fallback={<div>Loading...</div>}>
  <LazyComponent />
</Suspense>


That's it! Now the LazyComponent will be lazy loaded when it is accessed by the user, helping to improve the performance of your application by loading components only when they are needed.

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