react-router go back a page how do you configure history?

Question

Can anyone please tell me how I can go back to the previous page rather than a specific route?

When using this code:

var BackButton = React.createCla         


        

Answer 1

REDUX

You can also use react-router-redux which has goBack() and push().

Here is a sampler pack for that:

In your app's entry point, you need ConnectedRouter, and a sometimes tricky connection to hook up is the history object. The Redux middleware listens to history changes:

import React from 'react'
import { render } from 'react-dom'
import { ApolloProvider } from 'react-apollo'
import { Provider } from 'react-redux'
import { ConnectedRouter } from 'react-router-redux'
import client from './components/apolloClient'
import store, { history } from './store'
import Routes from './Routes'
import './index.css'

render(
  
    
      
        
      
    
  ,
  document.getElementById('root'),
)

I will show you a way to hook up the history. Notice how the history is imported into the store and also exported as a singleton so it can be used in the app's entry point:

import { createStore, applyMiddleware, compose } from 'redux'
import { routerMiddleware } from 'react-router-redux'
import thunk from 'redux-thunk'
import createHistory from 'history/createBrowserHistory'
import rootReducer from './reducers'

export const history = createHistory()

const initialState = {}
const enhancers = []
const middleware = [thunk, routerMiddleware(history)]

if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
  const { devToolsExtension } = window
  if (typeof devToolsExtension === 'function') {
    enhancers.push(devToolsExtension())
  }
}

const composedEnhancers = compose(applyMiddleware(...middleware), ...enhancers)
const store = createStore(rootReducer, initialState, composedEnhancers)

export default store

The above example block shows how to load the react-router-redux middleware helpers which complete the setup process.

I think this next part is completely extra, but I will include it just in case someone in the future finds benefit:

import { combineReducers } from 'redux'
import { routerReducer as routing } from 'react-router-redux'

export default combineReducers({
  routing, form,
})

I use routerReducer all the time because it allows me to force reload Components that normally do not due to shouldComponentUpdate. The obvious example is when you have a Nav Bar that is supposed to update when a user presses a NavLink button. If you go down that road, you will learn that Redux's connect method uses shouldComponentUpdate. With routerReducer, you can use mapStateToProps to map routing changes into the Nav Bar, and this will trigger it to update when the history object changes.

Like this:

const mapStateToProps = ({ routing }) => ({ routing })

export default connect(mapStateToProps)(Nav)

Forgive me while I add some extra keywords for people: if your component isn't updating properly, investigate shouldComponentUpdate by removing the connect function and see if it fixes the problem. If so, pull in the routerReducer and the component will update properly when the URL changes.

In closing, after doing all that, you can call goBack() or push() anytime you want!

Try it now in some random component:

1. Import in connect()
2. You don't even need mapStateToProps or mapDispatchToProps
3. Import in goBack and push from react-router-redux
4. Call this.props.dispatch(goBack())
5. Call this.props.dispatch(push('/sandwich'))
6. Experience positive emotion

If you need more sampling, check out: https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-router-redux