Change the URL in the browser without loading the new page using JavaScript

Question

How would I have a JavaScript action that may have some effects on the current page but would also change the URL in the browser so if the user hits reload or bookmark, then

Answer 1

my code is:

//change address bar
function setLocation(curLoc){
    try {
        history.pushState(null, null, curLoc);
        return false;
    } catch(e) {}
        location.hash = '#' + curLoc;
}

and action:

setLocation('http://example.com/your-url-here');

and example

$(document).ready(function(){
    $('nav li a').on('click', function(){
        if($(this).hasClass('active')) {

        } else {
            setLocation($(this).attr('href'));
        }
            return false;
    });
});

That's all :)