How to Keep Selected Filters When Navigating Between Pages in React

Discover how to make sure that the selected filter options are retained across different pages in your React application, enhancing user experience and functionality.
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How to Keep Selected Filters When Navigating Between Pages in React

When developing a website with multiple pages, maintaining user preferences as they navigate can greatly enhance the user experience. A common challenge developers face is keeping track of selected filters when users switch pages. This guide will dive into how you can ensure selected filter options stay intact as users move between pages in a React application.

The Problem

Imagine a user on your website is browsing devices and has applied some filters to narrow down their choices. As they navigate from one page to another—say, from a list of devices to detailed views—their selected filters disappear. This experience can be frustrating as users are forced to reapply their preferences on each page.

The Solution

To solve this issue, we will integrate the Sidebar component, which holds the filter options, directly in the App component. This way, the filters will remain consistent and keep their state across different routes in the application.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Here is a breakdown of the solution:

Update the App Component: We need to include the Sidebar component in the main App component so that it persists across all pages.

Structure the Layout: By adding the Sidebar within a div alongside the Routes, it ensures the filters are always displayed and do not change when navigating.

Here is the updated code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Key Changes Explained

Persistent Sidebar: By placing the Sidebar directly in the App component, it is not affected by routing. This means that as users navigate between pages, their filter selections will remain visible and unchanged.

Flexible Layout: The layout is structured using a flexible div, which allows the sidebar to exist alongside the main content of the application, maintaining aesthetics and functionality.

Conclusion

By implementing the Sidebar component within the App component, you can ensure that filter selections are retained as users navigate through your React application. This small change significantly improves the user experience by minimizing frustration and streamlining their browsing process.

It's essential to consider user interactions in your designs and strive to make navigation as seamless as possible. Now your users can find what they are looking for without having to reset their filters each time they change pages!

If you found this guide helpful, or have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!